4.2.2. Responsible outdoor lighting
The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a leading organisation that promotes awareness about light pollution worldwide through education and the use of responsible lighting. The Dark-Sky Association sees the dark sky as a natural heritage that is inaccessible to a majority of the people living in or around cities and industrial areas. Together with the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), they propose Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting to design beautiful, healthy and functional electric
Figure 4.4 Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting
lighting (figure 4.4)(darksky.org). By working with the five principles, the project aims to solve the issues of both having an interactive approach while still put a big emphasis on showing respect to its surroundings. “Projects that incorporate these principles will save energy and money, reduce light pollution, and minimize wildlife disruption.” (darksky.org). The project works with the following principles of: Useful. “All light should have a clear purpose. Before installing or replacing a light, determine if light is needed. Consider how the use of light will impact the area, including wildlife and the environment. Consider using reflective paints or self-luminous markers for signs, curbs, and steps to reduce the need for permanently installed outdoor lighting.” A useful light focuses on the situation, and it places itself for pragmatic reasons. The light does not stand as an ornament but as a gesture to the user and a complement to the environment in which it is placed. A useful light should only affect the area that it is oriented towards and should have a little, to no impact on areas outside of its field. As an example, a light can follow a pedestrian along a pathway instead of illuminating the entire pathway when there are no visitors. This way a useful light can be adaptive and solve several challenges at the same time. This ability is seen in smart lighting that intensifies when sensors give the information that something or someone is near. In useful integrated lighting, the synergy between light and surfaces creates a pleasant ambient atmosphere that makes it possible to navigate without being disturbed by spills of light as mentioned as well in the paragraph on Targeted Light. It has often been understood that darkness has different negative connotations, but it can also bring “visual silence”, calm and peace as well as protecting the natural habitat of birds and animals. (Major, 2020) Targeted. “Light should be directed only to where needed. Use shielding and careful aiming to target the direction of the light beam so that it points downward and does not spill beyond where it is needed.” From a practical view, the targeted light should not reveal its light source. It operates with a proper shielding of the luminaire, or it should be placed in a position pointing downwards that does not directly affect the 51
BRINGING LIFE TO LANGELINIEKAJEN
space”. Light is an extremely subtle medium in which values of illuminance, luminance, uniformity and glare are relative when considered the need to create character, ambience and identity” (Major, 2020)
