Our research program concentrates on the ways and environments in which light can be applied. We are developing ideas about how future technologies can be leveraged to maximise the use of light in a wide variety of contexts and settings. We question current lighting design practices to develop innovative, sometimes fundamentally new, ways of using lighting in architectural spaces.

Our experiments investigate the impacts of these applications on the experience of architecture and on energy consumption. Our projects revolve around three research focus areas: the spectrum of illumination, the spatial distribution of light, and user control of lighting.

Our research methods

This laboratory investigates architectural lighting applications. Research projects simultaneously answer fundamental questions about the relationship between lighting and the human experience and present innovative world-leading ideas about better ways to design with light. The research in the lab is experimental and classical psychophysical research methods are most commonly used. Other research methods (e.g., those from human-computer interaction) are integrated when appropriate.

Our researchers

• Dr Wenye Hu
• Ms Mariana Papa
  
• Ms Jo Elliott
• Honorary Associate Professor Wendy Davis

Alumni/Collaborator

• Dr Alp Durmus (Penn State)

Current Major projects

• Adaptation-responsive lighting
• Detectability of differences in lighting
• Circadian effects of lighting from day to night
• Reference-less colour quality evaluation
• Spectral optimization for colour quality, well-being, and efficiency

Selected Publications

National Research Council [Kassakian, J., Black, I., Clanton, N., Davis, W., Ettenberg, M., Hakkarainen, P., Hu, E., Narendran, N., Savitz, M., Spencer, M.G., Tang, C.W.]  (2017). Assessment of Solid-State Lighting, Phase 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 

National Research Council [Kassakian, J., Azevedo, I., Clanton, N., Davis, W., DeCotis, P., DenBaars, S., Ettenberg, M., Forrest, S., Hakkarainen, P., Hu, E., Marchant, G., Narendran, N., Savitz, M., Spencer, M.G.] (2013). Assessment of Advanced Solid-State Lighting. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Vázquez D., Fernández-Balbuena A.A., Canabal H., Muro C., Durmus D., Davis W., Benítez A., Mayorga S. (2020). Energy optimization of a light projection system for buildings that virtually restores artworks. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 16, e00128.

Durmus, D., Abdalla, D., Duis, A., Davis, W. (2018). Spectral optimization to minimize light absorbed by artwork. LEUKOS: The Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society, doi: 10.1080/15502724.2018.1533852.

Hu, W., Davis, W. (2018). The effect of control resolution on the usability of color-tunable lighting systems. LEUKOS: The Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society,doi: 10.1080/15502724.2018.1477053.

Durmus, D., Davis, W. (2017). Object color naturalness and attractiveness with spectrally optimized illumination. Optics Express, 25(11), 12839-12850.

Hu, W., Davis, W. (2017). Development and evaluation of colour control interfaces for LED lighting. Optics Express, 25(8), A346-A360.

Hu, W., Davis, W. (2016). Dimming curve based on the detectability and acceptability of illuminance differences. Optics Express, 24(10), A885-A897.

Durmus, D., Davis, W. (2015). Optimising light source spectrum for object reflectance. Optics Express, 23(11), A456-A464.