Beyond the Standard: Why Lighting Design is the Missing Link in Modern Architecture

Who is actually responsible for the lighting in our schools and public buildings? In the second part of our deep dive into lighting quality, industry experts Dominik Alder (XAL) and lighting designer Reinhard Vedder (Vedder.Lichtmanagement) discuss why the task is frequently relegated to electrical planners, the origins of the "4,000 Kelvin myth" in education, and why only a fraction of products survive professional scrutiny.

The Context: A Recap

In the first part of this series, Dominik Alder, Senior Lighting Specialist at the Graz-based luminaire manufacturer XAL, and independent lighting designer Reinhard Vedder, Vice-President of the international lighting design association FILD, exposed a sobering reality: In schools, hospitals, and offices, lighting is often planned solely to meet the bare minimums of the EN 12464-1 standard.

The benchmark for color rendering, Ra 80, is a relic of the 1960s. Even critical factors such as maintenance and glare control are often treated with superficiality in day-to-day practice. As we continue our investigation, we turn to the human and structural elements that define how our spaces are lit—and why we are failing to reach our full potential.

The Planning Hierarchy: Who Decides the Light?

One of the most persistent issues in the building sector is the ambiguity of responsibility. When asked who exactly is responsible for lighting a school or an administrative building—the electrical planner, the lighting designer, or the manufacturer—the answer is rarely straightforward.

"In theory, all three are involved," says Dominik Alder. However, Reinhard Vedder provides a more critical assessment of the status quo: "While independent lighting designers are certainly engaged, the reality is that the work is almost always dumped onto the electrical planner."

The Skills Gap in Electrical Engineering

This delegation is not necessarily due to a lack of effort, but a fundamental lack of specialized training. "An electrical planner typically has a robust technical background, but not a single hour of formal education in lighting design or the psychology of light," Vedder explains. "They come from a technical domain, and you can feel it in every corner of the room. We lack a standardized curriculum at the university or polytechnic level that addresses the mechanisms of good versus bad light."

Consequently, these planners stick to outdated norms, relying on data that stems from a time when high-quality lighting was physically difficult to achieve. "Back then, we had to rely on halogen or fluorescent lamps, and lighting designers had to use ‘tricks’ to make the light feel somewhat acceptable," says Vedder. "But those tricks aren’t the primary concern of an electrical planner."

The result? Architects and demanding clients often reach out to specialists like Vedder, frustrated by the "sprinkler system" approach—where light is distributed uniformly and uninspiredly across every square inch of a building. "They tell us, ‘We have a high-level building, why is the light so mediocre?’"

The 4,000 Kelvin Myth: Challenging Educational Dogma

One of the most entrenched, yet scientifically unsupported, beliefs in the construction of schools is the necessity of "4,000 Kelvin" lighting. It is widely claimed that this cooler light temperature boosts student activity and prevents them from falling asleep.

Vedder, however, is skeptical. "There is no definitive research confirming that 4,000 Kelvin is the magic bullet for student performance," he notes. "Students fall asleep for many reasons—they are sleep-deprived, or perhaps the teaching style is purely frontal and unengaging. Blaming the light is an oversimplification."

The "Welcome Light" Concept

Vedder has consistently seen the opposite in practice. When he installs warmer, higher-quality lighting (3,000 to 3,500 Kelvin), the atmosphere improves, and the students are no less active. "It’s about creating a ‘Welcome Light,’" he says. "People feel more comfortable and communicate better in a warmer environment. When you force people into a cold, normative lighting scheme, it feels like sitting outside in November weather."

This is particularly relevant for the rise of "Tunable White" systems. While manufacturers push for cool light in the morning to stimulate alertness, users often desire a warmer, more inviting start to their day. "Teachers and students alike often call the morning phase the ‘welcome phase.’ They want to ease into the day, not be jolted by harsh, blue-tinted light," Vedder adds.

Economic Pressures and the "Race to the Bottom"

The central question remains: If high-quality lighting is superior, why is it so hard to implement? The answer, unsurprisingly, is the tension between initial investment and long-term value.

The Illusion of Cost Savings

Decision-makers often ask for the price difference between a high-quality system and the standard, budget-friendly option. In many cases, the actual cost delta for a large project is minimal. However, the market is flooded with low-cost, inferior luminaires that use poor reflector technology and low color rendering (Ra 80).

"When you are outfitting several thousand square meters, a difference of 100,000 euros can arise," explains Vedder. "To an investor looking only at the spreadsheet, it’s easy to say, ‘People work under Ra 80 light all day, why should I pay more?’"

This lack of understanding is a direct threat to workplace wellbeing. "We are seeing rising rates of aggression and depression, even among students," Vedder notes. "We need to recognize that these small technical adjustments—which represent a fraction of the total building budget—are a social investment. If we don’t grant students quality light, what are we teaching them about their own environment?"

Implications for Future Standards and Design

What does this mean for the industry? The experts agree on a few key pillars for the future of lighting.

1. Moving Beyond Minimums

The goal should not be to meet the minimum regulatory requirements, but to achieve maximum spatial effect. "The lighting should define the room’s character," says Alder. "By combining diffuse and directional light, you can create a dynamic, inspiring environment. You can have areas of 200 lux for general tasks and 1,000 lux for accenting walls or specific architectural features. That’s how you bring a room to life."

2. The Case for Higher Color Rendering

The industry standard of Ra 80 is no longer acceptable for occupied spaces. "We should demand Ra 95 or higher," argues Vedder. "With current LED technology, we can achieve high-quality light that mimics the warmth and brilliance of natural light, yet planners often default to cheaper, less effective chips."

3. The Blue Light Debate

The conversation around "blue light" and its impact on human physiology is growing. There is an emerging consensus that we have been over-exposed to blue peaks in our LED lighting. "We need to reduce the blue-light peak and increase cyan and red components to create a more biologically compatible spectrum," says Vedder. "This is not just a trend; it’s a fundamental requirement for health."

Conclusion: A Call for Holistic Planning

Ultimately, the failure to provide good lighting is a failure of communication. The process should begin with a clear lighting concept, not an electrical schedule.

Dominik Alder summarizes the issue perfectly: "Why do we treat lighting as a ‘switch’ that just needs to be wired correctly? We don’t build schools out of low-cost, flimsy materials; we value the architecture. Lighting is an equal design tool. If we treat it as such—by involving light planners early, by testing, and by prioritizing the user’s wellbeing over the lowest bidder—we can transform our public spaces."

As the industry moves forward, the pressure to adopt higher standards will likely come from the users themselves. Once people experience the difference that high-quality, warm, and well-designed light makes, there is no going back to the "minimalist" standard of the past.

Next week in Part 3: What does the human eye actually perceive when color rendering improves? Dominik Alder breaks down the truth about full-spectrum LEDs and their impact on efficiency. Reinhard Vedder shares a dimming experiment that turns traditional efficiency calculations on their head.