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Not that this is always a good thing.
“In Hong Kong these large scale lighting
systems have been installed on buildings with
seemingly little thought as to what the visual
content is. Skyscrapers have been left with
what I assume to be the default 'rainbow'
test pattern running rather than showing any
curatorial or contextual interests,” says Domi-
nic Harris, director of Cinimod Studio, which
develops façade lighting systems.
Hong Kong’s lighting success has resulted
in a backlash. 'Lights Out Hong Kong' is a
campaign protesting against all this extrane-
ous lighting pollution, and first urged people
to switch off their lights at 8pm on 8/8/2006
in protest. Donald Tsang, Hong Kong’s chief
executive, refused to delay the Symphony of
Lights as the campaign would, "give adverse
publicity to Hong Kong as an international me-
tropolis and a major tourist attraction."
Around the world, façade lighting has
become a bit like all those flashing glitz and
marquee-effects on early ‘90s websites.
“Only a few lighting designers exploit the
possibility of providing aesthetically elegant,
resource-saving lighting that costs relatively
little. Poorly planned façade lighting is be-
coming an increasingly serious problem that
affects the aesthetic appearance of nocturnal
landscapes as well as creatures that are active
at night, such as insects and migrating birds.
Large portions of the deployed light often
miss the façade in question and the luminance
levels used are often considerably higher than
necessary,” says Dr Thomas Posch of the In-
ternational Dark Sky Association.
And the free-for-all as building owners have
looked to create new revenue streams through
hosting vast advertising screens has added
to the clamour. Many cities, overwhelmed by
massed public advertising video displays, have
begun to ban new ones.
But that doesn’t mean designers aren’t
aware of the irritation that pulsing light can
have on residents and modern architectural
lighting makes it easier to ensure that these
criteria are baked in from the beginning.
That means designers have had to become
subtler.The Media Architecture Biennale does
its best to recognise more carefully designed
façade lighting.
Realities:united, a German firm, took two
awards in 2012. It integrated its lighting designs
into the overall building concept and planning
process, and developed a story-driven context
for the lighting. The installation at Kunsthaus
13 LiD 11-12/15
Kunsthaus Graz, Germany.
Image courtesy:
Iluma, Singapore
Image courtesy:
Tribute in Light, NewYork
Image courtesy: