GrayLight

GrayLight
Lighting. Sustainability. Services.

ABOUT CARL N GRAY:

“I consider myself to be an architect’s engineer;

My greatest passion in my work is for architectural lighting design – though this does not mean that other areas are neglected or considered of lesser importance. Of all the specialist engineering disciplines, lighting sits closest to architecture, and I believe that a lighting-first designer brings something extra to all buil

ding services.

“I believe that the best results are achieved through multi-discipline collaboration and ‘whole system design’ and I greatly enjoy collaborating with architects, engineers and other design disciplines in such a process (read: I don’t like to stay in ‘my own little box’ – I always seek to contribute across a whole project wherever my expertise allows.)

“I am a strong advocate of sustainable design – but believe that ‘sustainable’ design must provide increased amenity rather than just reduced impact.

“I have been fortunate in my career to have had a number of fantastic employers, mentors, and educators. I have established GrayLight in order to put ‘my own spin’ on all of that knowledge and experience, to contribute to the creation of beautiful, functional, sustainable buildings, by providing:

Affordable, accessible architectural lighting design which meets each project’s needs and budget;

Flexible and responsive service to architects and clients on projects small and large;

An evidence-based approach to environmentally sustainable design;

Passionate and innovative (but also pragmatic and responsible) design services.

“I hope that you will join me – either as a client, a collaborator, or simply as a reader of the blog – in this venture.”

07/09/2024

We were pleased to bring the IES QLiDA jury through the EB House recently...

The house's Outdoor Room is an all-seasons entertaining space that can be used fully open, fully-closed, or in-between. When the glazing is closed, reflections add an extra layer of 'sparkle' - but careful balancing of indoor and outdoor lighting ensures that a sense of transparency is retained.

Lighting design by GrayLight, with
Architects .and.co
Construction
Electrical

Oddments Dual Ring pendant by

26/11/2023

This breezebrick detail is a repeating motif throughout the OneSurf house. Uplighting this brickwork with flared-beam grazers allowed us to enhance texture and warmth; and improve privacy.

Fittings are .led.architectural 'Maxi Mini IP'.
Brickwork is 'Emperor' in 'Ghost Grey' finish.

Lighting design by GrayLight, with:
Architects
Builder .space
Electrical
Brickwork

25/11/2023

Render to reality...

The initial proposal used the inexpensive (plastic) 'Flora' fittings from but after looking at samples onsite it was decided to upgrade to it's fancier blown-glass cousin 'Coral' from - well worth it!

Other than that, these renders get remarkably close to reality. If anything they under-sell the design since for the renders don't include the satin finish of the timber-battened ceiling, the variation of brick colours, etc.

Lighting design by GrayLight, with:
Architects
Builder .space
Electrical
Brickwork

25/11/2023

And this is her at night (and in colour)...

The 'beach club' lounge at the OneSurf house features about forty hand-blown glass pendant lights and wall sconces arranged to evoke a coral reef which wraps from the ceiling above the bar down the wall towards the beachfront. A bit of whimsy.

The light fittings are - appropriately enough - 'Coral' by in half-half clear/frost finish (see my previous post) on the wall, and frost on the ceiling. They look just amazing!

Lighting design by GrayLight, with:
Architects
Builder .space
Electrical
Brickwork

25/11/2023

The 'beach club' lounge at the OneSurf house features about forty hand-blown glass pendant lights and wall sconces arranged to evoke a coral reef which wraps from the ceiling above the bar down the wall towards the beachfront. A bit of whimsy.

The light fittings are - appropriately enough - 'Coral' by in half-half clear/frost finish (see my previous post) on the wall, and frost on the ceiling. They look just amazing!

Lighting design by GrayLight, with:
Architects
Builder .space
Electrical
Brickwork

25/11/2023

I have a theory about 'happy accidents' in design: That if you can get the fundamentals of your design correct, then you'll sometimes end up with surprises like "Oh, I didn't think it was going to look like that! 😊" as opposed to "Ohh, I didn't think it was going to look like that...😬".

We had one of the former moments on the OneSurf project, due to a miscommunication - we ordered about forty of these pendants and wall lights in three different sizes; half clear, half frosted. I nearly died when these were what arrived!

BUT...

They actually look amazing, and as this is a beachfront project, when mounted, the frosted and clear halves read like sand and sky.

Totally planned it that way. Totally. For sure.

'Coral' hand-blown glass pendants and wall lights by with

Lighting design by GrayLight, with:
Architects
Builder .space
Electrical

11/11/2023

Thankful to receive an IESANZ QLD Lighting Commendation Award for the AH61 Garage.

Also, check out these awesome photos of the garage by - it was a super fun photo shoot! Honestly my fav is MCD Constructions’ Hilux!

Lighting design and custom 3d-printed components by GrayLight, in association with:
- Architect
- Interiors
- Builder
- Electrical
- Home automation
- Lighting supply
- Control system

11/11/2023

Grateful to have received an IESANZ Qld Lighting Award for Excellence for the lighting of Quandamooka artist Megan Cope's ( ) artwork 'What Becomes Of The Clouds' at Heritage Lanes in Meanjin (Brisbane).

Lighting design by GrayLight, in collaboration with

jamesglass

With lighting equipment and controls from

25/08/2023

Work in progress (nearly complete!) at the Mermaid Beach house. Just amazing work from all the trades on this one - it's going to be an absolute stunner!

Some selected details of variously
-- shoe display cupboard
-- dressing mirror (with photogenic sparky)
-- wine rack
-- breezebrick with .led.architectural Max Mini grazers
-- garden with Firefly lights

Lighting design by GrayLight, with
Architect space

25/08/2023

Work in progress (nearly complete!) at the Mermaid Beach house. Just amazing work from all the trades on this one - it's going to be an absolute stunner!

Dining pendant is Oddments Dual Ring from
Kitchen linear is custom made with Flexi Grazer 3D, via

Lighting design by GrayLight, with
Architect space

23/08/2023

How cool is this bathroom at Aviary Terrace Bar?!

We had make custom acrylic surrounds for the mirrors so that we get that nice halo glow but also good front-lighting for makeup - and so that the mirrors look great both front- and side-on. And a lovely Coral Trio pendant from is just the icing on the cake!

Aviary Terrace Bar at 480 Queen Street - from the creators of BOS Restaurant - opening this week.

Lighting design by GrayLight.

23/08/2023

Sneak peek of a new venue opening this week - Aviary Terrace Bar at 480 Queen Street - from the creators of BOS Restaurant. Amazing view of the Story Bridge - this will be a sought-after spot for Riverfire!

Lighting design by GrayLight, with custom post lights by

01/08/2023

Something that came across my desk the other day threw my mind back to this temporary installation from way back in 2013...

Event lighting design by GrayLight on behalf of the IESANZ Qld Chapter, for the 2013 Qld Architecture Awards, with .

31/07/2023

What the plants see vs what we see...

Let's be real - the main reason designers want green walls is just that they look pretty! So beyond just keeping the plants healthy, the lighting should present the wall attractively; shouldn't detract from the architecture; and shouldn't be a source of glare.

Sometimes that's easier to achieve, sometimes harder. At Montague Markets apartments, a portrait-format wall and a right corner required a tricky solution with 'over and under' spotlights. Placed up high and against a dark ceiling, they are discreet and effective.

This wall was supported with electric lighting - but would you like to learn more about daylight for architectural landscapes? We'll be presenting online CPD topic "Photophilia – Daylight for Architectural Plantings" , 4pm AEST on 7th August 2023 - 1 formal point. See link in bio.

Lighting design by GrayLight, with

30/07/2023

One of my fav moments at the Edgecliff House - I almost want this art wall to remain bare!

The Prolicht Magiq wall washers do such an awesome job on this wall. They're quite different to most other wallwashers, with a relatively tall and thin distribution perfect for 'portait format' walls.

We actually have the art wall dimmed back a fair bit at the moment so its reflection doesn't detract from the view out to the pool opposite. But once the owners find a suitable work, we'll likely dim back up and allow its reflection to be overlaid on the view out.

Lighting design by GrayLight, with…
- Architect .architects
- Interiors
- Builder .contractors
- Pool .com.au
- Lighting Controls & AV

29/07/2023

Have you previously heard us talk about ---The Day(lighting) of the Triffids--- but wanted to go deeper on the daylighting side of things?

We've now split this popular CPD topic in two - with the first addressing daylight specifically. We'll be presenting online CPD topic "Photophilia – Daylight for Architectural Plantings" , 4pm AEST on 7th August 2023 - 1 formal point. See link in bio.

Architects, landscape architects, urban planners and their clients have become increasingly ambitious in the incorporation of plants into the built environment, beyond just the simple green wall in the lobby:

-- Plantings to ‘green facades’, ‘outdoor rooms’, ‘sky terraces’ and atria are becoming the norm.

-- An increased focus on street activation has lead to more semi-indoor plantscapes.

-- And beyond just understorey shrubs, more demanding species such as trees and grasses are creeping in to planting palettes.

Plants of course need light to grow – and typically lots of it! Daylight is the most desired source of this light; but determining the quantity (and quality) of daylight available, versus what the plants need, can be challenging.

Photophilia will explain plants’ need for light; how daylight can be harnessed to support architectural plantings; how to assess daylight availability at different stages of design; and next steps when daylight alone is not sufficient.

See link in bio to book your place!

-----

Pictured here - Paragon, Queen Street Melbourne - daylight analysis by GrayLight, with
Planting
Landscape architect
Architect
Construction
Developer

28/07/2023

Playing around with retail lighting for the revamp of a multi-award-winning bar & cellar. Can we make it shine with zero downlighting? Yes, I think we can!

It never fails to blow me away that we can accurately simulate (raytrace) a scene like this with about 5,000 transparent wine bottles, in near realtime and just a couple minutes per final 8k*4k final image.

Due credit actually to who got my machine flying again (even with 3y old graphics cards). It'll happily crank away at 98% dual GPU utilisation for 12+ hours if I need it to.

Lighting design by GrayLight, with architect

19/07/2023

Which one would you choose?!

Apartments tend to have long party walls which you can't do a lot with due to them being fire-rated; and oftenthere are bulkheads that interrupt the line of the ceiling.

On this Sunshine Coast refurbishment, we played around with a number of options for a lighting treatment that could run along the party wall and tie the floor plan together from front door to ocean view.

Lighting design by GrayLight.

18/07/2023

Would you like to learn more about daylight for architectural landscapes? Carl will be presenting online CPD topic "Photophilia – Daylight for Architectural Plantings" , 4pm AEST on 7th August 2023 - 1 formal point. See link in bio.

Architects, landscape architects, urban planners and their clients have become increasingly ambitious in the incorporation of plants into the built environment, beyond just the simple green wall in the lobby:

-- Plantings to ‘green facades’, ‘outdoor rooms’, ‘sky terraces’ and atria are becoming the norm.

-- An increased focus on street activation has lead to more semi-indoor plantscapes.

-- And beyond just understorey shrubs, more demanding species such as trees and grasses are creeping in to planting palettes.

Plants of course need light to grow – and typically lots of it! Daylight is the most desired source of this light; but determining the quantity (and quality) of daylight available, versus what the plants need, can be challenging.

Photophilia will explain plants’ need for light; how daylight can be harnessed to support architectural plantings; how to assess daylight availability at different stages of design; and next steps when daylight alone is not sufficient.

See link in bio to book your place!

-----

Pictured here - Caroma on Collins - daylight analysis by GrayLight, with
Planting
Landscape architect
Architect
Construction

Photo credit

17/07/2023

About 20 months in, the up-lit green wall at No 1 Anzac Square is flourishing!

We were a little nervous about this approach but the plants are looking happy and healthy and it looks lovely.

That's not to say that up-lighting is right for every green wall - the planting is a bit thinner at the top than the bottom, unavoidable in this case - but it's another tool in the toolbox for those challenging situations!

Lighting design by GrayLight, with
- Architects
- Head contractor
- Landscape
- Electrical

16/07/2023

We have a rule that if there is a really lovely ceiling finish then any light fitting placed on/in the ceiling really has to deserve its place (and/or be extremely discreet both day and night).

At the Edgecliff House, off-form concrete ceilings with timber board finish invoked this rule, so the focus was on in-floor up lighting with a Moooi ‘Heracles’ pendant light and just four very low glare spotlights.

The Heracleum pendant really shines (no pun intended) in this space as with glass on both sides, plus glass beyond the pool, you see reflection upon reflection upon reflection of the light’s ‘petals’.

Low ambient light levels in the space help the glass to feel clear and open - rather than a glass box - and emphasise the connection to the courtyard pool and the canal-side terrace, even when the glass is closed.

Lighting design by GrayLight, with…
- Architect .architects
- Interiors
- Builder .contractors
- Pool .com.au
- Lighting Controls & AV

15/07/2023

Just to inject a bit more colour in the feed - here's a throwback to a 2013-2015 project - the Northshore Penthouse. A truly bonkers job, of which this stair is everyone's favourite part!

The stair treads are solid clear acrylic with a rout on the back face to accept RGBW 'LED neon'. Each tread is separately controlled for colour change as well as animation to the beat of whatever music is playing through the AV system!

The stair is capable of a nice warm white as well, for those rare occasions when you're not having a party.

Lighting design by GrayLight, with
Architect - Michael Martino, MMP Architects
Stair fabrication - .glass.innovation
Builder -
Lighting controls & AV -

Photo credit -

14/07/2023

A few more details on the Rafter Light at the Seven Hills project...

The opal acrylic 'rafters' and 'battens' that make up the body of the fitting were CNC-cut to our design to simply slot together - no glue or screws needed.

A (practically invisible) clear acylic waveguide panel on the top of the fitting guides the LED edgelighting into the battens and also onto the ceiling above.

The fitting is suspended by six 'perlon' (clear nylon monofilament) hanging cords combined with custom 3d-printed hangers.

Lighting design by GrayLight, with...
- Acrylics & CNC cutting by
- Clear perlon suspensions by
- LED lighting by

Seven Hills House by...
- Architect .and.co
- Construction
- Electrical

14/07/2023

For the bespoke 'Rafter Light' at the Seven Hills house, we created a clear acrylic waveguide panel to guide the light emission into the opal acrylic battens also also up onto the ceiling.

CNC-machined the waveguide panel (and most of the fitting's parts actually) to our design - doing an awesome job as always!

- First image is the fitting with the benefit of the waveguide;
- Second image is the fitting _without_ the benefit of the waveguide;
- Third image is a simulation of light emitted out of the waveguide panel

Lighting design by GrayLight, with
- Architect .and.co
- Construction
- Electrical

14/07/2023

Simulating the effect of a custom CNC-machined acrylic waveguide panel for the bespoke 'Rafter Light' we made for the lobby at the Seven Hills house...

- First image is the simulation of the waveguide just on its own;
- Second image is the fitting with the benefit of the waveguide;
- Third image is the fitting _without_ the benefit of the waveguide;
👍Makes a huge difference - final built result in the last pic.

Lighting design by GrayLight, with...
- Acrylics & CNC cutting by
- Clear perlon suspensions by
- LED lighting by

Seven Hills House by...
- Architect .and.co
- Construction
- Electrical

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Mitchelton
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Website

https://linktr.ee/graylightau

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Just to inject a bit more colour in the feed - here's a throwback to a 2013-2015 project - the Northshore Penthouse. A truly bonkers job, of which this stair is everyone's favourite part! The stair treads are solid clear acrylic with a rout on the back face to accept RGBW 'LED neon'. Each tread is separately controlled for colour change as well as animation to the beat of whatever music is playing through the AV system! The stair is capable of a nice warm white as well, for those rare occasions when you're not having a party. Lighting design by GrayLight, with Architect - Michael Martino, MMP Architects Stair fabrication - @jh.glass.innovation Builder - @keirqld Lighting controls & AV - @avlxptyltd Photo credit - @andrewwatsonphoto

When we're looking at daylight for architectural landscapes, we always start with this simple test: How much of the sky can the plants 'see'? If your plants don't have line of sight to a good portion of the sky, they're going to need some extra lighting to support them. This atrium is getting some morning sun, which is great - but since only a small slice of sky is visible between buildings, the total daylight over the day and the year is always going to be fairly low. For this atrium we were able to determine that only about 25% of the plants' needs would be met by daylight alone; and provide a design to attractively and effectively 'top up' with electric lighting integrated into the planters. Lighting design by GrayLight, with - Architects @architectusau - Head contractor @hutchies1912 - Landscape @growcollective - Electrical @cartella_electrical

How the grid of light at the AH61 Garage gets put together... To realise this design as cost-effectively as possible, we selected an LED profile which could span 2m without sag, and designed and 3d-printed custom 'cradle' brackets to suspend each lighting segment at each end. Printed in PETG (similar to soft-drink bottles) material and weighing only about 140g each with a stainless steel nut embedded; these were tested to support more than 140kg / 1,400N load to cover the possibility of 'misadventure'. In fact the brackets were found to survive this load for more than a week continuously, and the few millimeters of deformation over that time sprung back within hours! Lighting design by GrayLight. Printed with @raise3d Premium PETG filament, on flashforge3dprinter #guider2s

This one's not for the vegans, sorry... Our client at the East Brisbane house recently had @dryageraus cabinets installed in their cellar. Unfortunately the cool (colour temperature) lighting in the cabinets was clashing with the ambience of the cellar. We were able to fit Rosco CTO warming filters to the lighting (discreetly and hygenically) to bring the lighting appearance into harmony with the rest of the space. Instead of the 'refrigerated' look of the cool lighting - or a 'butcher shop' look if we'd installed magenta filters - we get a nice rustic appearance. Shout-out to the nice dimming adjustment feature on these dry agers too - that made things easier! Lighting design by GrayLight, with - Architects @marc.and.co - Construction @mcd_construction - Electrical @smartspaceelectrical @voltoraindustries

Green wall at Montague Markets West End looking happy and healthy, about 2 years in. Green walls in 'portrait' format (i.e. taller than they are wider) are more challenging to light evenly and discreetly, compared to 'landscape' format walls. Over time we've developed and refined modular lighting solutions that allow us to get consistent coverage on even the trickiest walls. Lighting design by GrayLight with @fytogreen_australia

Playing with the @halo_edition Halo One lamp in Deep Blue on a client's roof terrace. Blown away by the intensity and saturation of the effect - these photos are a good indication of how it really looks! Thanks to @sld_australia for the lend of the samples 🙏

Bespoke 'Rafter Light' we made for the lobby at the Seven Hills house. .. The design of the fitting refers to filtered skylight elements which appear elsewhere in the house; but with the light and dark elements 'inverted' using translucent acyrlic material. Acrylic material was CNC-cut to our design to simply dovetail together - no glue or screws needed. Transparent 'perlon' cord suspensions were custom made to length, and attached via 3d printed hangers. Lastly, edge-lighting was fitted to two sides of the CNC-cut clear acrylic waveguide panel on top. Lighting design by GrayLight, with... - Acrylics & CNC cutting by @allstarplastics - Clear perlon suspensions by @picturehangingsystems - LED lighting by @linear_lux Seven Hills House by... - Architect @marc.and.co - Construction @bespokeconstructions - Electrical @forrestelectricalgroup

#happydog #doggo #happydoggo

The ensuite at the Sunshine Beach includes custom 3d-printed pendant lights with tuneable colour temperature, and separate down- and up-lighting, allowing for different uses and moods from make-up to a relaxing bath.

Open plan living at the Sunshine Beach house. Lighting design by GrayLight. #lightingdesign #residentiallighting #indirectuplight #brisbanelightingdesigner #sunshinecoastlighting

...and now with smoke! #lightingdesign #3dprintedlighting #publicartlighting #uap #urbanartprojects #lindylee #brisfest #brisbanefestival #artboat #thespheres #visitbrisbane @lindylee.13 @uapcompany @danielanderzipf @cutter_electronics

Simple cycling animation of The Spheres - now we just need a smoke machine... #lightingdesign #3dprintedlighting #publicartlighting #uap #urbanartprojects #lindylee #brisfest #brisbanefestival #artboat #thespheres #visitbrisbane @lindylee.13 @uapcompany @danielanderzipf @cutter_electronics

Epic video from @matt_lancashire of a fun project I did a while back. Lighting design by GrayLight, with: @marc.and.co @mcd_construction It would seem it's coming onto the market if anyone would like to buy?!

The view from the other end (and a different animation of the lights)... Artwork by Megan Cope, located on the ground floor at 80 Ann Street Brisbane / Meanjin - on the traditional lands of the Turrbul and Jagera peoples. Lighting design by GrayLight, in collaboration with @milanigallery @speculativearchitecture @g.jamesglass @fredongroup @mirvacdesign With lighting equipment and controls from @npalighting @linear_lux @enttecofficial

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