Architectural lighting design merges the functionality of lighting design with the aesthetics of architecture; it utilizes light as a way to highlight or emphasize a space’s architecture. Light plays a big role when it comes to people’s perception of an environment – think of a scary movie with a dark hallway and flickering overhead light; that setting, a hallway, isn’t necessarily scary, but the light – or lack thereof – is what makes it creepy.
The 3 Main Principles in Architectural Lighting:
When looking at the intersectionality of architectural design, there 3 main principles that dictate this type of design: aesthetics, function, and efficiency.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics can be defined as the beauty of something, and given the role that aesthetics plays in the field of architecture, it’s no wonder it’s important for architectural lighting. By drawing inspiration from key points of an environment, architectural lighting designers are able to place lighting fixtures in places that accentuate the space they’re illuminating.
Function
Functionality is, of course, still part of the main goal when it comes to lighting a space. In restaurants, customers should be welcomed by the ambiance while still being able to read the menu. The same thing to office spaces; workers should be able to stay alert and focused and not be distracted by overbearing lights that can cause headaches or even migraines.
Efficiency
Nowadays, efficiency is the combination of energy-saving and sustainable fixtures. This can be seen in the shift from Halogen lamps to LED lights, as LED lights tend to be much more cost-effective – they generally use 80% less energy than Halogen lamps, have a longer life, and can be much brighter than their older counterparts.
Lighting Application Ideas:
Since architectural lighting focuses on building environments that are well-lit with highlights on the architecture of a space, the most common ways to illuminate a space include:
Cove Lighting
Cove lighting is when a linear fixture is partially concealed by wall, providing an indirect light to highlight and enhance architectural features both indoors and outdoors. By hiding the fixture, there’s no glare or direct light hitting the eyes, so the effect is a soft indirect glow on the architecture.
Linear fixtureL109 used on a cove structure to illuminate the hallways without glare
Up Lighting
Up lighting refers to suspended linear lighting that only has LED lights shining up to provide a bright atmosphere without any glare. These linear fixtures are a great way of incorporating overhead illumination by creating a glow as opposed to light beams.
Linear fixture L803 with up and down light for general lighting, and additional spotlights for directional lighting
In-Grade Lighting
In-grade lighting can be used for a variety of purposes, but in architectural lighting, it’s most often used to illuminate vertical structures, such as columns, doorways, and hallways, and horizontal structures, such as stairs and steps.
In-grade L01 fixture with elliptical beam angle to enhance visual interest on entrances.’
Linear Recessed Lighting
Linear recessed lighting can be used in a variety of ways to enhance a space; most often, they are used on ceilings to provide overhead illumination without the visual pollution of a visible fixture, but they can also be used more creatively on both walls and ceilings.
Linear fixtureL124 recessed on the ceiling and creating short and long lines alongside the left wall for a decorative element across the hallway.
Surface & Suspended Lighting
Surface & suspended lighting fixtures can add visual interest to areas that might be overlooked, suspended pendants, for example, can elongate a stairwell or provide visual interest while still illuminating a space.
Pendant lightL651 suspended from the ceiling to create focused light above sitting area.
The 3 Primary Lighting Types:
Richard Kelly, a famous architect and pioneer of architectural lighting design, identified the 3 primary lighting types in his 1952 lecture titled “Lighting as an Integral Part of Architecture”. In it, he describes 3 “elemental kinds of light”, which are still relevant and used by professionals to this day.
Focal Glow
Now known as task lighting, focal glow is the kind of light that Kelly described as “… directive, creates a brighter center; tells us what to look at, organized, marks the important element.” Since this is task-focused, this is an important type in working environments like offices, libraries, and school classrooms. It’s meant to provide ample illumination in a specific spot to maximize productivity and minimize distractions – even from the lights themselves.
Ambient Luminescence
Ambient luminescence, or ambient lighting, is the general illumination of a given space. In “Lighting as an Integral Part of Architecture”, Kelly describes ambient luminescence as the “… uninterrupted light of a snowy morning in the open country.”; it’s meant to provide uniform light throughout without casting shadows or feeling overpowering.
Play of Brilliants
Play of brilliants is what most professionals now call accent lighting. It’s the light that is the most pronounced, as it’s meant to draw one’s eyes to a specific spot. Kelly describes this light as something that “… excites the optic nerves.” And that “it is distracting or entertaining.”
In a well-designed space, there will most likely be a combination of all of these types of lighting, which Kelly calls “visual beauty”. One of the types will usually dominate while the others are used as added elements. And the presence of this visual beauty is most often what architectural lighting designers want to achieve with their work, as it provides the balance between a well-lit environment with safe surroundings and stimulating visuals.
Architectural lighting design has quickly evolved since it was first conceptualized in the 19th century, and with technological advances that allow lights to be as customizable as possible, architectural lighting design is a mix of creativity and logic by finding the best and most beautiful lighting solutions possible.
What is Architectural Lighting?
Architectural lighting design merges the functionality of lighting design with the aesthetics of architecture; it utilizes light as a way to highlight or emphasize a space’s architecture. Light plays a big role when it comes to people’s perception of an environment – think of a scary movie with a dark hallway and flickering overhead light; that setting, a hallway, isn’t necessarily scary, but the light – or lack thereof – is what makes it creepy.
The 3 Main Principles in Architectural Lighting:
When looking at the intersectionality of architectural design, there 3 main principles that dictate this type of design: aesthetics, function, and efficiency.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics can be defined as the beauty of something, and given the role that aesthetics plays in the field of architecture, it’s no wonder it’s important for architectural lighting. By drawing inspiration from key points of an environment, architectural lighting designers are able to place lighting fixtures in places that accentuate the space they’re illuminating.
Function
Functionality is, of course, still part of the main goal when it comes to lighting a space. In restaurants, customers should be welcomed by the ambiance while still being able to read the menu. The same thing to office spaces; workers should be able to stay alert and focused and not be distracted by overbearing lights that can cause headaches or even migraines.
Efficiency
Nowadays, efficiency is the combination of energy-saving and sustainable fixtures. This can be seen in the shift from Halogen lamps to LED lights, as LED lights tend to be much more cost-effective – they generally use 80% less energy than Halogen lamps, have a longer life, and can be much brighter than their older counterparts.
Lighting Application Ideas:
Since architectural lighting focuses on building environments that are well-lit with highlights on the architecture of a space, the most common ways to illuminate a space include:
Cove Lighting
Cove lighting is when a linear fixture is partially concealed by wall, providing an indirect light to highlight and enhance architectural features both indoors and outdoors. By hiding the fixture, there’s no glare or direct light hitting the eyes, so the effect is a soft indirect glow on the architecture.
Linear fixture L109 used on a cove structure to illuminate the hallways without glare
Up Lighting
Up lighting refers to suspended linear lighting that only has LED lights shining up to provide a bright atmosphere without any glare. These linear fixtures are a great way of incorporating overhead illumination by creating a glow as opposed to light beams.
Linear fixture L803 with up and down light for general lighting, and additional spotlights for directional lighting
In-Grade Lighting
In-grade lighting can be used for a variety of purposes, but in architectural lighting, it’s most often used to illuminate vertical structures, such as columns, doorways, and hallways, and horizontal structures, such as stairs and steps.
In-grade L01 fixture with elliptical beam angle to enhance visual interest on entrances.’
Linear Recessed Lighting
Linear recessed lighting can be used in a variety of ways to enhance a space; most often, they are used on ceilings to provide overhead illumination without the visual pollution of a visible fixture, but they can also be used more creatively on both walls and ceilings.
Linear fixture L124 recessed on the ceiling and creating short and long lines alongside the left wall for a decorative element across the hallway.
Surface & Suspended Lighting
Surface & suspended lighting fixtures can add visual interest to areas that might be overlooked, suspended pendants, for example, can elongate a stairwell or provide visual interest while still illuminating a space.
Pendant light L651 suspended from the ceiling to create focused light above sitting area.
The 3 Primary Lighting Types:
Richard Kelly, a famous architect and pioneer of architectural lighting design, identified the 3 primary lighting types in his 1952 lecture titled “Lighting as an Integral Part of Architecture”. In it, he describes 3 “elemental kinds of light”, which are still relevant and used by professionals to this day.
Focal Glow
Now known as task lighting, focal glow is the kind of light that Kelly described as “… directive, creates a brighter center; tells us what to look at, organized, marks the important element.” Since this is task-focused, this is an important type in working environments like offices, libraries, and school classrooms. It’s meant to provide ample illumination in a specific spot to maximize productivity and minimize distractions – even from the lights themselves.
Ambient Luminescence
Ambient luminescence, or ambient lighting, is the general illumination of a given space. In “Lighting as an Integral Part of Architecture”, Kelly describes ambient luminescence as the “… uninterrupted light of a snowy morning in the open country.”; it’s meant to provide uniform light throughout without casting shadows or feeling overpowering.
Play of Brilliants
Play of brilliants is what most professionals now call accent lighting. It’s the light that is the most pronounced, as it’s meant to draw one’s eyes to a specific spot. Kelly describes this light as something that “… excites the optic nerves.” And that “it is distracting or entertaining.”
In a well-designed space, there will most likely be a combination of all of these types of lighting, which Kelly calls “visual beauty”. One of the types will usually dominate while the others are used as added elements. And the presence of this visual beauty is most often what architectural lighting designers want to achieve with their work, as it provides the balance between a well-lit environment with safe surroundings and stimulating visuals.
Architectural lighting design has quickly evolved since it was first conceptualized in the 19th century, and with technological advances that allow lights to be as customizable as possible, architectural lighting design is a mix of creativity and logic by finding the best and most beautiful lighting solutions possible.