What zkld light design studio does

ZKLD Light Design Studio is an independent architectural lighting design consultancy founded in 1988 by Zeki Kadirbeyoğlu and based in Istanbul, Turkey. The firm provides specialized lighting design services across commercial offices, retail environments, museums, hotels, restaurants, private residences, landscapes, facades, and urban master plans. Its client base comprises tier-one architecture firms (Foster + Partners, HOK, Richard Meier & Partners, Tabanlıoğlu Architects, GAD Architecture), Turkish developers (Zorlu, Nurol, Rônesans), and cultural institutions.

The studio's technical practice is built around LED-based lighting systems, RGB color-control, and DMX control protocols, alongside sustainable-design expertise aligned with LEED and BREEAM certification frameworks. Project work spans at least ten countries across Europe, the CIS, the Gulf, and Africa, including high-visibility landmarks such as the Hagia Sophia lighting retrofit, Zorlu Center, Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center (with Foster + Partners), and Renaissance Moscow Towers (with HOK). The firm is a member of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), reflecting professional credentialing in a field where individual and institutional reputation drives engagement.

Revenue is generated on a project-by-project professional services basis, typically as the lighting design sub-consultant to a lead architect or developer. The firm operates with an estimated 11–50 person team and has occasionally delivered work as a sub-contractor to peer lighting design practices (e.g., HLB Lighting Design). No external funding rounds, acquisitions, or public capital events are disclosed in the available data; the firm is founder-led and privately held.

Name

zkld light design studio

Legal name

ZKLD Light Design Studio

Website

https://zkldstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Independent architectural lighting design consultancy founded in 1988 and based in Istanbul, providing LED, RGB, and DMX lighting design services to tier-one architects, developers, and cultural institutions across offices, hospitality, museums, and urban projects in more than ten countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tepebasi

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Lighting Design Services: Professional lighting design services for architectural projects including concept design, schematic design, design development, and commissioning phases. Services provided for offices, retails, museums, hotels, landscapes, facades, private homes, restaurants and urban master plans.
2. Product Design: Lighting product design services including custom fixture development and decorative lighting design
3. Consultancy Services: Lighting consultancy services including LEED and BREEAM certification support, illumination calculations, and project consulting

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ZKLD provides professional architectural lighting design, custom lighting product design, and lighting consultancy services for offices, retail spaces, museums, hotels, landscapes, facades, private homes, restaurants, and urban master plans. Services are delivered across four phases — concept design, schematic design, design development, and commissioning — with specialized capability in LEED/BREEAM-certified sustainable design and heritage building illumination.

Product overview

ZKLD Lighting Design Studio is an independent architectural lighting design firm based in Istanbul, Turkey, offering three core service areas: Architectural Lighting Design Services (covering offices, retails, museums, hotels, landscapes, facades, private homes, restaurants, and urban master plans), Lighting Product Design (custom fixture development), and Lighting Consultancy Services (including LEED/BREEAM certification support). The studio operates through defined project phases: Phase I Concept Design, Phase II Schematic Design, Phase III Design Development, and Phase IV Commissioning. ZKLD has delivered notable lighting designs for landmark projects including Hagia Sophia, Zorlu Center, Tripoli Congress Center, Dakar Congress Center, Nikki Beach Bodrum, and Nurol Life, with multiple industry awards recognizing their work in landscape lighting, exterior illumination, and architectural lighting design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Lighting Design Services
• Lighting Product Design
• Lighting Consultancy Services
• Landscape Lighting Design
• Façade Lighting Design

Quantifiable outcome

• LEED and BREEAM certification support for sustainable building projects

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Tabanlıoğlu ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Tabanlıoğlu Architects on major projects including Zorlu Center (with EAA), Tripoli Congress Center, Astana Media Center, and Sipopo Congress Center. Collaborative relationship for integrated architectural and lighting design services.
• GAD Architecture (Gökhan Avcıoğlu)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with GAD Architecture on multiple projects including Nikki Beach Bodrum, Kuum Hotel, and Rixos Eskişehir Otel. Partnership involves integrated lighting design for architecture-led projects.
• Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLPflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on Bodrum Houses project with world-renowned architect Richard Meier. Unique project featuring 3-level houses with canopied car garages and separate pools in Yalıkavak, Bodrum Peninsula.
• International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD)coreOthersProfessional membership in IALD. Founder Zeki Kadirbeyoğlu is a professional member. ZKLD's lighting designers follow IALD ethical rules regarding integrity with investors and architects.
• Turkish National Committee on Illumination (ATMK)coreOthersProfessional membership. Founder Zeki Kadirbeyoğlu is a member of ATMK.
• HOKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with HOK on Renaissance Moscow Towers project in Moscow International Business Centre. Partnership for mixed-use administrative complex lighting design.
• HLB Lighting Design StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFollowing HLB Lighting Design Studio's preliminary design concept practice, ZKLD Studio became the local consultant for Emaar Square project's landscape and shopping mall lighting.
• Foster + PartnersflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Foster + Partners for Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center in Astana, Kazakhstan. Foster + Partners were the architects with ZKLD providing lighting design.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tillotson Design Associates: Independent architectural lighting design firm specializing in museums, galleries, and signature architectural projects; similar boutique scale and heritage-institution focus to ZKLD, particularly relevant for cultural institution lighting.
• Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design: Independent New York-based architectural lighting design studio serving museums, civic, and commercial projects; comparable boutique scale, IALD-aligned positioning, and project mix to ZKLD.
• Speirs + Major: UK-based independent architectural lighting design studio with comparable size and an international project portfolio spanning cultural, civic, and commercial landmark work — directly comparable specialty and service model to ZKLD.
• HLB Lighting Design: US-headquartered architectural lighting design consultancy with a global practice; explicitly referenced as ZKLD's partner on Emaar Square, confirming it operates in the same service category (lighting concept, schematic, and design development for landmark buildings).
• Lighting Design Partnership: UK-founded architectural lighting design consultancy with international reach and a comparable focus on entertainment, hospitality, and large mixed-use projects; competes for similar flagship commissions as ZKLD.
• Bill Cunliffe Lighting Design: Independent architectural lighting design consultancy with an international heritage-building and cultural-project portfolio; closely matches ZKLD's heritage, museum, and façade lighting specialism.
• George Sexton Associates: US-based specialist lighting design consultancy focused on museums, libraries, and sacred/civic architecture; highly comparable niche positioning to ZKLD's heritage and cultural institution work (Hagia Sophia, congress centers).

Broad incumbents

• BDP Lighting Design: Multidisciplinary design practice with a substantial lighting design group serving healthcare, education, and commercial developments; overlaps with ZKLD on commercial and public-sector lighting but as part of a much broader architectural practice.
• Arup Lighting: Global engineering firm with a dedicated architectural lighting design practice serving museums, transport hubs, and landmark projects; competes with ZKLD on large international commissions while offering a much wider engineering portfolio.

Emerging players

• Atelier 10: Sustainability-led design consultancy with a strong lighting and environmental performance offering that overlaps with ZKLD's LEED/BREEAM-driven service line, though operating from a wider environmental engineering base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/ZKLD-Light-Studio/146286558751686
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1583504
• Instagraminstagram.com/zkldstudio
• Xx.com/zkldstudio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 →

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