The Lighting Design Alliance

What The Lighting Design Alliance does

The Lighting Design Alliance (LDA), founded in 1992 by Chip Israel and headquartered in Long Beach, California, is a full-service architectural lighting design firm serving enterprise clients across the built environment. The firm designs and specifies complete lighting and control systems for projects ranging from concept development through documented installation support, with capabilities spanning custom fixture design, complex illumination calculations, daylighting analysis, life cycle cost studies, and integration of standard manufacturer products. Its technology stack is built on industry-standard architectural and simulation tools — AutoCAD, Revit, AGI, and Adobe Creative Suite — with no disclosed proprietary software, AI models, or data products; differentiation is rooted in human creative talent drawn from architectural, interior design, and theatrical lighting backgrounds.

LDA generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements billed to enterprise owners, developers, architects, and property operators. The go-to-market motion is direct enterprise field sales, with deal flow driven by referral networks within architectural firms, brand reputation (337 industry awards and ~7,851 completed projects), and leadership visibility through the IES and IALD. Customer concentration sits primarily in Casino & Gaming and Hotels & Resorts (Las Vegas Sands, MGM, Galaxy, Choctaw, sbe, Chimelong), with secondary exposure to commercial, institutional, civic/transportation, and entertainment segments. Geographic reach is global, with completed or active projects across the U.S., China, Macau, Korea, Qatar, Taiwan, and India.

In July 2025, LDA joined Salas O'Brien, a 92-office multidisciplinary engineering platform, transitioning the firm from independent founder ownership to a subsidiary operating under the legal name Salas O'Brien Lighting Design Alliance, LLC. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 range; revenue is not publicly disclosed. The combination is intended to expand LDA's design reach and cross-sell capabilities within Salas O'Brien's engineering client base while preserving the LDA brand, leadership, and project team.

Name

The Lighting Design Alliance

Legal name

Lighting Design Alliance, LLC

Website

https://lightingdesignalliance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Lighting Design Alliance is a Long Beach, California-based architectural lighting design firm founded in 1992, providing full-service lighting and control system design for enterprise clients in casinos, hotels, entertainment, and civic infrastructure. Since July 2025 it has operated as a subsidiary of Salas O'Brien.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Lighting Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)

Keywords

• Architectural lighting design
• Lighting control systems
• Daylighting analysis
• Illumination calculations
• Custom fixture design

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Lighting Design Services: Professional services revenue from architectural lighting design consulting, from concept development through installation support and documentation. Project-based engagements with architects, developers, and property owners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lighting Design Alliance is a full-service architectural lighting design firm that designs and specifies complete lighting and control systems from concept development through installation. Its services include custom fixture design, complex illumination calculations, daylighting analysis, life cycle analysis, and cost comparative studies for architects, developers, and property owners across casinos, hotels, commercial, institutional, and entertainment projects globally.

Product overview

Lighting Design Alliance is a full-service architectural lighting design firm offering comprehensive lighting design services from concept through installation. The firm provides design and specification of complete lighting and control systems, custom fixture design, and advanced analysis services including complex illumination calculations, daylighting analysis, and life cycle analysis. Their portfolio spans multiple market sectors including casino, civic, commercial, entertainment, hotels & resorts, institutional, landscape, mixed use, residential, restaurant, retail, spa, and transportation. The company operates as a single design studio and was acquired by Salas O'Brien in 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Lighting Design Services
• Lighting Control Systems Design
• Custom Fixture Design
• Illumination Calculations & Analysis

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ year track record with many clients for over 20 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Salas O'BriencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Lighting Design Alliance officially joined Salas O'Brien in July 2025. Salas O'Brien is a multidisciplinary engineering and technical services firm with 85 offices across the US and 7 in Canada. The merger brings together two respected names in the built environment, expanding LDA's design reach while maintaining the same team and passion.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Buro Happold: International engineering consultancy with an established lighting design group serving similar hospitality, civic, and entertainment sectors as part of integrated engineering offerings.
• Arup Lighting: Lighting design practice within global engineering giant Arup; overlaps on large-scale architectural and infrastructure projects but competes from within a much broader multidisciplinary portfolio.
• WSP: Global professional services firm with a lighting design capability embedded within its buildings practice, competing for lighting scope on large integrated projects.

Direct peers

• Fisher Marantz Stone: New York-based architectural lighting design firm with comparable portfolio in museums, civic, hospitality, and entertainment — a long-standing direct competitor in the US specialty lighting design market.
• Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design: Established US architectural lighting design firm serving hospitality, cultural, and commercial sectors with a similar project-based, award-driven practice model directly comparable to LDA.
• Available Light: Specialty architectural lighting design firm with comparable expertise in museums, performance venues, and high-end commercial interiors — competes for similar projects and talent.
• Schuler Shook: Architectural and theatrical lighting design consultancy with overlapping service scope and similar client base in performing arts, museums, and public architecture.
• Tillotson Design Associates: Architectural lighting design firm with parallel focus on museums, galleries, and high-end commercial projects, frequently recognized alongside LDA in IES and IALD award programs.
• Lumen Architecture: Independent architectural lighting design firm with comparable service offerings across commercial, hospitality, and cultural sectors, competing for similar project types.

Others

• Salas O'Brien: Multidisciplinary engineering and technical services firm that acquired LDA in July 2025; now the parent platform providing MEP integration and cross-sell opportunities for LDA's lighting practice.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lighting-design-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/lightingdesignalliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Lighting Design Alliance