Tag Archive

Exterior Lighting: Onwards and Upwards

By Jennifer Pieszak

Approaching a lighting design project is always a balancing act of multiple goals towards a single end: a beautifully lighted project that enhances the perception of the place, meets the budget, and satisfies code requirements. But as discussions of dark-sky compliance and reduced power consumption to meet stringent new requirements have come to the... »

Measure Twice, Cut Once

By Jamie Perry

The old adage of measuring twice and cutting once applies just as well to design as to construction, and especially to the design of our lighted environment. Lighting can certainly be judged quantitatively, and it often needs to be, but it is also always qualitative and very subjective. The perception of brightness, the balance... »

Healthy Exterior Night Lighting – Is There Such a Thing?

By Keith Yancey

Many people would argue that the healthiest lighting at night is no lighting at all. Studies are revealing that biological rhythms are offset, sleep patterns are disrupted, even breast and prostate cancers are more likely with disrupted circadian rhythms, due in part to improper lighting at improper times of the day. The human race... »

Hermann Park Lake Plaza: A Light Night Music

By Jennifer Pieszak

Integrated LED steplights create a processional approach to the plaza and reinforce the bridge’s architectural rhythm. What happens when a heavily worn piece of an urban park gets a little well-deserved attention? And what role does lighting play in all of this? Newly renovated Lake Plaza is the crown jewel in Houston’s popular Hermann... »

Why Light It?

By Matt Latchford

Light pollution and light trespass are hot exterior lighting topics, and they both relate directly to the broader topic of energy conservation. Simple logic tells us that shooting light into the night sky, either directly or inadvertently, is basically a waste of light and energy. The light that escapes above the horizon hits nothing... »

Custom House Tower: Relighting a Boston Landmark

By Will Lewis

Custom House after lighting restoration In the Fall of 2008, Boston’s oldest skyscraper was showing its age. Originally completed in 1849, the twenty-year-old façade lighting on the 1915 tower addition was in disrepair. The building maintenance budget could not keep up with the required frequency of re-lamping in such precarious locations, and only a... »