Lighting designer Toh Yah Li shares the journey behind her practice, Light Collab

Light Collab celebrated its 15th anniversary at The Reserve’s lounge last year, a vast yet moody space bathed in a golden glow that overlooks the dramatic silver vault below, where light turns its storage function into a cinematic display of wealth; and the lighting design had to evoke luxury, security and technological elegance.

The key challenge was illuminating the vertical facade of exposed onyx stones. To preserve the stone’s translucent beauty, Light Collab developed a bespoke backlighting system. Custom LED modules with precision optics were integrated discreetly into the facade frames, casting light into the stone. Inside, the lighting dramatises a 30m-tall vault, where large shelving units hold glittering silver bars.

Light Collab’s body of work over the years reflects a similar range of ambition and scale. In Dhaka, working with architect Marina Tabassum, the studio completed the Tower of Light at the Independence Monument. “It was not just technically challenging,” Toh recalls, but the project also resonated with her because of “the responses from the public on social media about how proud they are about the monument”.

Closer to home, at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, developed with FDAT Architects and landscape architect Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl, Light Collab was tasked with illuminating a vast atrium defined by cascading planters and a living indoor landscape. “In the midst of the atrium, lined by cascading planters of trees, we explored how biophilic lighting [could] create a life-centric lighting design,” says Toh, ensuring “the survival of the indoor landscape” while simultaneously balancing the needs of nature and human users.

On the global stage, the studio worked on the Singapore Pavilion with Woha Architects and landscape studio Salad Dressing at World Expo 2020 in Dubai. “We created a narrative for lighting,” Toh says, using light to support life and plant growth while inspiring new ideas through an interplay of natural and artificial illumination.

More recently, the studio stepped into immersive environments with Jurassic World: The Experience by Neon at Gardens by the Bay and Asiatique in Bangkok. “It is the first time we were engaged in immersive experiences and not just architecture,” Toh explains. The team studied the films closely to “bring the moonlit prehistoric world alive”, experimenting with atmosphere, emotion and technique in a way that felt “as close as working on a movie set”.

To Light Collab, the first decade was largely about access. “The first 10 years were about opening doors to get projects in Singapore and the region,” says Toh. Establishing a lighting-design practice in Singapore was, by her account, “highly challenging”, particularly in a market where lighting design was often undervalued or introduced too late in the design process.

There were also structural realities to navigate. “Being a Singaporean in Singapore has certain disadvantages,” she notes. Yet over time, the studio began attracting a broader range of project types and clients, from residential and commercial work to hospitality and public spaces. The practice also grew beyond Singapore, building a regional presence with a team made up largely of Southeast Asians. “We are glad that our practice is now able to make a healthy mark on the regional map and for Singapore,” Toh says.

As the firm matured, so did the pressures. “In this highly competitive industry, keeping true to design, keeping integrity and staying genuine in lighting design is key, instead of diversifying,” says Toh. “Being really good at what you do means a whole lot more than offering different services.”

At the same time, efficiency requirements have become unavoidable. While energy performance and compliance are critical, Toh stresses that efficiency cannot replace experience. “While being efficient, we still need to fulfil the basic fundamentals of design,” she says, pointing to the need to create emotive spaces with light while respecting innovation, creativity and quality.

Ultimately, it is the impact lighting wields that sustains the practice. “Lighting design is very key and fundamental to life, yet it is often not understood,” reflects Toh.

“What keeps me going is seeing the impact of our work,” she says, whether in environments where indoor gardens thrive, public spaces that foster civic pride, or everyday settings that lighting standards quietly improve. “Providing lighting concepts and solutions that we did not think were possible previously, challenging the norms and creating better futures” remains central to Light Collab’s motivation.

Looking ahead, the studio hopes to deepen collaboration, expand research and raise broader public awareness around how lighting shapes daily life.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” Toh says. “We hope to have the creative space, budget, and understanding collaborators and clients who will join us on the journey to pave the way to a better future.”

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