Designing with Shadow: Lighting Design for Urban Environments and Architecture

Designing with Shadow showcases the work of prolific Japanese design house Lighting Planners Associates Inc (LPA). LPA is an organisation of lighting specialists established in 1990 by six lighting designers led by Kaoru Mende. The goal of LPA is to design and build outstanding lighting environments that enrich our architectural and lighting culture. Today LPA has a total of 37 unique lighting specialists at its offices in Tokyo and Singapore. While the majority of LPA projects are in the area of architectural lighting design, in recent years its many outstanding design accomplishments have included residential, hotel, office, commercial, public space, and landscape lighting as well as full-scale urban lighting projects. LPA has become a world leader in lighting consultancy. LPA is also the guiding force behind Lighting Detectives, established in 1990 and dedicated to the study of lighting culture. Lighting Detectives promotes greater awareness through activities such as Lighting Detectives City Walks and the society's Salon Series, the activities of Transnational Lighting Detectives- an international network dedicated to lighting culture, and field surveyors of urban lighting environments. Text in English RJapanese AUTHOR: Born in Tokyo in 1950, Karou Mende holds Bachelor and Masters Degrees from Tokyo University of Art in the field of industrial and environmental design. In 1990, he founded Lighting Planners Associates Inc. The scope of his design and planning activities ranges widely from residential and architectural lighting design to urban and environmental lighting. He is also the acting chief of the Lighting Detectives, a citizens' group that specialises in the study of the culture of lighting. He is a professor at Musashino Art University and a part-time lecturer at Tokyo University of Art, Tokyo University and other institutions. He has authored Science of Illumination and Lighting (Shokokusha), Welcome to the Lighting Detectives (Nikkei BP), A Manner in Architectural Lighting Design (TOTO Publishing) Transnational Lighting Detectives (Kajima Publishing), Lighting Design for Urban Environments and Architecture (Rikuyosha) and many other publications on lighting. Mende's numerous awards include the Illuminating Engineering Scoiety (IES) International Illuminating Design Award of Distinction, International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) Radiance Award, Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan (IEIJ) Japan Lighting Award, Japan Culture Design Award, Mainichi Design Award, and others. ILLUSTRATIONS: 600 colour