Lighting Designer Chiara Carucci On Preserving The Darkness

Chiara Carucci, a Europe-based lighting designer, has been named winner of the first ever Wildlife Night Watch Award from DarkSky International. The DarkSky Awards are given in recognition of designers working to protect the night from light pollution. While Carucci is concerned with protecting the environments of animals and aquatic species who are sensitive to artificial light, the benefits of preserving the dark for humans are well known. As a designer, Carucci has special expertise in balancing welcoming nighttime spaces for humans while protecting these environments and their inhabitants and the night sky. She is also the founder and principal of Noctua Cultural & Natural Heritage Lighting Design.

Carucci has worked in caves, historic sites, and architecturally unique venues. She talked to Live Design about how a love of fairy lights and exploring outside as a child translated into an understanding of nontraditional environments.

Live Design: You trained in Naples and Milan in industrial design and lighting design, what parts of that education have you found most useful in your career? Are there areas you would tell young people to focus on if they want a career in architectural lighting design?

Chiara Carucci: My education included core areas like the history and planning of architecture and landscape, but I particularly benefited from studying material technology and conservation—both of materials and buildings. These have been invaluable in my career. For young people aspiring to join this field, I recommend exploring at least one topic related to ecology, such as recycling, circular economy, or anthropogenic impacts. Equally important are basic business skills like collaboration, sales, and bookkeeping, as architectural lighting is a profession that thrives on both creativity and professionalism.

LD: It looks as though you recently did continuing education in art history, criticism and conservation. What was behind that decision? Are you focusing more on historic buildings?

CC: Growing up in a coastal town near a national park surrounded by stunning Greek temples and Roman ruins instilled in me a deep appreciation for cultural heritage.  When I was young I couldn’t understand why we couldn’t visit archaeological sites after sunset. My mom explained that they weren’t lit, and I insisted, “Well, I’ll just make that my job!” 

I wanted to contribute to preserving and revealing these treasures at night, which led me to collaborate with historians and conservation experts. This ongoing effort to harmonize lighting with historical context has been challenging but rewarding. Later, in Sweden, I extended this passion to natural heritage conservation, finding ways to balance human and ecological needs through thoughtful design.

LD: What kind of continuing education or educational resources do you recommend for early career designers?

CC: The LERN, Lighting Education Resource Network by the IALD, will be an invaluable resource. Meanwhile I recommend hands-on learning opportunities like Lights in Alingsås or the TAVA Workshops, where you can work with peers and mentors to create dynamic installations. These immersive experiences provide exposure to cutting-edge technologies, deepen your design knowledge, and connect you with the global lighting community, which we should strive to keep both open and collaborative.

Gasometer

LD: One of your latest projects is the Gasometer in Stockholm, Sweden. Can you talk a little bit about your inspiration for this project? For examples, turning the lighting ‘inside out’ to reference the window pattern?

CC: Façade lighting would have been a massive intervention for this heritage structure, so we decided to "turn it inside out." By lighting the building from within, we highlight its stunning window patterns, creating a visual attraction for passersby. Inside, this pattern is echoed in the theater balcony fronts, transitioning from convex to concave. This design reminds visitors of the building's historic charm and ensures the lighting enhances every performance as part of the overall ambiance.

LD: What are the main challenges in this space, and how are you designing around them?

CC:  This project’s complexity made collaboration essential, especially with the very experienced architects, Tengbom, and the City’s Project Management team. One of the initial challenges was advocating for lighting as a keystone element in the design and securing a place at the table during critical discussions. The design process began with extensive stakeholder meetings to define the goals and scope. We validated the preliminary design with a full-scale mock-up and detailed sketches for all areas, ensuring alignment with the vision. Currently, we are focused on mitigating costs and risks while optimizing systems to maximize long-term value for the theater managers. As we move into the construction phase, our work will include close supervision of controls, ensuring code compliance, and evaluating real-world performance to guarantee the lighting achieves its intended effect.

LD: Gasometer is going to eventually host performances such as theatre and concerts. How are you working with entertainment designers to ensure there will be enough lighting positions/darkness for these events to take place?

CC:  Recently, we learned it will host the Royal Opera during renovations, which adds exciting layers to the project. I worked with the entertainment specialists and the audio-light team as to integrate – or at least do not create any disturbance – the position and functions of the lighting for the public, especially in the theater hall and the banquet venue. The electrical consultants at Bengt Dahlgren were also instrumental to this collaboration. We spent a long time looking for the right drivers to ensure flicker-free and dim to zero to most of the lighting fixtures. I look forward to new innovation on this side, also to make our integration smoother.

LD: The trend for immersive entertainment has meant that many nontraditional spaces are now being used for large-scale theatrical events. Has this had an impact on how you design architectural lighting?

CC: Directly yet, but I’m eager to work on such ambitious, unconventional projects! They present exciting opportunities for innovation.

LD:  In an interview with Women in Lighting you mentioned that new fixtures and software are all just tools, however, have there been any recent developments in technology that you particularly appreciate or have begun relying on?

CC:  I hope to see advances in smaller and more flexible outdoor drivers.

DarkSky

LD: You spoke about the fairy lights in your hometown as an inspiration. Seasonal lighting events, such as in zoos and botanical gardens, are proving to be extremely popular to draw ticket buyers in the off season. Many designers who come from an entertainment background are finding work doing this, is there a document or code of design they should be consulting to protect an environment that is otherwise dark?

CC:  DarkSky issued a very useful basic principles that could be useful everywhere. What we still lack is some clear understanding of the deeper consequences (not only at individual but also landscape level) on wildlife. I would recommend to start from darkness (only add as much light, even when sparkling and glistening, as needed) and work with intensity, direction and duration, to guide visitors in a magic storytelling walk, while trying to minimize the impact on other living being. For example, in the Collepardo Caves, I used these principles to guide visitors without disturbing the ecosystem. Context sensitivity is key.

LD:  Do you have advice for lighting designers working in this crossover world?

CC:  Always strive for context-sensitive designs (very much like a site-specific installation or art piece). Respect the site and its ecology while embracing creativity. Collaborating with ecologists and other experts ensures the result is both impactful and sustainable.

LD:  I know you work with specialist consultants on projects such as caves etc. Do you have advice for other designers researching the environmental needs for a project? Is there a good place everyone can start to minimize the impact on wildlife and citizens?  Do you have a checklist of questions you use, for example?

CC:  Collaborating with scientist is not more challenging than with others. Usually with scientist there’s an applicability gap, unless you share common goals and passion for the topic. However, I learned, they’re usually pretty happy to put their knowledge in practice. My recommendations to work with scientists:

o   Be receptive, avoid power struggles and delegate responsibilities

o   Goals and responsibilities should be clearly set, as in any project

o   Language gap can be bridged by establishing early a common terminology

o   Help them disseminate scientific knowledge amongst the general public

o   Set a part of the budget for interdisciplinary collaboration, or involve your client in hiring them.

Different mitigation strategies and adaptations should be used, depending on landscape characteristics, species sensitivity and other factors that may determine whether artificial light may induce detrimental impacts.

o   Direction of light and actions based on location and context

o   Dimming schedules and sensor activated systems should also implement recommended maximum levels of illuminance.

o   Maximum illuminance levels can be regarded as recommendations from which it is possible to deviate

o   Limit glare and upward flux ratio UFR

o   Shieldings and optics should be based on the context’s needs

o   Collaborate with experts!

Chiara Carucci, Associate IALD, Founder, Principal Noctua Cultural & Natural Heritage Lighting Design

With over two decades of experience in the industry, Chiara's journey has been marked by a diverse array of projects and awards, most recently the Wildlife Night Watch Award by DarkSky.
Since 2018, Chiara has collaborated with fellow professionals and researchers, pushing the boundaries of traditional lighting design to incorporate innovative solutions for architectural and ecological conservation. From pilot interventions to safeguard sea turtles to illuminating tourist caves while protecting bats and formations, Chiara's projects exemplify her dedication to harmonizing human progress with environmental preservation. 
Chiara combines her professional activity with mentorship and advocacy; she currently serves in the Steering Committee of the LIRC, and is Co-Coordinator of the South European Chapter of the IALD.