The role of lighting design in creating comfortable and secure spaces
Published on: October 25, 2024
Lighting plays an important role in shaping how we experience the world around us, impacting not only our comfort but also our sense of security. Throughout history, light has been a fundamental part of human life, influencing the way we interact with our surroundings. In architecture, well-designed lighting enhances spaces by balancing natural and artificial light, creating environments that are safe, accessible and inviting.
Our ability to perceive and interpret spaces relies heavily on vision, which is directly affected by the quality of light. Lighting influences us on conscious, subconscious and even biological levels. Whether it’s the soft glow of morning sunlight or the strategic illumination of a public space, light sets the tone for our emotional and physical experience.
At the heart of lighting design is the focus on human perception. Lighting professionals aim to create visually appealing and healthy environments by considering natural daylight as an integral part of urban planning and architectural design. From lighting dark streets for safety to enhancing the natural beauty of parks, effective lighting design supports well-being. By blending technical expertise with a deep understanding of human vision, lighting designers contribute to sustainable, harmonious spaces indoors and outdoors, for all kinds of environments.
To illustrate how this approach comes to life, let’s explore four notable projects from Sweco’s lighting design portfolio that blend aesthetics with functionality.
Kalix Bridge: A landmark of light and design

Photo: Måns Berg Photography AB
The Kalix Bridge is a striking landmark, both in large and small scale, with its elegant arches and thoughtfully illuminated design. From the start, the lighting was developed in collaboration with bridge and landscape architects, ensuring a cohesive vision. Sweco’s lighting designers worked closely with technical teams to meet both aesthetic and technical challenges, integrating the lighting with the bridge’s structure and surroundings.
The bridge’s location, where the Kalix River meets the Baltic Sea, holds deep significance for the municipality, which uses this landscape to highlight the city’s identity. This inspired the lighting team to create a design that enhances the bridge without overshadowing the natural beauty of the river.
Beyond its visual impact, the lighting design improves safety and connectivity. Walking and cycling paths are lit to encourage mobility and link neighbourhoods, while balanced lighting minimises light pollution.
In 2024, Kalix Bridge won the prestigious Swedish Lighting Prize for outstanding exterior lighting design.
AIRA Restaurant: A sensory experience through architecture and light

Photo: Måns Berg Photography AB
AIRA, a 2-star MICHELIN restaurant, stands out with its unique architecture, nestled in an environment close to the sea and nature. Sweco’s lighting designers contributed to both interior and exterior lighting, enhancing the sensory experience.
The building’s design reflects the archipelago’s changing seasons, using natural, tactile materials and balancing light with water reflections. Its facades, made of light grey concrete and rust-coloured Corten steel, blend seamlessly with the surrounding boathouses and shipyards. As dusk falls, small lanterns cast a shimmering glow across the facade. Indoors, soft lighting and glitter from the pier create an atmosphere that heightens the visitor’s senses.
The lighting concepts were developed through sketches, full-scale models, and prototypes, in collaboration with Swedish architect Jonas Bohlin. Every detail was carefully crafted for a bespoke lighting solution.
Since opening in 2020, AIRA has been recognised by both design and culinary industries, winning the 2022 LIT Lighting Design Award for Restaurant and Bar Lighting and Sweden’s Guldstolen prize. The restaurant was also a nominee for the Dezeen Awards 2021 and earned second place at the (d)arc awards in 2020 for architectural lighting design.
Gubbängen distribution station: Lighting innovation for a growing city

Photo: Måns Berg Photography AB
The Gubbängen distribution station, with its innovative illuminated facade, adds a striking visual dimension to Stockholm’s southern suburbs. Designed to support the city’s growing power needs, the facility serves as a hub for power transmission, integrating technical infrastructure with urban design.
The lighting concept showcases the building’s function, giving it a glowing character that enhances both security and aesthetic appeal. The station’s polished light concrete frame is clad in gold-coloured perforated cassettes, creating depth and contrast against the smooth surface. These metal cassettes, shaped into shallow pyramids, feature varying perforations to form a unique pattern, while adjustable fixtures provide controlled illumination to minimise energy use and reduce graffiti.
Lighting designers and architects collaborated on scale accuracy tests, experimenting with different patterns, symmetries, and light angles. This precision testing ensured the optimal design for both visual impact and technical performance.
Sweco’s multidisciplinary team delivered a comprehensive solution, from feasibility studies to tender documentation for the turnkey contract. This involved designing electrical, control, and fire protection systems, while ensuring the building met technical and spatial requirements.
Gubbängen distribution station won the 2022 LIT Lighting Awards in two categories and received nominations at the Dezeen Awards and Svenska Ljuspriset.
Bicycle parking house: A landmark for cyclists in Gothenburg
The bicycle parking house in Gothenburg’s Gamlestaden district is the city’s first dedicated facility for cyclists, offering secure, accessible parking across three floors. With space for 600 bicycles, including special cycles, it also features a service station equipped with pumps and tools. Designed to encourage cycling into the city, the building provides electric conveyor belts to assist movement between floors and sturdy steel racks for locking bikes.
The building’s design emphasises transparency, with perforated walls allowing visibility from both inside and outside. This openness creates a sense of security, giving users a clear overview of their surroundings. The building’s peak, which faces the square, marks the entrance and integrates the structure into the taller surrounding properties. At night, the lighting design by Sweco Architects transforms the building into a glowing lantern, with lights that can change colour to reflect city events.
The architects used seamless facade panels, with hidden attachments, creating a cohesive and stable design. The vertical supports give the building height and lightness, while the interior details, including perforated stair railings, add to its futuristic yet functional aesthetic.
Located next to Gamlestaden travel centre, this facility promotes cycling as a practical commuting option, contributing to Gothenburg’s growing inner-city infrastructure.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: Reviving history through lighting design
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, an esteemed institution responsible for selecting Nobel Prize laureates, recently underwent a substantial interior redesign led by Sweco Architects. This project revitalised the Academy’s historic main building, enhancing its beautiful rooms with a modern touch while honouring their rich heritage. The lighting design plays a key role in this transformation, as it seamlessly integrates advanced technology with the building’s cultural-historical elements.
Sweco’s lighting professionals implemented subtle yet impactful installations that emphasise colours, materials and spatial characteristics throughout the diverse spaces. The new Beijer Hall, a modern scientific forum, showcases advanced lighting solutions that contrast with the more traditional settings of the original rooms.
The design ensures that each area, despite differing requirements, maintains a cohesive character. Recognising sustainability, materials were selected for longevity and visual appeal, with lighting fixtures designed to highlight the exquisite furnishings. This thoughtful approach earned the lighting design recognition with the Swedish Lighting Award 2022 and accolades at the international LIT Lighting Awards.