PRINCIPAL
Syntax Lighting is an independent architectural lighting design practice based in London. Drawing on broad experience in architecture and understanding of light and design at all levels, Syntax Lighting has been consistent in providing well considered, meticulously detailed and thoroughly coordinated lighting schemes for all manner of high-profile architectural projects, in the UK and all over the world.
Syntax Lighting is headed by Ana Stojadinovic who has over twenty years of experience in the architectural and lighting design field.
Ana trained and practiced as an architect prior to completing a master degree MSc Light and Lighting at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London in 2005. Working initially with two leading UK lighting consultancies as well as her own project portfolio, she founded an independent practice in 2011.
Ana has a personal involvement in every project that Syntax Lighting undertakes. Ana leads the formulation and development of conceptual ideas and maintains close contact and coordination with the project team throughout the detail design and construction stages of the project.
Ana has worked on lighting designs for all manner of high profile architectural projects, including residential, commercial, retail, hotels, spas, exterior and landscape, and all over the world, including the Middle East, Thailand, India, Russia, USA, Europe and the UK.
Apart from being highly motivated and thorough in design, her architectural background has significantly benefited her work as a lighting designer, and this has been acknowledged many times by both the clients and the architects she has collaborated with.
Previously working as a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade and with an active interest in architectural and lighting education, Ana has also given lectures on lighting at universities in the UK, such as Brunel University and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
Ana is a professional member of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), a member of the Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) and an affiliate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
PROFILE
Syntax Lighting is an independent architectural lighting design practice with thorough understanding of light at all levels and all design fields and their interdependence.
We consider lighting as an integral part of architecture and interior design – integration of lighting and attention to detail, as well as full coordination with the architectural design in all project stages are, according to us, key aspects of high quality lighting design.
We work closely with our clients and their architects and designers. As lighting, both natural and artificial, either interior or exterior, has a direct impact on the way the space is perceived by the viewer, we consider ourselves as one of the closest design collaborators of an architect. Our involvement starts as early as possible in the development of the architectural design and the work is usually only complete once the building commences operation.
We have a diverse portfolio and varied client base that includes companies, developers and private individuals. The majority of our appointments are secured through repeat commissions or recommendations.
Syntax Lighting is completely independent lighting design practice and has no commercial links with companies involved in the manufacture, supply or installation of lighting equipment. We work entirely for the benefit of our clients and are remunerated on a fee basis only.
We are not part of the supply chain of a project, but we do have a strong link to it. We cooperate with the different players in that chain, manufacturers, agents, representatives and installers, for the benefit of the end-user, the client, and the project as a whole.
As independent lighting design professionals, we will add value to any project, whether large or small, interior or exterior, public or private. The value of our contribution to the project is an integral element of the outstanding client service.
Unreserved dedication and honest professional approach have been proven to result in an enjoyable yet productive design process and successful projects of exceptional quality, regardless of their size and type. This has been acknowledged many times by both the clients and the architects we have collaborated with.
Design excellence has also been recognised by the lighting design professional community in various awards’ competitions.
PROCESS
Light is a technically difficult yet astonishing medium that requires mastery of varied and continually evolving disciplines. Architectural lighting design practice integrates the arts, sciences and business of illumination design and implementation.
Good quality lighting usually occurs at the conjunction of a talented architect and a creative lighting designer, resulting in an efficient, enjoyable, healthy, safe, sustainable and well-accepted environment for the people who live, work and relax in it. The right light is a subtle yet powerful medium that truly enhances and improves every space.
As in architecture, meeting aesthetical, functional and technical requirements is equally important in lighting design. In close collaboration with the design team we will create an innovative lighting solution to reveal the building form, meet the needs of the people who use the space, satisfy the technical requirements in terms of building operation and select products most appropriate for the project – based on research and expertise and free from conflicts of interest.
Lighting is never an afterthought introduced to solve a problem emerging at the end of a project, but a fundamental part of a three dimensional design process. For best results it is important that our involvement as an integral part of the design team starts as early as possible in the design process.
Lighting design phases follow and complement the architectural design stages feeding the design team with the relevant information throughout the design process from concept to completion. The exact scope of services can be individually tailored to suit specific project requirements and is listed in detail in each fee proposal. Typical work phases are as follows.
Phase 1: Brief Development and Concept Design
Phase 2: Design Development
Phase 3: Technical Design and Production
Phase 4: Construction Documents and Tender Review
Phase 5: Site Co-ordination during Construction
Phase 6: Final Setting-up of Lighting Installation (focusing and scene setting).
APPROACH
Regardless of the state of lighting technology and the multitude of technical possibilities now available, the principal consideration for architectural lighting design remains the human response to light. The basis of all design is human need, perception and response. A successful design must satisfy the practical requirements of functionality, safety and security, and at the same time satisfy both psychological and aesthetic needs.
Light affects humans on three different levels: physical (how we see), physiological (how lighting affects our body system) and psychological (how it affects our perception of the space and therefore influences our mood and behaviour). It is precisely this natural human ability to perceive – and not just see – that makes lighting design as much an art form as it is a science.
Fundamental to lighting design is that:
Lighting gives information – Its purpose is to enable the people in a building to perceive the nature of the space they are in, what other people are doing, and what they have to accomplish in a task.
Lighting affects perception – Human perception of space and objects in space is determined by lighting conditions.
Lighting design is about lit effect – Lighting design is more than the selection of luminaries from a catalogue or the calculation of light levels, its scope is the composition of brightness and colour across the whole visual field.
Illumination is the ephemeral partner of architecture – How space is perceived depends not on illumination alone but on its interaction with the enclosing form of the space.
Light, colour and form act together – Decisions made about each element of design are affected by others, because light, colour and form interact in their result.