14 Sep New Tools, No Cost: Autocad & Revit product access for BHA’s flagship course students – September 2025 Newsletter

We’re thrilled to announce a major upgrade for students enrolled in BHA School of Lighting’s flagship programme – the Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering. Since the start of September and moving forward, all learners in this course will receive free access to Autodesk’s industry-leading software for the full duration of their enrolment. The accessible products are specifically for AutoCAD and Revit, valued at $2,095/year for 1 user and $3,005/year for 1 user respectively.

This exciting development is made possible through Autodesk’s Education Plan, which empowers institutions like ours to provide cutting-edge tools to future lighting professionals. Each year, BHA SoL can now assign up to 250 individual licences per Autodesk product – more than enough to support our growing community of learners.

Why does this matter?

With AutoCAD, students can create and work with detailed lighting plans, develop circuit diagrams and produce precise technical drawings essential for real-world lighting projects. Revit takes it a step further, offering a powerful advantage in collaborative workflows. Students can edit Revit models received from architects, engineers, interior designers and project managers, eliminating the need to start modelling from scratch. This dramatically speeds up the design process, allowing learners to focus on lighting-specific elements within existing building models.

Once edited, these Revit models can be exported as IFC files, which are fully compatible with professional lighting design software such as DIALux and RELUX. This seamless integration enables students to simulate, analyse and refine their lighting designs within real architectural contexts, a skill highly valued in the industry.

How to get started

Once enrolled, you’ll receive an invitation to activate your Autodesk account and download the software. No eligibility verification needed – we’ve taken care of that for you.

This is just one more way BHA School of Lighting is investing in your future. So go ahead, design boldly, model smartly and light the way forward.

Want to enrol or for more info about the Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering visit the the link here.

The Principal’s Pen

September Check-In: Staying on Track and Looking Ahead

September is here, and it’s just four months until the end of the year. It’s a good time to reflect on how our students are progressing.

Many are thriving: motivated, self-disciplined and sticking to their study plans. Others have fallen slightly behind but are adjusting with our support. A few, however, are drifting further off track, and a small group has become unresponsive, even when we reach out to help.

To those falling behind, we ask: What’s stopping you from sticking to your study plan? You enrolled in a globally recognised two-year qualification, knowing it could boost your salary by 10% or more. What could change in your life if you overcame your current obstacles?

Common reasons for falling behind include:

• Poor time management and misplaced priorities
• Dips in motivation and lack of self-discipline
• Underestimating the workload, especially when trying to catch up
• Stress and burnout from sacrificing personal time
• Lack of structure or accountability
• Not having a clear personal “why” to stay focused on long-term goals

We’re here to help. Support is available via Microsoft Teams, ClickMeeting, WhatsApp and email. We also host a free monthly Online Student Support Session and a Relux User Group session led by Daniel, who is an International Relux Desktop Expert.

If you’re struggling, don’t stay silent. Reach out to Daniel or me – we’re ready to help you get back on track and graduate successfully.

Photon Physics and Module 1 Connections

Recent research from Tampere University confirms that even a single photon obeys the conservation of angular momentum – a breakthrough in quantum physics. Interestingly, when asked whether a photon can be split, AI explained that while photons are indivisible under the Standard Model, phenomena like Spontaneous Parametric Down-Conversion can result in one photon producing two lower-energy photons.
This ties directly into what you learned in Module 1 – light behaves as both a wave and a particle. Now, you’ve got something new to add to your understanding of light.

Course Development and Academic Integrity

We continue to monitor global education policies on AI use. As always, using AI to complete assignments will result in penalties.

Looking ahead, we’re revising our modules to include:

• Updated standards and compliance
• New lighting and control technologies
• AI in lighting and general applications

The updated course and module structure will launch on 1 January 2026, reinforcing BHA’s position as the world’s leading lighting education institute.

Until next month, I wish you good health and successful business.

With best regards,

Philip Hammond, Founding Principal – BHA School of Lighting

BHA SoL Student News & More…

Celebrating Abner Naidoo’s Appointment as IESSA President

Earlier this month we proudly congratulated Abner Naidoo of DNA Consulting Engineers, and who is a first-year student of the Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering course, on his appointment as President of the Illumination Engineering Society of South Africa (IESSA). We are honoured to be part of Abner’s journey and look forward to the positive impact his leadership will bring to the lighting community in South Africa. We wish you all the best success Abner!

Read the full news piece and also to become an IESSA member HERE.

Academic Excellence at BHA School of Lighting

We start off by congratulating Muhammed Shirin VS, Kerala, India and Rishi Roopnarain, Johannesburg South Africa on the successful completion of the Foundation Lighting e-learning course. We’ve no doubt your lighting careers now have a solid base to propel you into the lighting industy.

To our students who successfully completed their First-Year examinations in July and are now stepping into Second Year, congratulations! The journey ahead promises to expand your understanding and elevate your professional capabilities to extraordinary heights.

To those students in both First-Year and Second-Year who are preparing for their exams, we share in the excitement and pride of watching your transformation. The road to graduation is a thrilling one, and each step forward is a celebration of growth.

Embracing a New Chapter & Honouring Academic Progress

We extend a warm welcome to all our newly enrolled students who are embarking on our two-year diploma programme.

• Siphesdihle Njabulo Pleasure Thabethe, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa – BHASL003C19: Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering Course
• Syed Raed Ahmed, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates – BHASL003C19: Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering Course
• Graeme Rhys Bevan, Mevaseret Zion, Israel – BHASL003C19: Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering Course

We wish the following First Year students well, as they prepare for the final phase of First & Second Year and their preparations for the examinations:

• Petrus Cilliers, Centurion, South Africa – first year
• Ismael Alobaidi, Baghdad, Iraq –  second year
• Shady Abdelsalam, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

September Student Birthdays

Finally, we extend birthday wishes to the following past & present students celebrating their special day this month of September! We hope you all have an amazing day and the next journey around our star is a great one!

• Burgher Nortje, Richards Bay, South Africa (Graduate) – 1 September
• Fatma Bayomi, Cairo, Egypt – 3 September
• Anthony Girgis, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 4 September
• Edward Baldrey, Hitara Park, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa – 7 September
• Paula Henry Naguib Bachtly, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – 8 September
• Sara Mohammed, Buenos Aires, Argentina – 8 September
• Vaibhav Shete, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 11 September
• Ruan Erasmus, Somerset West, South Africa – 15 September
• Constance Mokou, Polokwane, South Africa – 17 September
• Nihal Rahman, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 17 September
• Shamiljan Nadampadi, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 21 September
• Dean Boyce, Cape Town, South Africa (Graduate) – 22 September
• Kirsten Day, Plettenberg Bay, South Africa – 23 September
• Thandeka Mdunge, Durban, South Africa – 24 September
• Ismael Alobaidi, Baghdad, Iraq – 25 September

Upcoming Enlightened Community Events

Crafting Light, Respecting Darkness: The Role of the Darkness Designer with Francesco Guastella  (CPD Activity)

BOOK YOUR PLACE

Cost: Free of Charge
Date: 18 September 2025
Time: 5:45pm for 6pm – 7pm CAT/CET
Presenter: Francesco Guastella, Lead Lighting Designer at ESA Engineering (Milan, Italy)

During this presentation Francesco will explore how responsible lighting design can be inspired by anthropology, animal behavior, and human physiology. He will explain why designing based on luminance (rather than simply illuminance) is a revolutionary and necessary approach for well-being, sustainability, and energy efficiency. Darkness is not the enemy of design, but a material to be respected, preserved, and shaped with care.

This session offers practical insights and interdisciplinary reflections for architects, lighting designers, engineers, ecologists, and creatives, inviting all to rethink the role of light and (above all, of darkness) in our spaces and lives.

More about BHA School of Lighting’s support partner: The Virtual Lighting Design Community is a global virtual network that empowers, inspires and educates the lighting design community. Always better together!

A place where we can exchange views on a variety of issues, share our knowledge and insights and informed debates on emerging topics. Vld.community is a virtual platform that will facilitate new ways of thinking and connecting innovative ideas that address global lighting issues.

Become a VLDC member at https://vld.community/

New Video Alert! LIGHT ALCHEMY: TURNING INTERIORS INTO EXPERIENCES with Tripti Sahni of Studio Trace

We extend our gratitude once again and huge thanks to Tripti for sharing her expert insights and for her valuable contribution to BHA School of Lighting’s educational program.

📺 Watch now on YouTube here.

In this inspiring BHA School of Lighting Enlightened Community session, Tripti Sahni of Studio Trace presents “Light Alchemy”, a look at spaces where illumination is not just functional but emotional, atmospheric, and deeply intentional.

Discover how light can sculpt architecture, enhance textures, and create dynamic ambiences. Learn how ambient, task, and accent lighting can be choreographed like a symphony to transform luxury residences, hospitality venues, and experiential interiors.

Tripti shares how lighting connects the past and future, shaping perception and elevating mood to define the soul of a space.

Join a Professional Lighting Institution or Community

We encourage all of our Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering students to apply for student membership for little or no fees at local and international professional lighting institutions and lighting network communities. By becoming a member you will gain access to further study material, courses, workshops, webinars & stipends.

BHA School of Lighting is proud to be affiliated with the the International Association of Lighting Designers, the Institute of Lighting Professionals, the Virtual Lighting Design Community, The Lighting Police, Women in Lighting and the Illumination Engineering Society of South Africa.

Find more info about each organisation and community here.