At Nightjar, our design is guided by three simple principles: Atmosphere, Function and Impact. Our role is to help you create spaces that evoke the right mood and achieve optimal efficiency. We provide confidence that your design also works in harmony with the surrounding environment.
Through our three main service areas we can help you work in sensitive environments and navigate the complexities of the Australian Standards. Area 1 Lighting Design & Compliance. Concepts through to lighting calculations. Area 2 Light Pollution Assessments. Impact assessments and night sky analysis. Area 3 Integration & Automation. In-model integration, automation, workflow efficiency, and compliance-ready documentation
From concept to compliance or just one specific area, our specialists collaborate to design lighting that supports the human experience while protecting the environment.
MORE ABOUT US
Nightjar is an independent lighting design consultancy based in Melbourne and working nationally across Australia in architectural lighting design, compliance and light pollution assessments. We work in collaboration with business owners, government agencies, architects, designers, ecologists and engineers. Our careful selection of partnerships and collaboration means no project is too small or too large.
Clancie Shorter is the founder of Nightjar. Clancie has over 14 years of industry experience across lighting design, BIM and environmental impact. She has worked on projects from small single room tenancy fitouts to major infrastructure projects such as railway stations and large libraries. Before founding Nightjar Lighting, she worked for two of the leading multinational engineering consultancies, GHD and WSP, where she became known for combining creative design with strong technical skills.
Why Nightjar? The Nightjar is a bird efficient at living in the space between light and dark. It is often unseen but perfectly adapted to its environment. The name Nightjar perfectly encapsulates our desire to create outstanding lighting that works in harmony with the environment.”
Networks
Industry Partnerships
Award Winning
Awarded Commendation in the 2025 IESANZ Lighting Awards
14+
Years Experience
Technical Expertise Beyond Aesthetics
NATIONAL SUPPORT
Whether your project is based in a capital city or regional Australia, we can help your project to succeed. Nightjar Lighting Design provides Artificial Light Impact Assessments in Adelaide, SA, Brisbane, QLD, Canberra, Act, Melbourne, VIC, Perth, WA, Sydney, NSW and throughout regional areas of Australia.
OUR EXPERTISE
From concept sketch to compliance calculations and environmental assessments, we deliver lighting solutions that bring design, data, and responsibility together across every phase of a project.
SERVICE AREA 1: CREATIVITY,
COMPLIANCE AND PERFORMANCE.
We provide an integrated end-to-end design service. No matter how small or large your project we collaborate directly with you or your consultant teams to ensure a high level of creativity and innovation but also importantly, technical expertise. We work with all AS/NZS Standards for lighting so you can be assured of appropriate compliance. We design for how light feels and for how it measures. We ensure every lumen, candela and final lux level is purposeful, compliant and designed with intent to match your budget. Our process is to fulfil the creative and architectural vision and the fundamental lighting objective. We integrate architecture, science and environmental care to produce lighting that performs beautifully and respects the night sky.
SERVICE AREA 2: LIGHTING DESIGN BUILT INTO YOUR MODEL
In-model lighting integration that makes Revit® work for you. Nightjar helps studios streamline their lighting design workflows using Revit, ElumTools® and data-driven templates tailored to your practice. We develop project templates, shared parameters, and compliance-ready schedules aligned with AS/NZS standards and your documentation systems. Our specialists provide Revit family audits, model reviews and setup guidance to ensure lighting data flows seamlessly from concept to calculation.
For teams already working in Revit, we can also undertake in-model lighting design and photometric calculations directly from your models – producing verified results, ready for documentation and coordination. The result is cleaner collaboration, faster verification and lighting models that are as intelligent as the designs they represent.
SERVICE AREA 3: UNDERSTANDING LIGHT TO PROTECT THE NIGHT
Artificial Light Impact Assessments (ALIA) quantify how artificial light affects the natural environment. We help projects meet environmental and planning requirements while maintaining safety, functionality and design intent. Humans adapt so well to brightness that we often can’t see light as it truly is. At Nightjar, we measure what perception misses. We capture and modelling the real reach of light at night. By using calibrated all-sky imagery, field data and photometric modelling, we map existing and proposed lighting to assess ecological sensitivity and compliance. Each assessment aligns with AS/NZS4282, NLPGW and EPA/EPBC frameworks, ensuring designs that support people while protecting the night.
ABOUT US
Nightjar Lighting Design is an independent lighting consultancy, based in Melbourne, working across Australia, New Zealand and beyond with over 12 years of experience. Our architectural lighting specialists are experts in design compliance, in-model Revit® integrations and artificial light impact assessments.
Our approach blends creativity with precision, uniting architectural vision, technical accuracy and environmental responsibility. Every project begins with an understanding of people, place and purpose. From concept to compliance, we design light that performs beautifully, measures accurately and protects the night sky.