The value engineering and cost cutting is what hits lighting designers the most. The general perception that this is a luxury and not a necessity. Even when designers are added to a project, they can be pulled out of the handover phase to reduce costs. This can totally derail the lighting design and have a massive impact on the overall design.

“By removing the lighting designer at the installation and handover phase, you’re tripping at the finish line,” says one irked designer. “And there is nothing we can do about it but watch and let them learn the hard way.”

“It’s very easy to provide a sketch, but it is much better to be a part of the project from start to finish”

“That’s why it’s much simpler when you have a lighting contract,” says the head of a design firm. “It’s very easy to provide a sketch, but it is much better to be a part of the project from start to finish.”

The designers confess that the results of some projects where they have been pulled out at the last minute, are disastrous. So much so that at times, the lighting firm does not want to have their name attached to that particular project.