Rethinking Lighting for Student Housing

Rome, 6 August 2026

The project, Abitare l'atmosfera ("Living the Atmosphere"), originated from a collaboration between A.A.G. Stucchi—a company specializing in track lighting systems and a long-standing partner of Accademia Italiana—and the editorial team of ATMOSFERA Mag, the digital magazine published by A.A.G. Stucchi that explores the world of lighting in all its forms and nuances, with a focus on emerging trends and experimental creativity.

The brief focused on student housing: a hybrid, often shared environment where multiple functions overlap, sometimes chaotically. This makes student accommodation an ideal context for investigating the relationship between space, everyday behaviours, and the quality of atmosphere. Within a student living environment, how can the integration of light with the surrounding elements define its functional, emotional, and social qualities?

Drawing on its expertise in lighting design, A.A.G. Stucchi encouraged students to develop open, adaptable, and reconfigurable systems. At the same time, ATMOSFERA Mag emphasized the concept of design as cultural content, asking participants to create a project that could be easily shared and contribute to a broader conversation about lighting design.

The winning team—an all-female group consisting of Giuliana Bonaccorso, Laura D'Alessio, Aurora Filesi, Delfina Valanzano, and Giovanna Scarico—presented a modular and reconfigurable proposal based on the circle as its fundamental geometric form. Their project was considered the most relevant to the brief thanks to its thorough critical analysis and the central role assigned to light as a design element. The jury also praised the team's ability to create a distinctive and intentional atmosphere, the project's potential feasibility, and the overall quality of the final presentation.

Their proposal is based on the idea that students living away from home exist in a state of transition between their family home—associated with security and memories—and a rented apartment, often perceived as temporary, purely functional, and shared out of necessity. As the students explain: "In this context, light ceases to be merely a technical feature and becomes a filter capable of mediating between the coldness of a student room and the warmth of a home. It balances the need for concentration with emotional well-being, transforming a temporary space into a true home. Our goal is to help students stop feeling like guests and begin fully inhabiting their everyday lives."

In practical terms, the project is built around the repeated use of the circle, a shape perceived as soft and welcoming. The proposed apartment features curved partition walls with no sharp corners, while the lighting design focuses on the shared living area, which combines the functions of living room, kitchen, and study space. Circular pendant luminaires are installed in varying sizes and quantities according to the visual requirements of each area, with particular attention paid to the sofa and dining table.

The dual-emission luminaires incorporate warm dimming technology, allowing the colour temperature to shift naturally from cooler to warmer light throughout the day, supporting the occupants' circadian rhythm. The entire system is managed through Casambi, an intuitive smart lighting control platform that is easy to programme and operate.

According to the professors and members of the jury, the proposal "...demonstrated that light can become an active structure within a space, capable of organising, transforming, and making a complex and ever-changing environment such as student housing truly liveable."