Light for life

(February 2026) | GMS studio associato approaches lighting from a cultural rather than a purely technical perspective: light conceived for citizens and for those who inhabit spaces.

“Light can transform space entirely. It is a powerful design tool that allows us to radically change how a place is perceived and used. Lighting that is inappropriate for its context can feel repellent. Light must always be calibrated to the specific location,” explains Margherita Suss, co-founder of GMS Studio Associato, known for her extensive experience in developing interior and exterior lighting design solutions, particularly for hotels.

 

When was GMS founded and why did it specialise in lighting design?

Ruggero Guanella, Marco Montani and I met during a shared professional journey. By the end of our studies, all three of us had explored the field of lighting, albeit from different perspectives. Marco had focused on natural light, I had concentrated on artificial lighting and Guanella had specialised in building services engineering. Working together on our first projects made us realise the vital importance of a conscious, multidisciplinary and in-depth approach to lighting, both for interiors and exteriors.
In 1996, I defended the first thesis on artificial lighting at the Faculty of Architecture of the Politecnico di Milano; the previous year, Marco Montani had presented a thesis dedicated to natural light. These were the first two theses at the Politecnico to explore lighting design as a subject in its own right. From the outset, we aimed to integrate lighting design into architectural and urban design projects from the earliest conceptual phases, often developing solutions where artificial light is present without being directly visible. Over time, this approach has evolved into a deeper investigation of spatial perception through light.

 

What does this involve?

Studying human cognitive perception allows us to use lighting to enhance space by expanding its perceived boundaries, emphasising specific elements or redefining spatial hierarchies, both indoors and outdoors. Each project begins with a painstaking analysis of the context and its functional and emotional requirements. For this reason, I believe that lighting should not be treated as a separate “specialist” field but as an integral part of architectural design from the earliest stages.

 

 

So despite the differences in expertise between architects and lighting designers, you believe that light should be treated as an integral part of an architectural project?

Recognising the value of different skills is essential. Our studio consists of around thirty professionals, including architects, engineers, surveyors and IT specialists, but what really makes a difference is our interdisciplinarity. Meaningful dialogue between different areas of expertise is essential to achieve the best possible result. Today, it is not sufficient to have access to information, which is now available to everyone – what is needed is a genuine exchange of specialist skills.

This is particularly evident in landscape and environmental lighting, where collaboration with landscape architects is crucial. A significant example was the final lighting design for the bridge over the Strait of Messina, where we collaborated closely with experts in fauna, landscape and climate. The complexity of the context inevitably shaped our design decisions.
At the same time, lighting design remains crucial at the interior scale, where functional lighting is often treated as separate from decorative lighting, rather than being integrated into a coherent whole.

 

So lighting design is not an exact science?

Lighting design is not a science in the strict sense of the term, but rather a discipline. If it were a science, there would be a unique solution for every need. Instead it draws on a set of techniques based on measurable photometric quantities, in other words numbers. These values provide reassurance and serve as reliable reference parameters: we know the luminous flux emitted, the level of illuminance reaching a surface, the luminance (the only quantity actually perceived by the human eye) and the luminous intensity in a specific direction.

If we limited ourselves to these numbers, we would talk exclusively about power, about watts, treating light simply as a form of radiated energy. In lighting technology, however, we use another unit of measurement, the lumen, which is a power “weighted” on the basis of the spectral sensitivity of the human eye and our ability to perceive light stimuli. Lighting, therefore, is not just a technical matter: it is a perceptual and, above all, cultural phenomenon. If we architects fail to recognise its role and value in design and reduce it to a mere electrical system, we miss out on a valuable design opportunity.

 

What skills does a lighting designer need today? Does your work involve controlling light sources of all types?

Lighting design involves accurately identifying the perceptual requirements of every single square metre of the area to be illuminated according to its functions, modulating light intensity, colour temperature and direction. Lighting design must also include active lighting control that is capable of interacting with the design choices: materials of high aesthetic quality can be further enhanced by light, which emphasises their beauty, texture and expressive characteristics.

 

So it’s not just a question of lighting a room, but of modelling the light so that it interacts with surfaces and materials – as in the case of ceramics?

Exactly. Different materials require specific lighting strategies to enhance their characteristics, from porous surfaces to smooth, reflective finishes. Light allows architectural materials such as ceramic surfaces to express their texture, depth and visual richness. In the Tabarka Beach Hotel project, for example, we collaborated with the architects right from the concept phase to define the layout of the material “blades”, using custom-designed, miniaturised lighting fixtures. In the interiors, invisible lighting solutions were achieved by installing customised fixtures and choosing materials that can be illuminated or themselves transformed into a light source.

 

 

Do you also analyse the lighting context when illuminating cities? Is there any difference between lighting cities such as Milan or Venice?

Several years ago, we had the opportunity to work on the lighting design project for the city of Venice. This experience was particularly significant because Venice was one of the first cities to make the transition from traditional lighting to LED sources. At the time, the subject attracted little attention, but the work proved to be anything but simple. Despite solid technical knowledge, applying regulations and guidelines to a complex context like Venice proved highly challenging. Venice is, after all, a city of precious darkness, and the challenge here was to work with significantly lower lighting levels and to respect its distinctive atmosphere. In much more brightly lit cities like Milan, by contrast, the task is to modulate the lighting so that architectural features can emerge as luminous accents. In all cases, urban lighting plays a key role in defining a city’s identity.

 

 

What does sustainable lighting design mean?

It means considering the entire life cycle of the installation, from material sourcing and transport to energy use and environmental impact. But it also means evaluating the impact of artificial light on nature and the circadian rhythms of living beings. As I always say, our approach is “light for life”. This principle also guided the lighting project for the Sacri Monti (Sacred Mountains) of Varallo, Crea and Domodossola. Inside the chapels, a balance was needed between narrative lighting and the enhancement of the spaces, while outside, the darkness of the natural contexts was respected. We took great care in the placement of lighting fixtures, respecting both the sacred character of the sites and their natural setting.

 

 

You have worked in very different cultural contexts, from Islamic architecture to the Nativity scene in the Vatican and the Chapel of the Shroud in Turin.

Two years ago we curated the lighting for the Nativity scene in St Peter’s Square, creating diverse lighting scenarios made possible by specific regulations. It was a deeply moving experience. For the Mosque, the light highlights the beauty of the materials, while in Turin we enhanced Guarini’s architecture, highlighting the details through plays of luminous contrast.

 

 

Do you use artificial intelligence?

I am a naturally curious and passionate person. Besides my work, I love reading and art, mental exercises that I consider fundamental for stimulating ideas. I have no resistance to artificial intelligence; on the contrary, I see it as a turning point comparable to the advent of the internet, a tool that allows many operations to be carried out more quickly and efficiently and offers the opportunity to free up time for valuable activities. At the same time, I still prefer freehand drawing, which allows me to translate conceptual ideas into visual form immediately. I believe the digital era offers the possibility to control every aspect of a project, from managing scenarios to regulating and modulating details. What matters most is the intellectual honesty with which one approaches these tools and the ongoing study that builds the right awareness in every aspect of the design process.

 

Does this mean being able to adapt lighting scenarios throughout the day?

Light is fundamental because it accompanies our circadian rhythm, which follows the natural rhythms of the day. During the day, our bodies are exposed to light variations that modulate naturally. In the morning, the ideal indoor light is slightly cooler, whereas at sunset it tends to become warmer. This principle also applies outdoors, where lighting can be adjusted according to the time of day.

 

 

So you believe that ultimately light should be designed for the people who use the spaces?

Our work as architects involves enhancing spaces, and light plays a fundamental role in promoting psychophysical wellbeing. A concrete example is the lighting project for the TOG Foundation in Via Livigno in Milan, which supports children suffering from rare neurodegenerative diseases. For us, light is a tool for optimising the human experience, capable of enhancing both interiors and exteriors, improving the way people perceive and live in spaces.

Every context has its own specific characteristics. In retail spaces, for instance, excessively artificial and cold lighting can create a sense of discomfort. The colour temperature of light affects perception, so even a strawberry on display in a supermarket appears fresher and more appealing under cooler light, and less natural under warmer tones.