Meet Danah Gochman

Why lighting?

After studying interior design at RMIT, I fell into lighting. I think studying interior design gave me a framework for appreciating lighting – how it interacts with surfaces, the ephemeral qualities of natural light and the potential of architectural lighting to transform a space.

I find lighting design exciting because good lighting design is fundamentally intertwined with the fields of architecture, interior design and industrial design.

What do you do outside of work that helps fuel your creativity and commitment to lighting?

I notice lighting everywhere. While watching movies like Blade Runner, sitting on a plane during sunset, walking through a rainy city or dancing at a music festival, I’m usually thinking where’s the light source? What is it? How’s it being controlled? What’s causing the shadows? I’m thinking about how the light reflects from a surface and asking myself if I would have made a different decision.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned at NDY?

Double check your work before sending it out.

Oh, and anticipate and act early on what’s required in future stages of a project, for example building up the cost estimate study as the luminaire schedule develops means time will be saved and gaps minimised when asked for this information later.

What professional relationships do you value the most?

The professional relationships I value the most are the ones with my colleagues. I’m grateful for such a wonderful team of lighting designers that each came into NDYLIGHT from different lighting backgrounds, all with different areas of expertise and experience. This means any project and challenge there is, someone in the team can offer specific support which is enhanced by our culture of knowledge sharing.

What does Making Spaces Work mean to you?

For me, Making Spaces Work with lighting means – does it literally work?

Does the lighting meet standard and glare ratings? Is it comfortable for people to work in? Does it include control systems and touch points that are easy to commission and interact with? Do these offer our clients, the tenants and users the ability to adjust their lighting, create scenes for different uses and enjoy the flexibility of luminaires that can be repositioned.