Our studies have revealed recurring shortcomings in projects developed by established lighting companies, where, in many cases clear lightning aberrations emerge. These results often reflect a core priority centred on the sale of lighting equipment, rather than on the right needs of the place. Clients, generally unaware of the technical, physical, and chemical dimensions of light, place their trust in these providers, relinquishing control over decisions that frequently lead to inadequate or misapplied solutions.

A telling example can be found in Valongo, where a widespread replacement of public lighting with LED fixtures introduced a colour temperature radically misaligned with the parameters considered appropriate for healthy night-time illumination. This outcome is particularly regrettable given the existence of a Public Lighting Master Plan that explicitly defines and advocates for those very parameters.

We are not a lighting supply company — our core business is not the sale of equipment. Rather, we engage with manufacturers and suppliers in a process oriented towards achieving precise spatial outcomes.

Designing with light is not simply a matter of placing points on a plan, applying standard equipment, or assuming that good lighting requires architectural elements to shine intensely from a distance. It demands both technical rigour and scenographic awareness, as well as an understanding that light produces physical and chemical effects. Mastery of these variables is essential for a conscious and responsible design of light.

A lighting diagnosis examines the space in its existing condition, identifying relationships between light, materiality, and perception. It distinguishes whether light is functional or scenographic, and the values inherent to each.

From this, strategies are defined to enhance the space while respecting its character and the surrounding night-time environment. After all, night is night, not day.

Please note that some of the following images may be disturbing.