New York, NY — A groundbreaking research initiative is reshaping the global understanding of architectural lighting design history. Spearheaded by Glenn Shrum, Associate Professor of Lighting Design and Interdisciplinary Practice at Parsons School of Design, the Pioneers of Architectural Lighting Design research project aims to expand the understanding of architectural lighting design history to include a more expansive understanding of the discipline and the group of individuals that were instrumental in its growth. This research archive seeks to expand the list of Pioneers of Architectural Lighting Design to include individuals that contributed to the growth of the field in local communities worldwide, enabling more members of the architectural lighting design community to understand the discipline’s origins in their local contexts.
PALD Research Project – History
The research initiative began when Professor Shrum prepared his presentation, Founding Practice: Originators of Lighting Design on the VIrtual Lighting Design Community online platform (https://vld.community/). After cataloging the first documented architectural lighting designers worldwide, Shrum recognized that the available history of architectural lighting design largely neglected pioneering individuals outside of North America and Western Europe. Recognizing this oversight, Shrum imagined a project that would provide a more inclusive understanding of architectural lighting design history that documents and celebrates the diversity of the architectural lighting design around the world.
The project started with a Pilot study to better understand parameters and processes of the archive by researching architectural lighting design in limited nations. A presentation of the pilot research project was shared with an enthusiastic audience at IALD ENlighten Europe 2024 in London. Support for the project in the community was strong and the project scope expanded to include more national research teams, committed to uncovering the history of the profession in their local contexts.
In spring 2025, the PALD research team officially launched the project at a public event at Parsons School of Design in New York. Presenters included IES New York City History Committee who shared details of the conditions that led Richard Kelly to establish his architectural lighting design practice, the first in the USA and globally. Additional national PALD research updates were shared by teams from China, Colombia, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Korea, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, and Turkey. A full video recording of the event is accessible for free at this link.
The fall of 2024 and spring of 2025 marked a pivotal expansion of the Pioneers of Architectural Lighting Design national research initiative, widening its scope to include new international partners and refining its core methodologies. This launch not only strengthened project norms and supporting materials but also created a robust framework for advancing architectural lighting design research worldwide. Teams participating in this initiative are at varying stages of development, and this new phase focuses on elevating their work to the next level through sustained investigation and collaborative innovation. With the appointment of new lead researchers, this growth highlights the increasing global commitment to documenting, celebrating, and advancing the contributions of pioneers in architectural lighting design.
PALD Research Project – Next Steps
The current phase of the Pioneers of Architectural Lighting Design project emphasizes consolidating and editing the research completed to date, with a strong focus on public dissemination and community engagement. This includes building a social media presence to raise awareness, drive participation, and ensure the accuracy of this crowd sourced historical archive. Efforts are also underway to develop a sponsorship model and recruit partners who will support the next stage of this important initiative. Together, this work will not only strengthen the knowledge base but also foster collaboration, amplify visibility, and lay the foundation for continued research, recognition, and advancement of architectural lighting design worldwide.
We’ve also expanded the project to include national research teams in Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Panama, Haiti, Nigeria, Canada, and Spain.
Get Involved
The project is actively seeking collaborators, researchers, media partners, and sponsors to expand awareness and participation. Interviews, academic partnerships, regional archives, and design stories are welcome, as well as media coverage that helps bring these histories to a broader audience.
“We believe architectural lighting design’s global story has not yet been fully told,” says Shrum. “This is an invitation for the design community to help finish that story.”