Beyond the Blueprint: Designing Experiences with Light, Sound & Color
A case-studies conversation on architecture, technology & multisensory design
What does it mean to design an experience — not just a space? This panel brings together architects and design leaders to explore how light, sound, and color shape the way people feel in a building, long before they consciously register the architecture itself.
Grounded in real projects — including a recently reimagined Napa hospitality destination and large-scale workplace and aviation environments — the conversation will examine how sensory design decisions get made, where technology, market research, and branding help or hinder, and how expectations set by our digital lives are reshaping what people expect from physical space.
This is a case-studies-based, thematic conversation — sharing ideas and inspiration architects can carry into their own practice.
Agenda:
Panelists:
David Darling - Cofounder, Aidlin Darling Design
David Darling co-leads Aidlin Darling Design, the San Francisco firm behind the Center for Architecture + Design/AIA SF itself, whose work is guided by the idea that design is a multisensory experience — where how a space feels and sounds matters as much as how it looks. David led the design team on the newly reopened Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa, which he's expected to discuss as a case study for the panel's themes of light, sound, and color.
Shalom Illouz - CEO & President, Powerfull Systems · Founder & CEO, SeeLess Solutions confirm title wording — see note below
Born in Israel and raised in Montreal, Shalom Illouz began his career in the trades on the electrical side before founding Powerfull Systems, which he has grown over 25+ years into one of Los Angeles' most trusted names in high-end lighting, shading, automation, and AV integration. His deep immersion in lighting integration led him to found SeeLess Solutions, designing architectural LED gypsum lighting that dissolves into a space rather than competing with it. Shalom's companies are part of Team Powerfull, a family of businesses delivering a unified, one-stop-shop approach to high-end projects. At this panel, he'll speak to the integration of lighting, shading, and sound experience.
Panelist TBD - Design Director, Gensler San Francisco — pending confirmation
Gensler's SF studio brings deep experience in experiential design across sectors — likely candidates for this conversation include their work in higher education, aviation (including extensive work at SFO), or workplace, as seen in their own SF headquarters. Specific panelist and case study to be confirmed.
Sofia last name TBD - Materials, Color & Technology Design Consultant — pending confirmation
[Shalom is finalizing Sofia's participation as the panel's fourth voice; bio to be added once confirmed.]
Lisa Boquiren - Moderator
Lisa Boquiren was chair of the AIA SF Communications Committee, which conceived of and produced "Ladies (and Gents) Who Lunch with Architect Barbie" and worked on the first two Missing 32% symposia at CCA.
Learning Objectives: (1 LU - Pending Approval)
- Identify the core sensory elements — light, sound, color, and material — that shape how occupants experience an architectural space, and explain why they matter to both design intent and client experience.
- Analyze case studies — including a recently reimagined hospitality destination and large-scale workplace and aviation environments — to understand how architects and design consultants collaborate to translate a narrative or brand experience into built space.
- Apply strategies for integrating lighting, sound, and materials technology into a design without letting the technology itself become the focal point.
- Explain how market research, branding, and digital-world expectations are reshaping the way architects and designers approach real-world experience design.
About Seeless:
SeeLess Solutions designs and produces architectural LED gypsum lighting — fixtures built to dissolve into a space rather than compete with it, giving architects and designers a tool as refined as the projects they create. SeeLess Solutions is part of Team Powerfull, a family of businesses spanning systems integration (Powerfull Systems), electrical infrastructure (Powerfull Electric), and solar (Powerfull Solar), operating as a unified, one-stop-shop ecosystem for high-end residential and commercial projects.
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