Lighting Design Student secures work placement with The Light Corporation
May 9, 2012
Second year BSc Lighting Design and Technology student, Matthew Parker, has recently secured a paid work placement with architectural lighting design consultancy and manufacturer, The Light Corporation
Based in the Chilterns, with offices across the globe, Light Corporation has gained an international reputation for desirable and original lighting deign for commercial, residential, leisure and marine environments.
As well as project design consultancy, Light Corp also offer bespoke product design including an extensive catalogue of original luminaire designs; allowing every project to be tailored to exact specifications and be original in every way.
Coming from an entertainment lighting background, Matthew has widespread experience and up-to-date knowledge of the current technology available to the performance industry. However, it was only after the introduction of the Environmental Lighting Design module in the second year that the thought of lighting for the natural and built environment had occurred.
Compared to entertainment lighting, the appeal of architectural lighting for Matthew was the permanence and scope of possible projects – ranging from lighting someone’s home to a multi-million pound yacht, from a restaurant to a hotel complex.
The technology being explored and developed in the architectural sector is also at an exciting stage – with energy efficiency a hot topic.
The skills gained in performance lighting and current technology can also be transferred across to architectural lighting – particularly the control technologies currently being used in entertainment which are only now being taken-up by the architectural sector, as well as the application of photometric sciences learnt in the labs.
Saying this, it was only midway through the second year that the idea of pursuing architectural lighting as a career had been presented. This brought a dilemma – this was an area in which Matthew had little to no experience.
This was where the University’s work placement program came into play. By taking a 48-week placement before the final year of study, it allows time to gain experience in industry, whilst expanding a professional network, which, in the past has proved to stand students in good stead for their final year, and in searching for subsequent employment.
Matthew will be working within the project design office at Light Corp, working with a team to develop design ideas for customers including commercial project management.
This will be his first experience of working in the architectural industry, and the prospect of working on potentially large and high budget projects within a highly skilled team is a daunting but exciting one. He looks forward to working over next year, and returning with a raft of newfound knowledge and skill to aid in a successful final year at Glamorgan.