The architecture of light: architectural lighting design concepts and techniques. A textbook of procedures and practices for the architect, interior designer and lighting designer pdfdrive com

BEYOND ON AND OFF: THREE FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS OF LIGHT
Light is much more than we give it credit for, and it deserves to be treated with the care of any design medium. Just as a designer takes care in making decisions about the nuances and subtleties of color and material, so too, must he/she take care in making decisions about light. Light can be controlled to a much higher degree than is commonly considered. To make the most of light, we must define what we can control about our light. There are a handful of properties that must be addressed in order to make a well-thought-out lighting decision. Every piece of light added to an environment should be considered in terms of three basic properties: Intensity, Color, and Texture.
Light Intensity: Bright vs. Dark.
Intensity is the most obvious and well understood aspect of light. It is one step beyond simply on or off: is this light dim, or is it bright? We tend to associate low light levels with more relaxed, intimate, personal environments. We translate higher light levels to be more sterile, public, active, and kinetic. Low light situations often encourage lingering and relaxing. higher light levels can stimulate activity and movement.
Figure 2.1 Higher light levels (left) translate an exposed, public feeling. Low light levels (right) translate calm and privacy.
Light Color: Warm vs. Cool.
There are a number of ways to alter the color of our light sources, both subtly and overtly. Lighting sources can exhibit all manner of different color temperatures, warm or cool, as slight variations of neutral. Our light sources can also be modified to exhibit very saturated, vivid colors. These colors have varying effect on mood, depending on a person’s experiences, culture and conditioning. Color and color temperature can determine whether a person feels comfortable enough to linger in an environment or whether he/she is driven away. Color can immediately affect mood and state of mind. Warm lighting colors; yellows and reds, tend to elicit calm, relaxation and a slower pace of action. Cool colors; blues and greens, tend to elicit activity and alertness.
Distinctly saturated colors get used in high-design, themed environments to
create visual interest and a unique emotional experience.