Dmitrii Ingi
lighting researcher & designer
I specialise in outdoor lighting, human experience, and participatory methods. With a background in photonics and optoinformatics, and a master’s degree in lighting design, I combine a researcher's curiosity and technical knowledge with a creative and artistic sensibility.
I see lighting design not as a secondary afterthought but as a multidimensional responsibility that integrates social, environmental, and economic goals. I believe that lighting can enrich people’s after-dark experiences by creating meaningful spatial impressions.
My design approach exaggerates the essential and leaves the incidental silent, always in dialogue with people, context, space, and nature.
I see lighting design not as a secondary afterthought but as a multidimensional responsibility that integrates social, environmental, and economic goals. I believe that lighting can enrich people’s after-dark experiences by creating meaningful spatial impressions.
My design approach exaggerates the essential and leaves the incidental silent, always in dialogue with people, context, space, and nature.
Hello there!
I am a lighting researcher and designer based in Helsinki, Finland.
Welcome to my portfolio website!
I am a lighting researcher and designer based in Helsinki, Finland.
Welcome to my portfolio website!
doctoral thesis
PPGIS dataset
Lighting GIS datasets
In recent years, I have been pursuing a doctoral degree at Aalto University (Finland), engaging in a wide range of professional activities, including research, teaching, and educational development in countries such as Lesotho, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.
My research explores how public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) can be used to understand the relationship between urban experiences and outdoor lighting. These research efforts can naturally evolve into digitalisation and participation strategies in lighting planning.
To learn more about my academic work, please refer to my comprehensive academic CV.
My research explores how public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) can be used to understand the relationship between urban experiences and outdoor lighting. These research efforts can naturally evolve into digitalisation and participation strategies in lighting planning.
To learn more about my academic work, please refer to my comprehensive academic CV.
A spatially referenced dataset collected through an online participatory mapping survey. Participants identified places they perceived as safe or unsafe after dark and evaluated them using a questionnaire on lighting, environmental qualities, and reassurance.
Three geospatial datasets were compiled to represent actual lighting conditions across the study area. These included a point-based inventory of outdoor lighting infrastructure (lighting poles), a dataset of lighting classes and design requirements based on municipal guidelines, and a georeferenced nighttime aerial imagery dataset created from approximately 900 after-dark photographs collected across the university campus.
research efforts
selected papers
thesis topic: Public participation geographic information system as a tool to study outdoor lighting and urban experiences after dark
The thesis has been successfully defended on 6th February, 2026.
I create lighting concepts for urban environments with a strong focus on people and their after-dark experiences. My work explores how light shapes atmosphere, behaviour, and identity, and how interactive and adaptive technologies can invite deeper engagement with the city.
My design philosophy is guided by the principle that less is more: light should be used precisely when, where, and for whom it is needed, while considering both its visual and non-visual effects. For me, urban lighting is an integrated planning task, rooted equally in research evidence and lived experience.
My design philosophy is guided by the principle that less is more: light should be used precisely when, where, and for whom it is needed, while considering both its visual and non-visual effects. For me, urban lighting is an integrated planning task, rooted equally in research evidence and lived experience.
selected design projects
urban lighting design
masterplanning & design codes
This is the project area my expertise aligns most naturally.
I contributed to the development of methodological materials and design recommendations for the architectural and artistic illumination of St Petersburg, focusing on integrated solutions for functional and festive lighting.
The project brought together a multidisciplinary team of 42 professionals, including sociologists, urbanists, architects, lighting engineers, and lighting designers.
The work covered a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from comprehensive urban and spatial analysis to the formulation of specific design guidelines and technical requirements.
I contributed to the development of methodological materials and design recommendations for the architectural and artistic illumination of St Petersburg, focusing on integrated solutions for functional and festive lighting.
The project brought together a multidisciplinary team of 42 professionals, including sociologists, urbanists, architects, lighting engineers, and lighting designers.
The work covered a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from comprehensive urban and spatial analysis to the formulation of specific design guidelines and technical requirements.
St. Petersburg lighting design strategy
lighting design concept
Erasmus+ exchange, University of Oulu
Erasmus+ exchange, University of Oulu
lighting design concept and lighting calculations for an interior project
Experimenting with lighting in various projects
interior lighting design
light modeling and mockups
In domestic spaces, I am guided by Richard Kelly’s concept of focal glow, ambient luminescence, and play of brilliants.
I work confidently with DIALux EVO, enabling me to perform lighting calculations for projects of any scale.
My approach is further informed by my participation in the 2019 Light4Health summer school at the University of Wolverhampton, where I explored the relationship between light, health, and human perception, this knowledge that continues to shape my design decisions today.
I work confidently with DIALux EVO, enabling me to perform lighting calculations for projects of any scale.
My approach is further informed by my participation in the 2019 Light4Health summer school at the University of Wolverhampton, where I explored the relationship between light, health, and human perception, this knowledge that continues to shape my design decisions today.
I believe that distinctive lighting solutions must be tested in real environments. My work ranges from controlled lab experiments, using materials like glass, plastics, and textured surfaces to explore optical effects, to public-facing mock-up installations that support co-creation and participatory evaluation.
These experiments help refine technical solutions while also revealing how people perceive, interpret, and emotionally respond to light. This approach allows me to develop lighting concepts that are both innovative and deeply grounded in human experience.
These experiments help refine technical solutions while also revealing how people perceive, interpret, and emotionally respond to light. This approach allows me to develop lighting concepts that are both innovative and deeply grounded in human experience.
I am open to new opportunities. Let's connect!
I aim to continue to explore how lighting in urban environments can be designed and how these human-made settings shape our urban experiences. I am seeking opportunities at the intersection of lighting design, research, and urban innovation. My interests include (but are not limited to) architectural and urban lighting design and masterplanning, applied research and development in lighting technologies, lighting engineering and smart-city projects where human experience informs sustainable design and policy.
