Lighting Design
Can you imagine a building without lights? We use light for security, to find or way around or the glass of wine in front of us. Light makes us see the face of our companions. There is also the believe that lighty protect a buildung against intruders. An opinion which is not shared by many housebreakers. According to a British study, so-called security lights are no factor in discouraging a break-in, but are seen as sign of fear from the owners.
Light is aesthetic. We like to put our possesion into the right light, either with warm colours to create an atmosphere of comfort or with cold neon-lights for a modern touch. Office-buildings are equipped with representative lighting design, and due to energy-efficient LED-technology, eye-catching lights are also affordable for private houses. Solar-powered lights are considered as an environmentally and cost-effective way to beautify once house.
But is light environmentally-friendly, simply because it's solar-powered? Cold-white LEDs attract insects since they have a high proportion of UV-light. They can also be a nuisance for the neighbours. More sensible would be warm-white or amber LEDs. Not only are these less attractive for insects, they also have less influence on the biological rhythm of humans. Additionally, they create the warm, comfortable atmosphere of a log fire.
The most responsible approach to lighting is to consider where to use light and at which times. Lights that illuminate entire buildings including windows and the neighbour's property are often considered a nuisance. They also waste light and money. There is a variety of shielding to direct the light to exactly those places, where it is needed and creates an interesting play of contrasts. And when we go to bed, we should turn out the lights. Nobody needs to illuminate a house and garden at three o'clock in the morning.
Blogposts about this topic
Nature- and neighbour-friendly Christmas lights
Short film: Light in harmony with human and nature
How to light a street safely - and how to effectively blind the people
Is a 4000 Kelvin LED street light like the moon?
'There's too much light!' Another LightWalk in Berlin
German blogposts about this topic
Grelle Haltestelle in LeipzigWas wird hier eigentlich beleuchtet?
Photo: Illuminated hotel on Ibiza by Annette Krop-Benesch
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