Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers on Language of light

Would you please identify more what is the effect of energy sensation?: Energy is the perceived mood and atmosphere, does the environment make you feel energized or relaxed at its most simple, but can be broken down into finer degrees of feeling and emotion. In the case of Nature connect we can energize and relax people depending on the light content and time of day impression we use. Very sunny and bright is energizing for people, but the golden hour at sunset can trigger strong feelings of relaxation.
What do you think about using dynamic projection lighting as a way to lit with movements?: Projection of light by using projectors and spotlights can be very effective way to create dynamic effects, as is already the case in entertainment lighting. However in the case of Natural effects the aim is to create effects that are more background and constant like the movements of light in leaves in a forest, which requires different content.
What about the semantics of light when interacting with different devices? For example, smartphones usually utilize the built-in LED to only notify the user about some event that occurred. How could we devise a language of "light" then interacting with technology around us?: Light is often used to provide the status of a device or a process. I think there is certainly an interesting area of ambient/sensorial interaction to be explored where further subtleties of the language of light could be developed as a dynamic medium outside of the boundaries of a display.
How does the colour of light affect the mood?: Colours whether in light or by the colour of materials have clear sensorial meaning for us such as temperature, red being warm and blue being cold. Green is associated with natural environments and can range from warm to cool.
What could be next after LED?: I think LEDs are here to stay for quite some time Developments such as Micro leds and multichannel led packages which deliver an improved light spectrum and control is going to be important for applications that involve light for plants, animals and humans where we can deliver just the right light for their biological and psychological needs. Laser LED is another field that is also developing quite rapidly because of its particular characteristics of a very straight rays of light from a very small source and the promise of high efficiencies of lumens per what in the future. Maybe Bioluminescence is another technology that might become relevant to certain applications in the next decades and particularly because of its potential to address sustainability goals.
Can you justify whether natural light can compete with manmade artificial lighting?: There are different interpretations to what you are asking, but if you mean natural light from the sun then I would say real light is always the best for people, however in many cases the context means this is absent, which is when artificial illumination can be used to emulate the biological and psychological benefits of natural light while providing the needs of illumination as well.
Are there some books about the physiologic effects you think are good to have to get deeper in this? Could you send a list afterwards?: My answer in the call was not very helpful, but if you want a starting point for the psychology of environments and their sensorial effects I would start with the Biophilic Design theory document from Terrapin Bright Green called the 14 patterns of biophilic design which is a great introduction, along with the companion document with evidence about the economic value of this approach.

https://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/reports/14-patterns/

Another recent book ‘Livewired’ by David Eagleman was very interesting, but not to do with lighting as such, but did a great job of explaining very recent breakthroughs in understanding of how the brain senses and interacts with the world around us.

https://eagleman.com/books/livewired/
Are there any challenges to be aware for installing system to existing construction: The NatureConnect system is built as a retro fit solution which can be used as a pendant island, surface mount and recessed into a system ceiling. However the smallest island is still quite large for many applications as it occupies quite a lot of ceiling area, something that we will be addressing in the near future.
How does the color temperate can be used to create a distinction in same the building like a monument?: Using different colour temperatures of light in one installation has the effect of creating a more natural feeling, and more visual interest as seen in nature where both warm and cool light coexist in the same scene ie. direct ‘warm’ sunlight versus the cooler ambient light from the sky in shadows. Colour harmonies from nature also have a similar interest for people. Using monotone colour in my opinion is very monotonous and boring, though the use of shadow and contrast will give interest. The difference between tones can be very subtle but still create interest. In our design office for instance we use 4000K white light for functional illumination but use 3000K white for accent lighting on walls, which most people are not consciously aware of but has a definite effect.

Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers on Language of light

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