Candidates for the senior position will need experience of all aspects of architectural lighting design and a desire to develop new ideas, take greater responsibility and help shape expansion in sectors from commercial to heritage architectural lighting design. The role is a top level appointment demanding strong project management and people skills. The successful candidate will  liaise directly with clients and manage a team of skilled designers. International travel will be part of the remit.

Sutton Vane Associates also has an opening for an ambitious, inventive lighting designer who is looking for creative freedom and opportunities for career and personal development.

Graduate internships are also available and provide candidates who have strong design skills with experience in a rapidly developing industry where creativity and technical aptitude are valued. Internships are offered at Sutton Vane Associates’ London head office and Southwest studio.

Candidates for both lighting designer positions will be expected to demonstrate experience of a range of projects from commencement through to completion and should also be fully competent in AutoCAD, Adobe and MS Office. All staff undergo regular training and CPD.

Please send CV, covering letter and examples of work to:  Alisa William, Sutton Vane Associates, Dimes Place, 106-108 King Street, London, W6 0QP or email a.williams@sva.co.uk.

New lamp holders were prototyped and installed with lamps that look like old bulbs and can be dimmed down to produce the same warm yellowish light that Leighton would have enjoyed using incandescent lamps with carbon filaments.  In addition, warm colour temperature LEDs have been secreted in part of the fitting to even out the illumination of the dome and these are complemented by other, completely hidden spots which even out the vertical shadow from the gasolier’s main column. Thus the original Victorian design intent has been restored but the gasolier can also be used to highlight architectural elements that were previously invisible, as and when required.

Lighting controls allow scene setting for evening events or to pick out features of the building such as the gold quarter domes at the corners of Leighton’s studio; while elsewhere the historic accuracy of the lighting even extends to leaving a simple bare lamp hanging in utilitarian splendour in his dressing room

Three Sutton Vane Associates projects were shortlisted for the Lighting Design Awards. They included the second phase of the lighting at Mercers’ Hall in London, in the Heritage Category, and the Adelphi Building Foyer, also in London, which was shortlisted in the Workplace Category.  Unusually for a heritage project, the Ambulatory at Mercer’s Hall in the City can be lit entirely by LEDs in day-to-day use. The lighting challenge at the Adelphi Building included reflective surfaces such as marble and glass throughout its art deco-style foyer. The awards were held on 10 March, 2011 at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London.

As Sutton Vane Associates approaches its fifteenth anniversary, the London-based independent lighting design consultancy has been bucking an industry trend by opening a second studio and expanding its design team. The opening of its new southwest studio in Bournemouth reflects growing demand for its expertise across the country. Director Michael Grubb said: ‘As well as strengthening our presence in the commercial and retail sectors we will develop this new studio as a centre of excellence in green and energy-saving lighting design.’

Picture credit:  James Newton.

Sutton Vane advises on Low Energy Earth Summit
February, 2011: Mark Sutton Vane has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Low Carbon Earth Summit to be held in China in October 2011. The international conference has ‘Leading the Green Economy, Returning to Harmony with Nature’ as its theme and will bring together policymakers, academics, activists and experts on the environment from around the world. It is billed as the largest international gathering on the subject since the UN Copenhagen conference of 2009. Some 3,000 presentations will be given in 500 sessions ranging in content from emissions trading through to sustainable energy policy,  and LCES-2011 is expected to draw about 10,000 participants. Details of the summit, which takes place 19-26 October, 2011 in Dalian can be found at www.lcesummit.com.

Mark’s appointment confirms Sutton Vane Associates’ role as a leader in sustainable lighting design and Mark’s position in the top tier of the profession, worldwide. Sutton Vane Associates has built an international reputation for expertise in this area with projects that range in scale from designing with natural light on a single site through to master planning the lighting of large cities such as Liverpool and the park and public realm aspects of the 2012 London Olympics. Although environmental concerns are not the sole focus of the practice, Issues such as a biodiversity, energy saving and corporate social responsibility play a vital role in Sutton Vane Associates’ schemes in the commercial, heritage and public sectors. Mark has spoken on the subject in the UK and abroad and was also the inventor of the Tsola solar-powered pavement light.

Located in the Tudor St John’s Gate building in Clerkenwell, the museum’s collections cover religious, military and medical history, documenting both the Order of St John and the ambulance service it created. Its existing layout dated to the 1970s and needed upgrading. The galleries were redesigned by Metaphor – which specialises in design and content development for museums, exhibitions and heritage projects – as lead consultant, collaborating with conservation architects DIA.

One of the major architectural interventions is a glass roof that allows an uninterrupted view of the medieval walls inside this listed building. The use of natural light has been both a major feature of the lighting design and one of its greatest challenges, with some vulnerable artefacts dating back nearly 1,000 years. Paper and textile artefacts are among the most vulnerable, with oil paintings at slightly less risk from full spectrum light. Some artefacts at the museum can only take up to 50 lux.

Sutton Vane Associates senior designer Toria Martin says: “There’s no doubt that day lighting contributes to the experience of the visitor as part of a carefully designed scheme. In the context of a museum it poses particular challenges but despite that, designers and curators increasingly value its use and it is a very important tool for sustainable lighting.’’

The landmark building will have nine galleries each telling a different part of the story such as the launch and fit-out of the vessel and it will include a dark ride. Sutton Vane Associates has developed the lighting strategy for the building’s internal spaces in concert with concept designer Kay Elliot and exhibition designer Event Communication. The practice is also lighting the facades, plaza and water features designed by HP&P Architects. Belfast-based Todd Architects are working closely with the client (Harcourt) and Sutton Vane Associates to ensure all areas are coordinated and successfully detailed.

The 1.5 hectare site has been central to commerce and the community in Salisbury for hundreds of years and includes historic buildings such as the Guildhall, the Poultry Cross and a car parking area used twice weekly for Charter Markets. It was essential to avoid over-lighting for the scheme to help retain the area’s historic character and provide energy savings.  Sutton Vane Associates’ approach has  been to illuminate key features and routes around the perimeter of Market Place and to vary lighting levels according to circumstances.

For example, general dusk to midnight lighting includes water features, trees and the War Memorial but late on Friday and Saturday nights most of these architectural elements will be unlit even though the square will remain fully illuminated. High-level lighting masts will be used for special events but only when the Market Place is fully inhabited, thus reducing power consumption. There is also a different lighting scene for special events such as winter evening markets and festivals and a reduced scene that relies on the minimum amount of light for the hours when there is little/no pedestrian movement. 

The 64-seat Attenborough Studio has four layers of lighting to suit uses that range from talks to film shows and includes a full theatrical lighting rig.

Leighton House - Photo: James Newton

The Deep - Photo: National History Museum

Massar children’s workshop - Photo: Sutton Vane Associates

Best seen by Camel - Photo: Sutton Vane Associates