Architectural Lighting by Hervé Descottes

Author:Hervé Descottes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Published: 2013-01-30T05:00:00+00:00

6.3a and 6.3b Directional lighting’s ability to amplify or negate a material’s surface texture is evident when comparing an uplight grazing (left) and a frontlight washing (right) a brick wall.

6.4a – 6.4f Direction and distribution of light and shadows can greatly affect the appearance of form.

In addition to its ability to visually expand or compress our perceptions of space, the direction and distribution of light has the capacity to accentuate or negate the presence of objects and form. What we perceive as three-dimensionality is simply patterns of brightness and darkness juxtaposed against one another. Direct light that grazes a surface has the power to render a material’s textures, patterns, and imperfections visible through high contrast. Such an effect can be used to a lighting designer’s advantage to heighten the visual reading of a material or surface. A brick wall grazed with uplighting will appear complex, dramatic, and tactile. The same brick wall illuminated with a diffuse, direct light will appear flat and even, its nooks and crannies virtually erased. 6.3a and 6.3b

In lighting objects, varied combinations of direction and distribution can yield drastically different effects. Concentrated light can be utilized to provoke a sense of drama and visual excitement in the appearance of the object it illuminates. However, the sharp shadows cast by such a light source may be detrimental to the reading of details, as portions of the object are invariably disguised by darkness. An even, diffuse light is better suited to equally render all parts of the piece visible, but the mood induced by this type of lighting is often static and bland.

The directionality of lighting can also dramatically transform one’s perception of an object in space, sculpting it to stand out or meld into its surrounding environment. A concentrated downlight will emphasize an object’s form and texture while casting dramatic shadows that often evoke an eerie sense of the uncanny. A concentrated uplight will also emphasize an object’s plasticity of form, but the shadows produced are often strange and unfamiliar. A sidelight can effectively enhance one’s reading of shape and form in a natural manner reminiscent of sunlight. A frontlight will flatten the reading of an object, rendering all visible form in equal light. A backlight will render the object in silhouette, placing emphasis on its holistic form. 6.4a – 6.4f Through the direction of light, one can alter the visual structure of a composition in space, guiding the eye to places of heightened contrast and revealing unexpected tensions between flatness and depth, foreground and background, object and architecture.

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