Light is at its strongest when artistry and accuracy move together. Our designs balance human experience with rigorous technical standards, creating spaces that feel comfortable and function as intended.
At Nightjar Lighting Design, we see light as more than illumination. It’s a meeting point of art, science, and experience. For as long as people have lit lamps to read or set candles to shape mood, light has had a dual meaning. It is both practical and emotional. It helps us see clearly while shaping how we feel about a space.
You only need to look at the internet’s collective rejection of “the big lights” to see what happens when compliance outweighs comfort. On the other hand, if you’ve ever used your phone’s torch to read a restaurant menu, you’ve felt what happens when ambience overpowers practicality. That balance between function and feeling is where we thrive.
Great lighting blends the measurable and the intangible; only when both are present do you get real impact. We design with artistry and precision from the outset so creative vision and technical integrity grow together.
Every project begins with an understanding of people, place, and purpose. From concept to construction, we use industry-leading tools such as AGI32 and ElumTools® to model, verify, and document performance. Compliance isn’t added at the end; it’s embedded in our process from the first sketch.
Our work spans interior, exterior, and public-realm environments, from workplaces and galleries to civic spaces and streetscapes, and it extends into emergency systems, compliance verification, and energy efficiency. Every lux, lumen, and candela is purposeful and aligned with AS/NZS 1680 (interior), AS/NZS 1158 (exterior) and AS/NZS 2293 (emergency).
Nightjar’s documentation is build-ready, audit-ready and environmentally aware. We collaborate closely with architects, engineers, ecologists, and contractors so lighting integrates cleanly with all disciplines. Before construction, we work with trusted independent verifiers to review and validate each package ensuring design intent and compliance remain aligned from start to finish. The result is light that feels natural, performs reliably, and respects both people and place.
Networks
Industry Partnerships & Collaboration
12+
Years Combined Experience
Award Winning
Awarded Commendation in the 2025 IESANZ Lighting Awards
Technical Expertise Beyond Aesthetics
Nightjar Lighting Design delivers architectural lighting services that combine creative design with technical accuracy. We provide interior lighting, exterior lighting, and public-realm solutions that are modelled, verified, and documented to Australian Standards. Our lighting designers pair architectural insight with compliance expertise so every project achieves visual comfort, reliable performance, and audit-ready outcomes.
Our capabilities cover the broad spectrum of Interior and Exterior lighting requirements including:-
Light shapes how people feel, their focus and connection
Every interior tells a story – sometimes by design, sometimes by accident. At Nightjar, we help shape that story with intent so each space feels true to its purpose, its people, and its desired atmosphere. Lighting is tailored to the space, balancing artistry and technical precision through colour temperature, light levels, glare control, surface highlighting and the layering of task, with ambient and accent light.
We do this at the start by understanding people and place. Then using AS/NZS 1680 as our foundation, we develop concepts that work hand in glove with the architecture; accentuating form, texture and materiality rather than treating it as a separate system. Each scheme is modelled and verified in AGI32 or ElumTools® to ensure creative intent and technical compliance move together from concept to construction.
Applications
We deliver interior lighting across a wide range of project types:
We create comfortable, glare-controlled workplaces with balanced illuminance, layered task/ambient lighting, and coordinated daylight to support focus, reduce fatigue, and enable flexible ways of working.
We design consistent, low-glare teaching environments with appropriate reflectances, tuned CCT/CRI, and daylight coordination to support concentration, visibility, and adaptable learning modes.
We deliver glare-controlled, circadian-aware lighting that improves clinical accuracy, supports staff alertness, and enhances patient comfort, rest, and recovery.
We shape brand-led atmospheres with ambient, task, and accent lighting, tuned colour points, and adaptable dimming that highlight materials, merchandise, and intuitive wayfinding
We craft legible, welcoming environments using wall-washing, grazing, accent lighting, and documented performance criteria to elevate materiality, support mood, and maintain compliance.
Design intent is matched by measurable performance. We can provide:
Our blend of creative exploration and data-backed precision takes projects from concept to complete, build-ready design documentation.
Every Nightjar design blends artistry and accuracy, providing lighting that feels natural, performs reliably and meets every standard with confidence
Related Services
Light defines identity, safety, and wayfinding while respecting the night.
Exterior lighting balances three design directives: form, function and responsibility. At Nightjar, we walk that line with care, enhancing landscape and place, supporting inclusive and safe movement and protecting the ecological rhythms that exist after dark. Our approach is shaped by the same environmental light-impact principles that guide our broader practice, ensuring social and environmental responsibility are considered in every brief. True to our namesake, the beautiful Nightjar bird who finds its place in the twilight between light and dark, we design for balance. We create lighting that connects people to place while preserving the integrity of the night.
We begin by understanding people, movement and the landscape itself. Context is everything: how spaces are used, how they connect and how they sit within the wider environment. From this foundation, we develop concepts aligned with AS/NZS 1158 and relevant council frameworks, working hand in hand with built form and terrain. We consider mounting heights, distributions, shielding, glare control and maintainability to ensure both comfort, performance and environmental consideration. Each design is modelled and verified in AGI32 or ElumTools® to confirm compliance and consistency, while adaptive control strategies such as dimming and curfews support energy efficiency and local ecology.
All public-realm designs are developed to AS/NZS 1158. Depending on state requirements and asset ownership, works on public land may also require approval by the relevant supply authority.
We design clear, safe, low-glare lighting for streets and pathways, balancing illuminance, uniformity, and cut-off control to support comfortable movement for drivers and pedestrians while remaining environmentally responsible.
We deliver human-centred, shielded lighting for parks, promenades, and waterfronts, using careful pole placement and adaptive dimming to enhance public amenity, comfort, and connection to place without overwhelming the night environment.
We shape architectural identity with calibrated grazing, washing, and accent lighting that supports wayfinding and avoids unnecessary glare, spill, or waste light.
We design robust, compliant lighting networks for mixed-use precincts and transport interfaces, integrating multiple lighting classes to improve visibility, accessibility, safety, and coordination across complex public domains.
Light that guides when it matters most.
Nightjar Lighting Design provides specialist design and compliance consultancy for emergency and exit lighting systems. These are critical safety networks that ensure clear evacuation and orientation during loss of power or emergency events.
We assess each project’s circulation, occupancy and egress paths to develop layouts with correct spacing, viewing distances and coverage. Design may be completed using AS/NZS 2293 spacing tables or through detailed photometric calculations where required. Every layout is checked for compliance, maintainability and logical operation within the broader electrical and lighting systems. Documentation can be prepared to Regulation 126 sign-off level (VIC), with final certification available through our network of engineering partners.
Design intent is matched by measurable performance. We can provide:
Including illuminance and spacing verification to AS/NZS 2293.
Developed using AS/NZS 2293 spacing tables or photometric calculations as required.
With classification, viewing distances and IES files where applicable.
To ensure coverage and clarity of egress paths.
Documentation ready for Regulation 126 sign-off level.
NOTE: Regulation 126 sign-off with final certification is available through our network of engineering partners.
Our blend of technical precision and practical experience ensures every emergency and exit lighting system is compliant, reliable and ready to perform when it’s needed most.
Independent analysis that keeps your design accountable.
Lighting compliance calculations verify that lighting documentation meets Australian Standards and project-specific requirements. At Nightjar Lighting Design, we provide impartial modelling and review to confirm that your lighting design aligns with AS/NZS 1680, 2293, and 1158. The result is confidence that your deliverables are accurate, defensible and ready for audit or certification.
Lighting compliance calculations verify that lighting documentation meets Australian Standards and project-specific requirements. At Nightjar, we provide independent lighting verification and compliance reporting to confirm that your lighting design aligns with AS/NZS 1680, 2293, and 1158. Our services support tender documentation, council approvals, and project certification, giving design and construction teams confidence that their deliverables are accurate, defensible, and ready for audit.
We verify provided designs using AGI32 or ElumTools® to check lux levels, uniformity, glare, and obtrusive light where required. Inputs are traceable, and outputs are structured for certification or independent peer review. When non-compliance is identified, we provide clear, practical recommendations for resolution. Every assessment is transparent, data-backed, and aligned with industry best practice.
Design compliance is verified through measurable performance. We can provide:
Why Nightjar
We design for both how light feels and for how it measures. Nightjar brings architecture, science and care into the same conversation, carrying that intent through to verified models and clear documentation. Our process balances creativity with precision, ensuring every design performs as beautifully as it looks. The result is lighting that feels authentic, performs reliably, and respects the night.
With over a decade of experience, our work is both expressive and exact; grounded in verified data, compliant with Australian Standards and ready for construction. We collaborate closely with every discipline to deliver lighting that performs flawlessly, stands up to scrutiny and enhances both people and place.
CLIENT FEEDBACK
“Their Revit automation saved us weeks on emergency lighting documentation. The automated spacing tables and compliance reports are game-changing for multi-storey projects."
Senior Electrical Engineer
Major Melbourne Engineering Firm
“The ALIA assessment for our coastal development was thorough, technically precise, and instrumental in securing EPBC approval. Their understanding of NLPGW guidelines is exceptional."
Development Director
Victoria Coastal Developer
"Compliance sign-off was seamless. Their AS/NZS 1680 documentation and AG132 calculations gave us complete confidence during building certification."
Development Director
Victoria Coastal Developer
“Their Revit automation saved us weeks on emergency lighting documentation. The automated spacing tables and compliance reports are game-changing for multi-storey projects."
Senior Electrical Engineer
Major Melbourne Engineering Firm
Whether you need lighting design, compliance calculations, Revit automation, or environmental lighting assessments – we deliver precision, performance, and peace of mind.
