Architecture Lighting

Architecture Lighting

Early Architecture Lighting

Early Architecture Lighting start form combine building with natural light, by day and night, the changing perception of the building and also the space that contains them.

Mixture with light and shadow, different kinds of building material to creating sublime or mysterious sensation or simply highlighting aspect of the space that interests us.

Six visual principles of light

With the development of electricity and the incandescent light bulb, people start to summarize six visual principles of light; these are illuminance, luminance, color and temperature, Size and installation, density, and direction and distribution.

l   Illuminance - quite simply describe as the total amount of visible light illuminating a point on a surface from all directions above the surface. This "surface" can be a physical surface or an imaginary plane, measured in foodcandles or Lux.

l   Luminance - quite simply describe the amount of visible light leaving a point on a surface in a given direction. This "surface" can be a physical surface or an imaginary plane, and the light leaving the surface can be due to reflection, transmission, and/or emission, measured in candela.

l   Color and temperature - is a simplified way to characterize the spectral properties of a light source. Low color temperature implies warmer (more yellow/red) light while high color temperature implies a colder (more blue) light.

l   Size and installation – an essential aspect of light sources are installed, the spatial relationship between a light source, the grounding plane, the ceiling plane and our bodies determines how we understand, occupy and explore the limits of our surroundings. Height can be used to control luminance levels or evoke new concepts and duration of time.

l   Density – measured in feet or meters – controls the movement and rhythm of the space through quantity and spatial composition of light source. It can be create unexpected counterpoints, syncopations of form and light that guide a visitor.

l   Direction and distribution – which concerns the aim, shape and beam characteristics of a light source. Direction mainly concern as lighting on an object or area from up, down or misdirection at either direct or indirect light. Distribution also concern as light is focused on a narrow area or diffuses, where lighting is dispersed over a wide area, difference kinds of direction and distribution provides many possibilities for rendering an object or space to different effect.

By these six visual principles of light, based on various Architecture Lighting projects, it can be considered as basic in information-gathering, also a guild-line for work through the project.

Application system

Form Now, by technologies development, the lighting industries have a big change, neon light & LED have been developed, lighting application system involve in Architecture Lighting. By lighting application system, we can change six visual principles element over individual switching or program to control any lighting source, group of lighting source or all light sources to produce difference scenes. Lighting application system it can be design through different protocol, DMX512 have become popular one to use at lighting control from stage lighting to Architecture Lighting, through controlling or programming light source color, on/off, dimmer level, lighting pattern and timer to archive unlimited effect.

The Future of Architecture Lighting

Architecture Lighting become more complex, it requires expertise come from various backgrounds includes fine art, design, electronics, engineering. In Future, Architecture Lighting possible trend to reduce power consumption and light pollution as such as green building certification programs (e.g. LEED) exits. LED combine with Architecture Lighting will become continue expand in market for human population increase and become urban, the relationship between LED Architecture Lighting and landmark building occurs inevitably.

References

H. Descottes and C.Ramos, Architectural Lighting: Designing with Light and Space, PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS, 2011

César Portela. (2011, DEC 6). LIGHT AND ARCHITECTURE [Online]. Available:http://www.empyreanlighting.com/pdf/light-in-architecture.pdf

N.Rozot. (2012, JUL 5). What is architectural lighting design? [Online]. Available:http://www.pbs.org/pov/citydark/architectural-lighting-design.php#.UNwMQh2E3lJ

DMX512. (2012, December 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:12, December 18, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMX512

Lighting. (2012, December 26). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:09, December 23, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighting

Architectural lighting design. (2012, December 26). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:52, December 10, 2012,from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_lighting_design