A lighting project takes shape long before a decorations, material, or technology. Integrating eco-design right from the brief means asking the right questions at the right time: What is the intended use , how long will the installation operate, and with what installation, operation or evolution constraints ?
The aim is not to add an environmental criterion once the project has already been defined, but to integrate these considerations into decision-making from the very beginning. Creativity, visual impact , technical constraints , energy consumption, lifespan , and reusability can thus be considered together.
This approach allows for better anticipation of decisions that will impact the system’s operation , without separating environmental considerations from visual quality and the userexperience .
Eco-design is most effective when implemented before the final solution is defined. At this stage, it is still room to adjust the project’s format, duration, location, operation, and future evolution.
The brief should therefore clarify not only what the project should looklike, but also how it will be used. Highlighting a public square, creating a visitor journey, supporting an event, or building a recurring seasonal attraction all entail different choices.
At this stage, several points warrant clarification:
Eco-design starts with a clear understanding the project’s real use.
Not every project criterion can be maximised at the same time. The first step is therefore to identify the priorities that matter most: use, visual impact, duration and future evolution.
Does the installation need to be lightweight for easier handling? Will it return for several seasons? Should the design be able to evolve without replacing the entire installation? Does the decoration need a strong daytime presence? Will operating hours vary?
A simple method is to group needs into three categories:
This hierarchy gives creative and technical choices a clearer framework. It also helps avoid selecting a solution simply because one of its features is presented as responsible, without checking whether that feature actually serves the project.
A decoration is not defined only by the time it is illuminated. Its journey can include manufacturing, transport, installation, operation, dismantling, storage, maintenance, reinstallation and, eventually, end of life.
Mapping these stages helps identify which moments are most likely to influence design decisions.
For a seasonal installation expected to return, installation, dismantling and storage become part of the project itself. For a design intended to evolve over time, modularity and the ability to modify certain elements should be considered early enough.
This broader view helps treat the project as a coherent system rather than focusing only on the final visual result.
3. Designing the Right Level of Lighting and Technology
Eco-design also means questioning the scale of the project. The objective is not to multiply lighting points or effects, but to determine what genuinely supports the experience you want to create. From the design phase onward, it’s possible to identify:
This approach creates flexibility for future seasons and can make it easier to adapt to a different event or a new venue layout.
Reuse thus becomes a possibility integrated into the project, rather than a solution sought after the fact.
A project can be designed for one season while anticipating what it might become next.
When the experience needs to be renewed regularly, changing the atmosphere doesn’t necessarily mean starting from scratch. From the design phase onward, it’s possible to identify:
This approach creates flexibility for future seasons and can make it easier to adapt to a different event or a new venue layout.
Reuse thus becomes a possibility integrated from the design phase onward, rather than a solution sought after the fact.
A well-designed solution must remain coherent once it is installed. This means anticipating how it will be operated, maintained, dismantled and stored.
Before validation, it is useful to check:
These subjects are less visible than design, but they can directly affect how long a project remains usable.
To explore the issues of lifespan, maintenance, and reuse in greater depth, the article “What Is a Sustainable Lighted Set?” provides a relevant supplement.
Material selection should follow the project’s functions and constraints, not define them in advance.
Recycled, recyclable, bio-sourced and low-carbon do not mean the same thing. These characteristics should therefore be connected to practical requirements such as strength, weight, handling frequency, daytime appearance, customisation and maintenance.
Leblanc illuminations uses different material solutions depending on the application, including bio-sourced, recycled and recyclable materials in selected decorations. The English article on LEDs and materials also distinguishes these characteristics and explains why none of them should be treated as a universal answer.
The material must serve the project, not define the project on its own.
Before moving into production, it is useful to check that the choices made remain consistent with the initial brief.
A simple validation grid can help:
These decisions can then be recorded in the brief so that, for each important choice, the team keeps track of the need it addresses and the reason behind it.
This step makes exchanges between teams clearer and helps ensure that the objectives defined at the beginning of the project remain visible through to the final solution.
Eco-design therefore becomes a thread running through the project, rather than a criterion checked only at the end.
Integrating eco-design from the very start of a lighting project isn’t simply a matter of adding a list of environmental constraints to the brief. It’s about better aligning the concept, the intended use, and how the installation will evolve over time.
The process begins with understanding the site and the desired experience. It continues with prioritizing needs, analyzing the different phases of use, and balancing creativity, technology, operation, and longevity.
Decisions regarding energy consumption, materials, maintenance, and reuse are then integrated into a broader framework.
At Leblanc Illuminations, this approach allows us to treat the project as a whole: the visual result remains central, while also being designed with the constraints of installation, use, and future development in mind.
From the brief. Before the final solutions are selected, there is still room to influence sizing, use, operating hours, future evolution, maintenance and reuse.
No. The goal is to find the right balance of solutions for the desired experience. Creativity, showcasing the site, and evoking emotion remain central, but they are considered in light of actual uses and constraints.
No. It’s best to first define the intended use, lifespan, installation conditions, desired aesthetic, and future adaptation needs before comparing possible materials.
It is important to identify which elements could be retained, relocated, repurposed, or combined differently in a future installation . Modularity can then be factored in from the very beginning of the design process.
In particular, verify suitability for use, sizing, operating conditions, operating hours, maintenance, disassembly, storage, potential for future upgrades, and the accuracy of the stated environmental specifications.
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