AKLD Lighting Design
AKLD Lighting Design is a woman-owned architectural lighting design firm founded in 1994 that provides lighting analysis, custom fixture design, and control system programming for commercial, hospitality, healthcare, education, religious, residential, retail, and cultural projects across North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersWilmette, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AKLD Lighting Design does
AKLD Lighting Design, Ltd. is a woman-owned architectural lighting design firm founded in 1994 by Anne Kustner Haser and headquartered in Wilmette, Illinois. The firm delivers professional lighting design services across nine building typologies, including commercial, cultural, educational, healthcare, hospitality, houses of worship, residential, retail and mixed-use, and sports and recreation facilities. Core service offerings comprise lighting analysis and layout, custom fixture design, photometric and energy calculations, control system design and programming, physical and virtual mock-ups, on-site focus and aiming, and construction administration through post-occupancy evaluation.
The firm differentiates on human-centric and sustainable design, with documented expertise in circadian lighting systems, LEED Platinum/Gold/Silver certification, Living Building Challenge Petal Certification, and WELL Building Standard compliance. The team includes licensed architects, IALD and IES members, LEED APs, and EDAC-certified specialists. Technology deployment centers on LED fixtures, advanced lighting controls, and evidence-based design that links light quality to occupant health and well-being; no software platform or AI infrastructure is offered.
The business model is project-based professional services revenue, with fees varying by project scope, complexity, and typology. Go-to-market is direct B2B engagement with architecture firms, interior designers, developers, and direct end-clients, supported by a referral network of 40+ named architecture partners including Perkins&Will, Gensler, Woodhouse Tinucci, and HBRA. Marketing is concentrated in industry conferences (LightFair, LEDucation, MED Talks), award submissions (IALD, IES, AIA, LIV), and principal-led thought leadership. The firm has completed 1,600-1,750 projects across 9 countries and operates from offices in Illinois, Colorado, and Mexico City, with no institutional capital, no acquisitions, and no M&A activity to date.
AKLD Lighting Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AKLD Lighting Design
- Legal name
- AKLD Lighting Design, Ltd.
- Website
- https://akld.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AKLD Lighting Design is a woman-owned architectural lighting design firm founded in 1994 that provides lighting analysis, custom fixture design, and control system programming for commercial, hospitality, healthcare, education, religious, residential, retail, and cultural projects across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AKLD Lighting Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Lighting Design Services
- NAICS
- Interior Design Services (54141)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)
Keywords
Where AKLD Lighting Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wilmette
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
AKLD Lighting Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Lighting Design Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for architectural lighting design services spanning concept development, design documentation, luminaire specifications, photometric analysis, mock-ups, construction administration, and post-occupancy evaluation. Revenue generated through project-based contracts with architecture firms, developers, and direct clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Senior Lighting Designer (Denver, in-person) |
| Other | Annual | Lighting Designer (Remote/Hybrid) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels11 records
AKLD Lighting Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AKLD Lighting Design provides professional architectural lighting design consulting services, including lighting analysis, layout and specification drawings, illumination and energy calculations, custom fixture design, lighting control system programming, physical and virtual mock-ups, and on-site focus and aiming. The firm serves architects, developers, and institutional clients from project concept through construction administration and post-occupancy evaluation, with deep specialization in sustainable design (LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge) and human-centric circadian lighting.
Product overview
AKLD Lighting Design is an architectural lighting design firm offering comprehensive lighting design services across multiple sectors including commercial, cultural, education, healthcare, hospitality, houses of worship, residential, retail/mixed-use, and sports/recreation. The core offering includes Lighting Analysis & Design Services, Custom Fixture Design, Control System Design/Programming, Mock-Ups, and Focus and Aiming services. The company specializes in sustainable lighting design with LEED certification expertise (Platinum, Gold, Silver), circadian lighting systems, WELL Building Standard lighting, and Living Building Challenge compliant designs. Projects range from boutique residential to large-scale commercial and institutional facilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lighting Analysis and Design Services
- Custom Fixture Design
Quantifiable outcome
- LEED Platinum Certification achieved for Keller Center with 46% energy reduction over baseline
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use AKLD Lighting Design
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
AKLD Lighting Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
AKLD Lighting Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and minor.
- Heidi Lightner ArchitectscoreCollaboration with Heidi Lightner Architects for The Alston luxury steakhouse project in Chicago's Gold Coast. AKLD provided lighting design in partnership with Michelin-starred Chef Jenner Tomaska and Fifty/50 Group.
- Dairy Block / McWHINNEYnotableCreated 'Downpour' experiential art lighting installation at Dairy Block Blake's Passage in Denver. The installation features nearly 400 programmable color-changing spheres. McWHINNEY, Sage Hospitality and Grand American are developers of Dairy Block.
- Lisa Bartlett (Lighting Director)coreLisa Bartlett joined AKLD as Lighting Director to lead the newly opened Mountain West office in Denver, Colorado. She brings 25 years of experience in architectural lighting design.
- de Giulio Kitchen DesignnotablePartnership for Inspiration Studio at Abt project - 11,000 sq ft kitchen showroom lighting design for Chicagoland's largest appliance store.
- Davis Partnership ArchitectsnotablePartnered on Dairy Block 'Downpour' installation project. Davis Partnership Architects helped elevate foot traffic in Blake's Passage.
- Woodhouse Tinucci ArchitectsnotableLong-standing partnership on multiple projects including Robert Crown Community Center, University of Chicago Bond Chapel, and Keller Center.
- KOO ArchitectsnotablePartnership on LOT Business Lounge at Marriott Marquis McCormick Place Chicago. KOO architects engaged AKLD for mock-ups and overall design contribution.
- JNKA ArchitectsnotablePartnered on Relevant Radio Studio Chapel project at Lincolnshire, IL headquarters.
- Perkins&WillnotablePartnership on KPMG Chicago Innovation Lab and Insight Center, as well as University of Chicago Medicine Ambulatory Care Center.
- GenslernotablePartnership on Marriott Marquis Chicago hotel workout facility and fitness center.
- OMA*AMO ArchitecturenotableCollaboration on University of Illinois Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) project with IDEO and Jacobs Architecture.
- Simeone Deary Design GroupnotableInterior design partnership on Loews Miami Beach Hotel transformation.
- Harding PartnersminorPartnership on New Faith Baptist Church Matteson project.
- SMA Architecture + DesignnotablePartnership on Shodair Children's Hospital $66 million behavioral health facility in Helena, MT.
- Whitney ArchitectureminorPartnership on Diageo Guinness Taproom Chicago project.
- DMAC Architecture & InteriorsnotablePartnership on Village Supper Club renovation in Delavan, WI, awarded two LIV Hospitality Design Awards.
- Zaniboni LightingminorClearwater, Florida-based lighting manufacturer that hosted AKLD annual team reunion and provided meeting space.
- Chicago LightworksminorOngoing partnership supporting AKLD annual reunion events.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
AKLD Lighting Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Schuler Shook: Chicago-based architectural lighting design consultancy with a comparable footprint to AKLD - similar focus on commercial, cultural and architectural lighting, similar boutique team scale, and direct overlap in the Chicago/Midwest market for entertainment, civic and commercial commissions.
- Lighting Design Alliance: U.S. specialty lighting design consultancy headquartered in Los Angeles; one of AKLD's senior hires (Laura Román) came from LDA, indicating direct overlap in project type (hospitality, residential, commercial) and professional-service-only delivery model.
- Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design: New York-based specialty architectural lighting design firm serving cultural, commercial and institutional clients; a directly comparable consulting-only model with similar LEED/sustainability positioning and award-winning premium practice.
- Focus Lighting: NYC lighting design consultancy serving architectural, hospitality and entertainment projects; a direct peer with comparable full-service lighting design capabilities spanning concept, documentation and commissioning on marquee commercial work.
- L'Observatoire International: NYC/Paris-based architectural lighting design studio with a high-end hospitality, retail and cultural portfolio - a direct peer at the premium end of the lighting design services market with similar boutique scale and global client work.
- Renfro Design Group: Independent architectural lighting design practice with a comparable boutique scale and similar emphasis on cultural, hospitality, ecclesiastical and commercial projects in major U.S. markets.
- Tillotson Design Associates: NYC-based independent architectural lighting design firm with comparable boutique scale, museum/cultural focus, and IALD-aligned practice positioning - directly competitive on cultural and institutional commissions.
Broad incumbents
- Arup Lighting: Global multidisciplinary engineering consultancy with a dedicated Lighting practice embedded in its broader building engineering business - a structurally larger competitor offering similar services as part of a much wider portfolio spanning MEP, facades and acoustics.
- Buro Happold Lighting Design: Global engineering consultancy with a specialty lighting design practice offering similar architectural lighting consulting within a much larger MEP/engineering platform - competes for the same flagship projects but typically as part of broader engineering scopes.
- SmithGroup Lighting Design: Major U.S. architecture, engineering and planning firm with an in-house lighting design practice - competes with AKLD on integrated architectural commissions where single-firm delivery of architecture + lighting is preferred by owners.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AKLD Lighting Design social profiles
Digital presenceAKLD Lighting Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AKLD Lighting Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
AKLD Lighting Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AKLD Lighting Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AKLD Lighting Design
What does AKLD Lighting Design do?
AKLD Lighting Design provides professional architectural lighting design consulting services, including lighting analysis, layout and specification drawings, illumination and energy calculations, custom fixture design, lighting control system programming, physical and virtual mock-ups, and on-site focus and aiming. The firm serves architects, developers, and institutional clients from project concept through construction administration and post-occupancy evaluation, with deep specialization in sustainable design (LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge) and human-centric circadian lighting.
Is AKLD Lighting Design a public or private company?
AKLD Lighting Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AKLD Lighting Design founded?
AKLD Lighting Design was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AKLD Lighting Design based?
AKLD Lighting Design is headquartered in Wilmette, United States, in the North America region.
How does AKLD Lighting Design make money?
One revenue line is on record: lighting Design Consulting Services.
Who are AKLD Lighting Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Schuler Shook, Lighting Design Alliance, Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design, Focus Lighting, L'Observatoire International, Renfro Design Group and Tillotson Design Associates. Broad incumbents are Arup Lighting, Buro Happold Lighting Design and SmithGroup Lighting Design.
Does AKLD Lighting Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for AKLD Lighting Design.
What industry is AKLD Lighting Design in?
AKLD Lighting Design's product category is Architectural Lighting Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAJ, Lighting Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54141 and its SIC code is 8711.