services.
Senior-led, holistic architectural lighting design
Studio 400nm delivers creative, integrated, performance-driven lighting design from early concept to commissioning.
Our holistic approach considers architecture, engineering, user experience, sustainability, evidence-based research and long-term operation as a single system.
We provide architectural lighting design, technical lighting consultancy, and construction-stage support, ensuring lighting is technically robust, visually refined, commercially viable, and delivered as intended.
All projects are led end-to-end by the studio principal, providing clients with direct access to senior expertise throughout the project lifecycle.
Architectural Lighting Design I
Technical Lighting Consultancy I
Construction Support
Integrated, holistic, creative, performance-led lighting design.
Studio 400nm delivers architectural lighting design from concept through technical documentation.
Lighting is developed as part of the architectural and engineering system, balancing spatial intent, visual comfort, environmental performance, and buildability.
(RIBA Stages 1–4 | IALD)
Independent, evidence-based expertise.
Targeted technical support for projects requiring additional rigour, review, or strategic input, ensuring lighting performance, compliance, and design resilience.
Protecting design intent through construction.
Ongoing involvement during tender, construction, and commissioning to ensure lighting is delivered and performs as designed.
(RIBA Stages 5–7 | IALD)
We believe effective lighting design is the result of early collaboration, clear communication, and disciplined technical development.
Our process is structured yet flexible — allowing design intent to remain central while responding pragmatically to budget, programme, and construction constraints.
From initial concept to final commissioning, we work closely with the wider consultant team to ensure lighting decisions are integrated, coordinated, and well-informed.
Our approach
Evidence-led lighting design and delivery
about.
Studio 400nm was founded to provide architectural lighting design that is both conceptually rigorous and technically dependable — responding to the increasing complexity of contemporary buildings.
With over fifteen years of professional experience, the studio brings a calm, precise, and collaborative approach to projects that demand clarity, performance, and design integrity.
We operate internationally, with a focus on projects in the Middle East and Europe.
Menekse Seyma Kaya is a senior architectural lighting designer with over 15 years of international experience delivering complex projects across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.
Before founding Studio 400nm, she worked within established international lighting and multidisciplinary design practices, gaining exposure to all aspects of architectural lighting — from design and engineering to manufacturing and advocacy.
She has been also sharing her expertise through teaching and professional talks, including a part-time lecturing role at Technological University Dublin, and serving as the Irish representative for the CIBSE Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) and ambassador for the Women in Lighting initiative until 2023.
Now based in Dubai, Menekse draws inspiration for her work from a variety of creative pursuits, including sailing, jewellery design, and travel — all of which inform her attention to detail, materiality, and spatial experience in lighting projects.
Menekse Seyma Kaya
Founder & Studio Lead
