Dr. Thomas Schielke studied architecture at the University of Technology in Darmstadt, Germany. During the course of his studies he worked as a research assistant at the department for Building Design and Lighting Technology. His doctoral thesis analysed architectural lighting for brand communication.
Thomas Schielke works as a lighting design trainer at the lighting manufacturer ERCO. He was a trainer for lighting seminars and workshops at DIAL from 2014 till 2015. Before that, he was in charge of the didactic and communication division at ERCO from 2001 till 2014 where he designed an extensive online guide for architectural lighting, led lighting workshops and published international articles on lighting design and technology. He is co-author of the books “Light Perspectives – between culture and technology” and „SuperLux – Smart light art, design & architecture for cities“. The first book covers the actual qualities of light, the relationship between light and space, finally, the dimension of light as it relates to culture – based on paired terms to explore the design dimension of light.
Additionally, he has taught lighting design at different universities and was invited for lectures at institutions like Harvard GSD, MIT, Columbia GSAPP and ETHZ. His dissertation at the University of Technology in Darmstadt, Germany, has analysed architectural lighting. His research interests focus on qualitative lighting design. Thereby, he examines the way in which light can be used to interpret architecture and to express a semantic quality. Further, he explores the development of contemporary light patterns, technologies and visualisation techniques to detect historical influences and to critically discuss the progress of light and architecture. His column “Light Matters” on ArchDaily reveals various perspectives of architectural lighting.
Interview
Architekturzeitung, conducted by Simone Kraft (in German)