Diana Del-Negro, PhD
Architect & Lighting Designer
Architect and lighting designer with over two decades of experience, specialising in architectural, urban and heritage lighting.
Leadership & international role
Chair of the CIE technical committee TC 4-59, responsible for the global guide on urban lighting — shaping international standards for architectural lighting at city scale.
Professional impact in Lisbon
For more than ten years, Diana designed and oversaw lighting for Lisbon's major monuments and public spaces, including:
- Praça do Comércio
- Marquês de Pombal statue and roundabout (roadway and artistic lighting)
- Lisbon's viewpoints network (miradouros) and associated churches
- São Roque Church
- Santa Casa da Misericórdia headquarters
Academic foundation & thought leadership
- PhD in Artificial Lighting from The Bartlett, UCL
- Master's in Heritage Rehabilitation and Conservation
- Guest lecturer for the Master's programme in Light & Lighting at The Bartlett, UCL
- Author of a technical book and multiple academic publications
- Invited as an international speaker, jury member and expert at conferences and specialist forums throughout Europe and abroad
Design philosophy
Diana designs lighting that enhances spatial orientation, cultural legibility and emotional atmosphere — sculpting architecture and urban identity through light. Her work combines technical precision, cultural and historical awareness, and sensitivity to human visual perception.
Publications
Books
- Del-Negro, Diana: «Arquitectura em luz: A iluminação exterior do Património», Editora Caleidoscópio, Lisboa, 2012.
Scientific publications
- Del-Negro, Diana; Mansfield, Kevin: «Urban Lighting Masterplans: Sustainability and environmental guidelines», The International Journal of Environmental Sustainability, Vol. 9, 2014.
- Del-Negro, Diana: PhD thesis «The image of the city at night», UCL, 2016.
- Del-Negro, Diana: MSc thesis «A iluminação exterior do Património edificado», IST, 2007.
Magazine articles
- Del-Negro, Diana: «A importância da iluminação de monumentos históricos», Revista Lume Arquitetura, n.º 60, Fev/Mar 2013.
- Del-Negro, Diana: «Patrimónios Históricos: Qual o objectivo de iluminá-los», Revista Lume Arquitetura, n.º 67, Abr/Mai 2014.
Conference proceedings
- Del-Negro, Diana: «The effects of exterior lighting on the image of an historical construction: Guidelines proposal», ProHitech'17 International Conference. Lisbon, Portugal, 12–14 July 2017.
- Del-Negro, Diana: «The influence of lighting on wayfinding», CIE 28th Session conference proceedings. Manchester, United Kingdom, 29 June – 3 July 2015.
- Del-Negro, Diana; Mansfield, Kevin: «Urban Lighting Masterplans: Sustainability and environmental guidelines», 9th Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability. Hiroshima, Japan, 23–25 January 2013.
- Del-Negro, Diana: «The perception of London at night», Proceedings of Experiencing Light 2012: International Conference on the Effects of Light on Wellbeing. Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.
- Del-Negro, Diana: «A iluminação exterior do património em contexto urbano: Alguns aspectos fundamentais», International Meeting on Lighting Design in Monuments and Historic Sites, IGESPAR. Alcobaça, Portugal, 2012.
Scientific conferences
Papers accepted for oral presentation
- 2017 — 11th Space Syntax Symposium. Lisbon, Portugal.
- 2017 — ProHitech'17 International Conference. Lisbon, Portugal.
- 2015 — CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage) 28th Session. Manchester, UK.
- 2013 — LuxEuropa. Kraków, Poland.
- 2013 — 9th Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability. Hiroshima, Japan.
- 2012 — International Conference on the Effects of Light on Wellbeing. Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Invited speaker
- PLDC Warm-Up. London, United Kingdom, 9–11 February 2017.
- Estilo Luz Brasil. Porto Alegre, Brazil, 19–20 May 2015.
- Semana da Luz, Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Porto Alegre, Brazil, 18–27 May 2015.
- Lights in Goa, 4th Conference and Workshop. Goa, India, 2015.
- PLDC Professional Lighting Designer Convention. Istanbul, Turkey, 2014.
- International Meeting on Lighting Design in Monuments and Historic Sites. Alcobaça, Portugal, 2012.
Collaborations
- Paper Reviewing Committee, Professional Lighting Design Convention. Paris, France, 2017.
- Paper Reviewing Committee, Professional Lighting Design Convention. Rome, Italy, 2015.
- Moderator, Professional Lighting Designer Convention. Copenhagen, Denmark, 2013.
Research projects
Coordinated in Portugal the EPSRC-funded research project (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK) «Do external lighting conditions affect pedestrian movement? An epidemiological study», carried out in Lisbon in partnership between University College London and Instituto Superior Técnico. February to June 2017.
Teaching
Taught on the Master's programme in Light and Lighting at The Bartlett, University College London, between 2010 and 2016.
Referee / reviewer for scientific publications
- Lighting Research & Technology (LR&T) — the international reference publication in the lighting field.
- The International Journal of Environmental Sustainability.
Media
- Special guest on Imovelclass TV, TV Bandeirantes. Broadcast from Porto Alegre, Brazil, on 23 May 2015. Topic: urban lighting.
- Guest on The Urbanist, Monocle Radio. Broadcast from London on 26 March 2015. Topic: urban legibility and wayfinding.
- Guest on TSF radio's Encontros com o Património, with Manuel Vilas-Boas. Broadcast from Lisbon on 3 November 2012. Topic: heritage lighting.
