"the creation and success of LightPlan is the result of a work-in-progress spanning many years".....James Wallace
Task Ambient Consultants:
1993-96: James Wallace established Task Ambient Consultants (TAC) in December 1993, being the first independant specialist lighting design practice in Perth, Western Australia.
Those were early days; and project lighting design was only starting to emerge as a stand-alone profession. Back then, any lighting design component within the construction industry was typically bundled-in with the electrical services design fees; and there was no perceived distinction between the two; and no percived value in lighting design as a seperate discipline. Apart from a very small number of architectual/engineering firms, project lighting design was generally seen as a necessary distraction with low priority by the building services sector. To save time, most specifyers and builders would use the free service offered by lighting equipment suppliers as the basis for preparing the final lighting layout and tender specification. Any lighting design process was generally non-existant or limited.
Despite the challenges of this staus-quo, TAC gradually acquired a list of discerning clients who understood and appreciated the value of a collaborative lighting design process, and the award-winning results acheived. Two early examples were Newman House Lobby and the Hyatt Centre Carpark Lift Lobby.
Lighting Images Pty Ltd:
1996: to meet the design services required in order to acquire larger and more prestigious design projects, James Wallace founded Lighting Images with three other directors, Mike Sage, Steve Barrett and Simon Crone. The in-house capibilities of Lighting Images now extended beyond lighting design to include electrical engineering and an expertise in producing photometrically realistic 3D renderings of the built and natural environment.
Singapore-based lighting designer Martin Klaasen relocated to Perth to join as a director in 1997. Martin's expertise and experience in the luxury hospitality sector added substantailly to the firm's portfolio. Engagement to the award-winning Burswood Casino Entry and Main Gaming Room Refurbishment Project as lead lighting designer soon followed. To pursue the international market, in late 1999 Martin Klaasen acquired Lighting Images from James Wallace and the other sharholders.
LightPlan:
2004: after time-out in general and sales management roles, James Wallace returned to consulting by creating LightPlan in late 2004. LightPlan would be a Perth-based unaligned boutique operation offering clients specialty services in the two key areas of lighting design and lighting assessment. To offer a full scope of services, a select core group of independant professionals in the areas of engineering, urban planning, graphic design and draftng were enlisted depending on the type and complexity of the project. Two award-winning examples are the Forrest Place Redevelopment Project and the Western Power Murray Street Offices Exterior Facade Lighting.
After 16 years of continous operation, on 31 May 2021 James Wallace was happy to retire from the LightPlan business and transfer ownership to V Lambda Lighting Design.
