Carla Wilkins
In January of this year, Carla Wilkins, Founding Partner of Lichtvision, took over the role of President of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD). Speaking to arc at Light + Intelligent Building Middle East, Wilkins talks about her vision for the association, and of her stellar career to date.
It is a commonly held belief that lighting design is the bridge that connects technology and design – that magical, ethereal quality that brings architecture to life and has the power to transform the mundane into something truly special.
This is a belief that is firmly held by Carla Wilkins, Founding Partner of global lighting design practice Lichtvision, and newly “sworn in” President of the IALD, who believes that, as well as striving for the best in terms of design, there should also be room for joy and wonder.
“As lighting designers, we have a responsibility. We should always look to bring something new, to merge technology and design to the best level, but it is also about joy,” she tells arc during a conversation at Light + Intelligent Building Middle East.
“In the lighting industry, we are all extremely focused on the business and the profession, but we should also seek out the happiness, and enjoy the work that we do. We all talk about the magic of lighting design, and I have the feeling that sometimes we forget what a luxury we have to work in this special field.”
Like many before and after her, Wilkins “found” lighting design after initially training as an architect. It was only after completing her studies and landing an internship in New York with Fisher Marantz Renfro Stone (as it was known at the time), that she really understood lighting as a profession.
“I can’t say that I was four years old and already had a lightbulb in my hands,” she says. “I am a trained architect, so my education was that there is one light fitting, and it goes in the centre of the room, and that is it. I did a study about museum lighting while at university, which made me think that lighting could be interesting, and also worked at a theatre, where I learned a lot about gels and how scenes can look nicer with special tones.
“I received a recommendation that there was a lighting studio in New York that was hiring interns – bear in mind this was in an age before the internet, we only had books and magazines – and so I thought I would give it a try. I was extremely lucky to get that internship, as it was through this that I learned that lighting design was a serious profession.”
Wilkins stayed in New York for a year and a half, during which she says the “foundation for my passion” grew under the tutelage of Fisher Marantz Renfro Stone’s founding partners. “They were really great mentors, and really trained me,” she says. “At the time, I wasn’t aware of how lucky I was to have that internship. While I was there, I discovered some serious stuff – the projects that they were working on, the design competitions; I remember thinking ‘oh, this is pretty cool’.”
Following her internship in New York, Wilkins returned to Germany, moving to Cologne to work at Lichtdesign, the former office of the late Hans von Malotki. Here, she met Andreas Schultz and Thomas Möritz, and together, the three of them founded Licht Kunst Licht.
After a few years here, Wilkins says she took a step back and, very briefly, considered moving away from lighting design altogether and into art. However, this thought didn’t last long, as she says she had “the tremendous opportunity and luck to meet the four founding partners of Lichtvision” – Karsten Ehling, Thomas Knoop, Thomas Müller, and Raoul Hesse, four PhD students from TU Berlin, who first had the idea of forming their own studio during the Lux Europa 97 conference in Amsterdam. “They came fresh from university, didn’t have so much experience, but were extremely highly educated, with PhDs in artificial lighting and controls and daylighting, and were really into visual media, way before it became a ‘thing’,” she recalls.
From its inception, Lichtvision has been driven by a dual focus: design and technology, aiming to bring innovative lighting solutions to the forefront. Wilkins’ involvement in the early days of the studio, and particularly her prior experience, proved instrumental in securing Lichtvision’s first major project – the transformation of the former Reichsbank in Berlin into the German Foreign Office. In the nearly 30 years since, the studio has built a vast and diverse portfolio of projects spanning across the globe.
These range from retail centres, workspaces and museums, to stadiums, transport hubs and large-scale infrastructure projects. The studio itself has also expanded, with additional studios established in the UK, Spain, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
This diversity of works is something that Wilkins is very proud of, and rather than having one standout, favourite project, she instead feels that there is something to learn from each project, whatever its typology, that can be used in future works.
“I can’t say that I have one favourite project. I love that, with the diversity of projects, there is always a different challenge. What I enjoy is that you can take what you learn from cruise ships and bring it to automotive, or what you are doing in interior to exterior, from museums to retail. You have to adapt your language and your priorities, but the experience from one field can become the inspiration for another one. What is most important is to stay open minded.
“Of course, there are projects that are once in a lifetime opportunities. We are lucky to be working on the Pergamon Museum in Berlin – a World UNESCO Heritage site, there is only one Pergamon Museum in the world, and if you are not delighted to be a part of this, you are doing something wrong.
“But if I went through our project list, I could name so many projects that could be highlights, where I think in that moment when we finalised it, I was happy.”
Across it all though, the studio’s desire to fuse design and technology has remained constant. Wilkins explains further how this ambition has manifested in the work that Lichtvision does: “With this passion for technology, there might be some kind of state-of-the-art development that might not be ready right now, but if you think in a different way and have a wild soul, you think about how you might use that technology in a completely different context, bringing it into architecture, interiors, wherever, and create something new.
“I have the luxury to have partners and a team that are highly skilled; so, from my personal perspective, I can pick up something and have an understanding, but when it comes to the bits and bytes, the finer details, I have people around me who can bring it to life. That is part of our philosophy – it is not about the individual designer, it is about the team, the multidisciplinary perspective, the talents that you have in the studio and how they challenge you.
“We also have a lot of nationalities across our teams; they speak different languages, have different attitudes. This is where you can personally gain insight, and bring this to a project.”
With regards to a typical process or approach to lighting design, while Wilkins is keen to embrace the magic of the profession, she adds that lighting sits in a “very structured world”.
“You do your analysis, you gain the understanding of the project’s needs and requirements, and what you can bring to the project. This is always the first part.
“The second part is where you establish the narrative of the space, introduce scenes that you can bring in at different levels through the project – never forget your surprising moments. And if you can convince the client, the end user, then it is about which tools and technologies you can use too. Then, you enter into the world of construction and value engineering and surviving and hoping that at the project’s opening, you can stand there and think ‘I still see my concept’. This is a happy moment that should be celebrated.”
On the subject of celebrations, Wilkins opened 2026 by assuming the position of President of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), taking over the role from Andrea Hartranft, who served as IALD President for the past two years.
Wilkins’ involvement with the association began almost at the same time as her career in lighting, during her time in the US. She reflects: “While I was working in America, it was normal that if you work as a lighting designer, you become an IALD member. When I moved back to Europe, I was perhaps a little bit narrow minded – I left the IALD and then joined PLDA, which ultimately didn’t work out, but the IALD said to me ‘you can still be a member, we are global’.
“And since then, I have been an active member in the IALD, and have been extremely happy to do so, because it is all about having connections and interchange of ideas. We’re not an aggressive industry, we’re very open and friendly, and this is all about sharing.”
After being an active member of the association for many years, Wilkins was nominated by former President Monica Lobo to be her chosen board member in 2024, and after putting her name forward, was named President-Elect a year and a half later.
When the news was announced, Wilkins said that she received some encouraging words of wisdom from Hartranft to prepare her for the role.
“Andrea achieved a lot of things for the association, so I have some really big shoes to fill. She gave me some wonderful advice; to quote her, she said: ‘IALD has proven that it can adapt, grow, and welcome a much bigger, more international community. And you have been an integral part of that metamorphosis. Lead and listen with openness and curiosity as you carry that momentum forward, and let the voice of the lighting design profession ring out globally, showcasing the power of qualitative design to shape environments, and the lives with them’. Thank you, Andrea, for these words. She was really great, and I have big footsteps to follow.”
Looking ahead to her stint as President, Wilkins is hoping that during her term, she can continue the good work of those that came before her in expanding the presence of both the IALD, and the lighting design profession as a whole, on a global level.
“Due to my time on the board, I learned a lot of things, and I think an important thing is we have to open up. We have to be not just an association for lighting designers, we have to be a voice for lighting. My inspiration is that we become even more global. Coming from Germany, having an office that is international, I have very good experience with this and a very strong trust in people.
“Light is our most universal language. From the streets of Tokyo to the skylines of New York, we all move beneath the same sun, witnessing the same dance of shadow and brilliance. By uniting as one voice – designers, builders, and dreamers alike – we do more than illuminate spaces; we reshape how the world is seen. Together, we can turn the simple act of lighting into a global movement for change. We are not just a small group looking at beautification, we need to champion the power and quality of light. It is challenging, but I am optimistic.”
As an association, the IALD has already made strides in expanding its global presence, with the introduction of the international Certified Lighting Designer (CLD) accreditation, as well as the LERN (Lighting Education Resource Network) educational platform. Launched in 2025, the IALD believes that LERN will become an “essential programme connecting manufacturers and IALD lighting design members. Through the platform, a panel of IALD members curates and reviews educational content created by manufacturer partners, researchers and academics, and industry leaders to ensure the excellence of that content and provide it to members with the credibility of the IALD’s endorsement.
“Another thing, that I think is always underestimated, is the Regulatory Working Groups, which I am inviting members to be a part of. It’s very important because, as a designer, being involved in the phrasing of regulations sets the baseline for your day-to-day work – you can actively shape your own future, and there are not a lot of lighting associations that give you that opportunity.”
Looking to the future, while she says she doesn’t have a crystal ball, Wilkins is keen for the IALD, and the lighting profession as a whole, to continue educating the wider design sphere – and beyond – about the importance of good quality lighting design.
“We are the advocates of good light, and we have to educate people more about the effects – what are the positives, what are the negatives – and make this information more available. Issues like light poverty are still being overlooked, and lighting designers are often still only being talked about in terms of beautification, but we can change this.
“In the industry, we are also talking a lot about AI, and I think that we shouldn’t be afraid of this. It is just a new technology. In former times, we did calculations by hand – when programmes came in for this, were we afraid of these because we didn’t have to do calculations by hand anymore. No. So, AI gives us new opportunities; we only have to keep in mind critical thinking and all of our expertise – this will be key in bringing this forward.”
Looking more inward, Wilkins is hopeful that her tenure as IALD President will allow her to grow on a personal level.
She continues: “For me, I will 100% grow as a person. For the IALD, I hope that I can bring a different perspective, as I am coming from Europe. I would like to use this to emphasise that we are more global, that each chapter is present and active, that we communicate far stronger, and that we open up beyond our lighting world.
“The lighting design community is very often talking to itself – I love it, of course, but if we want to be the voice for light, we have to go out. We shouldn’t be afraid of it. Especially with the engagement of all of our current and upcoming members. There might be some steps back, but there will be more steps forward.”
In the immediate future, though, Wilkins has spearheaded the curatorial direction for a brand-new area at the upcoming Light + Building fair in Frankfurt this March. Situated in Hall 3.1 and titled “The Living Light – where Design and Technology Shape the Future”, the area will be divided into four distinct spaces – Home, Work, Education, and Communication – each demonstrating the central areas of life in which light can be experienced as a shaping and connecting factor, with the broader goal of illustrating how a holistic approach to lighting can be translated into a spatial experience.
At the heart of the experience is a continuous spatial element – the “Green Spine”. This light-staged corridor connects the four themed spaces and guides visitors through the installation. Inspired by natural growth forms, a green moss wall accompanies the route, while light provides orientation, directs the gaze, and changes intensity and mood along the individual stations. Nature therefore becomes a symbol of connection and continuity between areas of life, technologies, and people.
“With The Living Light, we want to show that light is far more than illumination,” Wilkins explains. “Light is a living design factor that appeals to our emotions, motivates us, and connects us with one another. When we use technology in the right way and embed it in a holistic overall concept, light can enhance every moment of our everyday lives.”
The Living Light experience, therefore, brings back to mind the initial goals of both Wilkins and of her studio, Lichtvision, nearly 30 years since its inception, of creating a perfect harmony of design and technology, to create moments of joy and wonder in that special, intangible way that only light can.