Victor Palacio

As president of IALD, what do you hope to accomplish?
I have three major goals in mind. The first is community development. As part of IALD’s globalization, we are building a strong presence around the world as well as collaborations with relevant organizations. Second, we are raising the profile of the profession. We have committees on energy and regulatory affairs that are devoted to public policy. We recognize practitioner’s excellence through a well-reputed awards program. Third, we champion efforts for the recognition of practitioners, leading to the development of the Certified Lighting Designer (CLD) certification.

How will you work towards these goals?

There are two ways in which I am interested in providing support for these three goals. First is through strategic thinking. Part of my responsibility as President of the association is to tune into what’s happening globally, and use this information to guide the Board towards strategies that are aligned with our mission. Next is to create bridges between different regions of the world, particularly between lighting designer communities. For the first time, we have a non-native English speaking IALD president; this is a good sign that IALD is an international association.

How has LED influenced your lighting designs compared to other lighting technologies?

Light sources are moving from electrical to electronic, and that makes for a different world, and it’s still evolving. Lighting systems can provide wayfinding information, or tell people to keep alert. We can now harvest daylight and balance it with artificial light. The possibilities that LEDs provide are amazing, and that influences our work in many ways.