AWA Architectural Lighting Designers

Philosophy

• Honor the experience.
People will live, work, communicate and interact in the buildings and structures we
light. Our designs are more than an ethereal set of possibilities; they are intended to
enhance actual experience.

• Partner on projects with high design content.
We don’t repeat the same design, time and time again. Rather, we consider each
assignment with a fresh perspective, creating place instead of mere space.

• Navigate the delicate balance between science and art.
Lighting design, after all, requires both. This means we are continually updating
our own knowledge of color and vision science, lighting and control systems, project
management skills, and our materials and fixtures library. We also continually refresh
our creative inspiration.

• Talent and training produce superior results.
Our teams are led by professionals trained in architecture, which means we truly
understand what drives our clients. But, we don’t stop there. We have engineers and
industrial designers, graphic artists and decorators on board as well. This allows us to
maximize the synergies between disciplines and viewpoints on our clients’ behalf.

• Green is here to stay.
It is the future of the built environment. We owe it to our future generations to conserve
energy, and use lighting systems with a minimal impact on the environment.

• Strive for global reach while retaining an intimate, collaborative environment.
Globally, we follow consistent quality assurance/quality control [QAQC] standards
and the tested AWA process. Locally, our teams have the authority and inspiration to
create designs that resonate within our community. The result is global excellence
and local flavor.

• Be good neighbors.
We’re committed to being engaged, local participants in our communities. We
contribute to our communities, through pro bono service, volunteering and other
means. Moreover, we’re committed to identifying solutions that will contribute to the
greater good. For more on this, please look at our In the Community section of the
website.

• The right solution isn’t always the most expensive.
We present design concepts that are right for the project, not necessarily those that
are the most expensive or trendy.

• Keep them coming back.
Every project, every job, we remind ourselves: the best client relationships are repeat
client relationships. We work to deliver creative ideas consistently, completely, and on
time and in budget. The result is client relationships that grow over time.

Profile

Headquartered in New York City, AWA is an international architectural lighting
design firm founded by Abhay Wadhwa. We design and implement lighting
solutions for commercial, civic and residential projects—creating solutions that
evoke a sense of place instead of mere space. We pride ourselves on our adept
application of creative and technical methods, as we embrace diverse influences,
ideas and design paradigms. The result is lighting design that remains ever-aware
of the people who will live, work, communicate and interact in the buildings and
structures we light. Our clients value our design sensibility for the moods and
moments it elicits, and the ways it illuminates the materials and structures they
envisioned.
The architects, engineers and building professionals we partner with have come
to expect technologically savvy, fresh solutions with high design content from us.
We speak their language, and know what drives them. In part, this is because our
teams are led by trained architects, but also because our engineers, industrial
and graphic designers, and decorators are committed to understanding the
client’s vision and helping it come to reality. This allows us to get inside the mind
of our clients in a way that is both meaningful and productive, and the results
are better for it. From designing a system for an office building, to working with
other disciplines to integrate lighting with the MEP, AV, security and surveillance
system, to green and sustainable systems, our depth and breadth of knowledge
is profound.
We are members of USGBC, and are LEED Accredited Professionals. We have
made a commitment to practicing and providing green and sustainable lighting
design solutions for all our projects. We are also certified by NYS as a MBE
firm. For a complete list of our certifications and registrations, please visit our
website.
In addition to our New York headquarters and studio, we have studios in
Mumbai and Gurgaon, India and a coordinating office in Dubai, UAE. The
studios operate independently within uniform standards—each follows stringent
quality assurance/quality control [QAQC] standards and the proven AWA process.
Each concentrates on creating designs that enhance experience. The result is
customized, site-specific design that adheres to a higher global standard. This
feedback also works in the opposite direction as clients benefit from AWA’s global
perspective and experience.
Across our studios, and across disciplines, our teams are infused with the same
spirit of inquiry and collaborative energy. We continually update our knowledge
of systems, materials and trends so that every project benefits from the very best
we have to offer. As a firm, and as individual practitioners, we are experienced,
engaged and invested in superior outcomes. We look forward to showing you
what we can do.