diff --git a/filament/src/LightData.cpp b/filament/src/LightData.cpp
index a067ad5754..d5ce793dc2 100644
--- a/filament/src/LightData.cpp
+++ b/filament/src/LightData.cpp
@@ -18,10 +18,9 @@
 
 #include "details/Engine.h"
 
-#include <private/filament/UibGenerator.h>
+#include <filament/EngineEnums.h>
 
-#include <utils/architecture.h>
-#include <utils/Panic.h>
+#include <private/filament/UibGenerator.h>
 
 namespace filament {
 
@@ -30,24 +29,28 @@ using namespace driver;
 namespace details {
 
 LightData::LightData(FEngine& engine) noexcept
-        : mEngine(engine),
-          mLightUib(UibGenerator::getLightsUib()),
-          mLightsUb(mLightUib)
-{
-    DriverApi& driverApi = mEngine.getDriverApi();
-    mLightUbh = driverApi.createUniformBuffer(mLightUib.getSize());
+        : mLightsUb(UibGenerator::getLightsUib()) {
+    DriverApi& driverApi = engine.getDriverApi();
+    mLightUbh = driverApi.createUniformBuffer(mLightsUb.getSize());
     driverApi.bindUniforms(BindingPoints::LIGHTS, mLightUbh);
 }
 
 LightData::~LightData() noexcept = default;
 
-void LightData::terminate() {
-    DriverApi& driverApi = mEngine.getDriverApi();
+void LightData::terminate(FEngine& engine) {
+    DriverApi& driverApi = engine.getDriverApi();
     driverApi.destroyUniformBuffer(mLightUbh);
 }
 
-void LightData::commitSlow() noexcept {
-    DriverApi& driverApi = mEngine.getDriverApi();
+void LightData::commit(FEngine& engine) noexcept {
+    if (UTILS_UNLIKELY(mLightsUb.isDirty())) {
+        commitSlow(engine);
+    }
+    engine.getDriverApi().bindUniforms(BindingPoints::LIGHTS, mLightUbh);
+}
+
+void LightData::commitSlow(FEngine& engine) noexcept {
+    DriverApi& driverApi = engine.getDriverApi();
     driverApi.updateUniformBuffer(mLightUbh, UniformBuffer(mLightsUb));
     mLightsUb.clean();
 }
diff --git a/filament/src/Scene.cpp b/filament/src/Scene.cpp
index 276d70de48..6494c90e89 100644
--- a/filament/src/Scene.cpp
+++ b/filament/src/Scene.cpp
@@ -41,9 +41,9 @@ namespace details {
 // ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 FScene::FScene(FEngine& engine) :
-        mEngine(engine) {
-    mGpuLightData = std::make_unique<LightData>(engine);
-    mIndirectLight = engine.getDefaultIndirectLight();
+        mEngine(engine),
+        mIndirectLight(engine.getDefaultIndirectLight()),
+        mGpuLightData(engine) {
 }
 
 FScene::~FScene() noexcept = default;
@@ -164,12 +164,13 @@ void FScene::updateUBOs(utils::Range<uint32_t> visibleRenderables) const noexcep
 }
 
 void FScene::terminate(FEngine& engine) {
-    mGpuLightData->terminate();                // free-up the lights buffer
+    // free-up the lights buffer
+    mGpuLightData.terminate(engine);
 }
 
 void FScene::prepareLights(const CameraInfo& camera) noexcept {
     FLightManager& lcm = mEngine.getLightManager();
-    LightData* const gpuLightData = mGpuLightData.get();
+    LightData& gpuLightData = mGpuLightData;
     FScene::LightSoa& lightData = getLightData();
 
     /*
@@ -213,7 +214,7 @@ void FScene::prepareLights(const CameraInfo& camera) noexcept {
     auto const* UTILS_RESTRICT instances    = lightData.data<FScene::LIGHT_INSTANCE>();
     for (size_t i = DIRECTIONAL_LIGHTS_COUNT, c = lightData.size(); i < c; ++i) {
         LightData::LightIndex gpuIndex = LightData::LightIndex(i - DIRECTIONAL_LIGHTS_COUNT);
-        LightData::LightParameters& lp = gpuLightData->getLightParameters(gpuIndex);
+        LightData::LightParameters& lp = gpuLightData.getLightParameters(gpuIndex);
         auto li = instances[i];
         lp.positionFalloff      = { positions[i].xyz, lcm.getSquaredFalloffInv(li) };
         lp.colorIntensity       = { lcm.getColor(li), lcm.getIntensity(li) };
@@ -221,8 +222,8 @@ void FScene::prepareLights(const CameraInfo& camera) noexcept {
         lp.spotScaleOffset.xy   = { lcm.getSpotParams(li).scaleOffset };
     }
 
-    gpuLightData->invalidate(0, lightData.size());
-    gpuLightData->commit();
+    gpuLightData.invalidate(0, lightData.size());
+    gpuLightData.commit(mEngine);
 }
 
 void FScene::addEntity(Entity entity) {
diff --git a/filament/src/details/LightData.h b/filament/src/details/LightData.h
index 6b28cf5c81..e00e8c6364 100644
--- a/filament/src/details/LightData.h
+++ b/filament/src/details/LightData.h
@@ -17,23 +17,11 @@
 #ifndef TNT_FILAMENT_DETAILS_LIGHTDATA_H
 #define TNT_FILAMENT_DETAILS_LIGHTDATA_H
 
-
-#include "details/Engine.h"
-
-#include <filament/EngineEnums.h>
-#include <filament/LightManager.h>
-
-#include <private/filament/UibGenerator.h>
-
 #include <driver/Handle.h>
 #include <driver/UniformBuffer.h>
 
-#include <utils/compiler.h>
-
 #include <math/vec4.h>
 
-#include <bitset>
-
 namespace filament {
 namespace details {
 
@@ -52,15 +40,9 @@ public:
 
     explicit LightData(FEngine& engine) noexcept;
 
-    void commit() noexcept {
-        if (UTILS_UNLIKELY(mLightsUb.isDirty())) {
-            commitSlow();
-        }
-        mEngine.getDriverApi().bindUniforms(BindingPoints::LIGHTS, mLightUbh);
-    }
-
-    void terminate();
+    void commit(FEngine& engine) noexcept;
 
+    void terminate(FEngine& engine);
 
     LightData(LightData const& rhs) = delete;
     LightData(LightData&& rhs) = delete;
@@ -68,7 +50,7 @@ public:
     LightData& operator=(LightData&& rhs) = delete;
     ~LightData() noexcept;
 
-    LightParameters& getLightParameters(LightIndex h) {
+    LightParameters& getLightParameters(LightIndex h) noexcept {
         // This assumes the layout of the LightsUniforms uniform buffer
         // it is defined in UibGenerator.cpp
         LightParameters* lights = (LightParameters *)mLightsUb.getBuffer();
@@ -80,10 +62,7 @@ public:
     }
 
 private:
-    void commitSlow() noexcept;
-
-    FEngine& mEngine;
-    UniformInterfaceBlock& mLightUib;
+    void commitSlow(FEngine& engine) noexcept;
     Handle<HwUniformBuffer> mLightUbh;
     mutable UniformBuffer mLightsUb;
 };
diff --git a/filament/src/details/Scene.h b/filament/src/details/Scene.h
index 31ef1d078b..cdd86cdda6 100644
--- a/filament/src/details/Scene.h
+++ b/filament/src/details/Scene.h
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "components/TransformManager.h"
 
 #include "details/Culler.h"
+#include "details/LightData.h"
 
 #include <filament/Box.h>
 #include <filament/Scene.h>
@@ -161,7 +162,7 @@ private:
     FEngine& mEngine;
     FSkybox const* mSkybox = nullptr;
     FIndirectLight const* mIndirectLight = nullptr;
-    std::unique_ptr<LightData> mGpuLightData;
+    LightData mGpuLightData;
 
     // list of Entities in the scene. We use a robin_set<> so we can do efficient removes
     // (a vector<> could work, but removes would be O(n)). robin_set<> iterates almost as