Tobias Link Lichtplanung

What Tobias Link Lichtplanung does

Tobias Link GmbH Lichtplanung und Produktdesign is a privately held boutique lighting design and product design firm founded in 1991 by brothers Tobias and Oliver Link in Saarbrücken, Germany. The firm provides independent architectural lighting design consulting under German HOAI fee structures across concept, design development, realisation, and object supervision phases, with master-planning capability coordinating across multiple trades on complex projects. Its core technology specialisations span biodynamic and Tunable White LED systems (typically 2,700 K–5,000 K or 1,800 K–6,500 K ranges), Casambi wireless radio-based mesh control integration, adaptive sensor-based lighting that reduces energy consumption through real-time occupancy detection, and bespoke luminaire development with independent German institute testing. The firm serves enterprise clients across shopping centre operators (notably ECE Marketplaces across five named centres), large-format furniture retail (Möbel Martin across multiple locations), corporate offices (G Data, ADAC), three-star gastronomy (schanz.restaurant), healthcare (Augenspezialisten Saar ophthalmology practice), hospitality and casino (Casino 2000 Luxembourg), energy companies (Enovos), wine estates (Weingut Franz Keller), and municipal smart-city projects (Stadt Saarbrücken Am Schanzenberg district).

The firm's business model operates on two revenue streams: project-based professional services fees for lighting design consulting, and design fees / licensing royalties from bespoke lum commercialisation. The Möbel Martin bespoke luminaire was commercialised as the instalight PROSALE 1021 series product through InstaLighting, and the firm co-developed the NoLimit Plus combined lighting-and-ventilation ceiling system with InstaLighting, NEXFOUR, and Kampmann. Go-to-market is reputation-driven B2B with referral-based acquisition through the German and Luxembourg architecture and commercial real-estate community, supported by professional website presence, LIT Awards and German Design Prize nominations, and a lectureship at Trier University of Applied Sciences. Geographically the firm operates in Germany, Luxembourg, and Poland, with no disclosed revenue figures, external investors, or parent company structure.

Name

Tobias Link Lichtplanung

Legal name

Tobias Link GmbH Lichtplanung und Produktdesign

Website

https://tobiaslink.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tobias Link GmbH is a German boutique architectural lighting design firm founded in 1991 in Saarbrücken, providing HOAI-compliant lighting consulting, bespoke luminaire development, and Tunable White LED and Casambi wireless control integration for enterprise clients across retail, hospitality, healthcare, and municipal sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Lighting Design Services

NAICS

Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132), Interior Design Services (54141), Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (33513)

SIC

Electrical Work (1731), Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAJ

Lighting Design Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPABAGAC

Lighting Controls & Smart Lighting Systems

Business & Public Services/Facilities Management & Building Services/Building Automation, Energy Management & Smart Building Services

SECONDARYIMAGAIAA

Industrial & Commercial Luminaires (High-bay, Low-bay, Troffers, Downlights)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Electrical Equipment & Industrial Electronics/Lighting & Signaling Equipment (Industrial/commercial lighting, indicators)

SECONDARYIMAFAHAJ

Street Lighting & Area Lighting Electrical Infrastructure

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/Power & Utility Infrastructure Construction (T&D, Substations)

SECONDARYHSAIAHAB

Low-Voltage Outdoor Lighting Installation

Home & Personal Services/Landscaping, Lawn Care & Outdoor Maintenance/Outdoor Lighting Installation & Maintenance

Keywords

• Architectural lighting design
• Bespoke luminaire development
• Biodynamic LED lighting
• Wireless lighting control
• Human centric lighting

Headquarters

HQ city

Saarbrücken

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Lighting Design Consulting: Professional services revenue from providing lighting design across all project phases — from concept and design development through to realisation and object supervision — in accordance with HOAI (German fee structure for architects and engineers). Services include master planning, 3D detail planning, visualisation, and bespoke luminaire development.
2. Bespoke Luminaire / Light Object Development: Design and development of custom luminaires and light sculptures for specific projects. Products are prototyped, independently tested, and may transition to series production for broader commercial use. Revenue derived from design fees and/or product commercialisation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tobias Link GmbH Lichtplanung und Produktdesign provides independent architectural lighting design consulting and develops custom lighting products and systems. Services span full HOAI-compliant lighting design from concept and design development through realisation and object supervision, light master planning for cities, light art installations, and bespoke luminaire design. Proprietary technical capabilities include biodynamic/Tunable White LED systems, Casambi wireless control integration, adaptive sensor-based lighting, and bespoke luminaire development tested by independent German institutes.

Product overview

Tobias Link GmbH Lichtplanung und Produktdesign is a lighting design and product design firm founded in 1991 in Saarbrücken, Germany. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of services including artificial lighting planning for shopping centers, hotels, gastronomy, office buildings, museums, churches, shops, and private villas; light master planning for cities and municipalities; temporary architecture for trade shows, events, and theater; light art installations; and custom luminaire development with control system engineering. On the product side, the company develops bespoke LED luminaires (including the commercialized 'instalight PROSALE 1021') and the NoLimit Plus combined lighting-and-ventilation ceiling panel. Key technology sub-products include daylight shading systems (filtering >90% of sunlight), dynamic Tunable White LED concepts (1,800–6,500 K range), and adaptive sensor-based wireless lighting control using the Casambi platform. All solutions are designed to be energy-efficient, subsidy-eligible under BEG programs, and aligned with Human Centric Lighting (HCL) principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Bespoke LED Luminaires (incl. instalight PROSALE 1021) Tailor-made LED luminaires developed for specific projects, replacing heterogeneous off-the-shelf solutions with unified, application-specific fixtures. The Möbel Martin bespoke luminaire became commercially available as 'instalight PROSALE 1021' and is now used as a standard luminaire in shops.
• NoLimit Plus Combined Lighting and Ventilation Ceiling System

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 90% energy savings in adaptive street lighting applications (Am Schanzenberg district)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• InstaLightingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstaLighting, as luminaire manufacturer and developer of the NoLimit lighting system, co-developed the NoLimit Plus product — a plasterboard panel with integrated aluminium profile combining lighting and ventilation. InstaLighting brings luminaire manufacturing expertise; Tobias Link GmbH contributes lighting design and product design.
• NEXFOURcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEXFOUR, specialist in built-in rails in drywall panels, co-developed the NoLimit Plus ceiling system alongside InstaLighting and Tobias Link GmbH. NEXFOUR contributes drywall integration expertise for the combined lighting and ventilation product.
• KampmanncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKampmann, expert in ventilation and air-conditioning technology, co-developed the NoLimit Plus combined ceiling product with InstaLighting, NEXFOUR, and Tobias Link GmbH. Kampmann contributes HVAC integration capabilities.
• CasambicoreTechnology or IntegrationCasambi provides the wireless radio-based mesh lighting control platform used across virtually all of Tobias Link's recent projects — from shopping centres and furniture stores to healthcare practices and restaurants. The platform enables sensor-driven adaptive lighting, time-scheduling, and app-based control without requiring control cabling.
• ECE Marketplaces GmbH & Co. KGcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerECE is a repeat client and long-term project partner, engaging Tobias Link for lighting design across multiple shopping centre projects over many years (Europa Galerie Saarbrücken, Nova Shoppingcenter Leipzig, OEZ München, Allee-Center Remscheid, Löhr-Center Koblenz). Projects span new builds, full refurbishments, and ongoing centre modernisations.
• Möbel Martin GmbH & Co. KGcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMöbel Martin is a repeat client for lighting design across multiple furniture store locations — Kaiserslautern (2015), Konz, Ensdorf, and Saarbrücken new build. Projects include bespoke luminaire development, biodynamic LED retrofit, and adaptive wireless control systems.
• Trier University of Applied SciencesminorOthersTobias Link holds a formal lectureship (Lehrauftrag) at Trier University of Applied Sciences, contributing to academic lighting design education and maintaining connections with emerging talent.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Light Bureau: Copenhagen-based architectural lighting design studio with a portfolio covering urban master plans, retail, and hospitality projects across Northern Europe. Comparable boutique positioning with strong emphasis on human-centric and energy-efficient design.
• Studio DL Lighting Design: Berlin-based architectural lighting design practice working across commercial, cultural, and residential projects. Comparable boutique structure with a strong emphasis on bespoke luminaire development and European retail/hospitality clientele.
• Nulty+: UK-headquartered architectural lighting design consultancy with offices in London, Dubai, and New York. Overlaps with Tobias Link in retail, hospitality, and bespoke luminaire design, but operates at a larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Speirs + Major: UK-based independent lighting design consultancy with an international portfolio of architecture, urban master plans, and bespoke luminaire projects. Closely aligned in service mix and reputational positioning, although operating at a somewhat larger scale than Tobias Link.
• Bartenbach GmbH: Austrian lighting design and research firm known for daylight engineering, HCL, and bespoke optical system development. Comparable in combining consulting-led delivery with proprietary product/prototype work and a similar European cultural emphasis on daylight integration.
• Pfarré Lighting Design: Munich-based boutique lighting design studio with a portfolio spanning retail, hospitality, museums, and urban master plans. Similar scale and German-Austrian client base, competing for the same premium architectural projects.
• Licht Kunst Licht AG: German lighting design consultancy founded in 1992, based in Bonn. Specialises in architectural lighting design for museums, retail, offices, and urban master planning, with a comparable boutique scale and European focus, making it the closest direct competitor in the DACH region.

Others

• InstaLighting GmbH: German luminaire manufacturer and co-development partner that commercialises bespoke Tobias Link designs (e.g., InstaLight PROSALE 1021, NoLimit Plus). Although not a direct competitor for design services, it is a key ecosystem participant enabling Tobias Link's product commercialisation pathway.

Broad incumbents

• Arup Lighting: Lighting design practice within Arup's global multidisciplinary engineering consultancy. Overlaps in architectural lighting design for retail, transport, and urban master plans but is embedded within a much broader engineering services portfolio, allowing it to underbid boutique firms on integrated scopes.

Emerging players

• Studio Fractal: Emerging European lighting design studio with a portfolio in cultural, retail, and residential sectors. A partial-overlap emerging competitor pursuing similar premium architectural lighting design work, though at an earlier stage of portfolio development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Tobias-Link-Lichtplanung-Leuchten-146830638676292
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tobias-link-lichtplanung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Tobias Link Lichtplanung