Light is the foundation of the visual perceptual process that initiates the evaluation of the surrounding area. Linked to various aspects and rhythms of the body, light connects us to both the natural environment and the interior space. The process of perceiving and assessing space for children and adults with different viewing heights and viewing perspectives as well as the role of light to facilitate this are the key elements of this study. The paper describes general lighting design strategies for kindergartens, specifically developed to create an environment that takes into account the children’s scale and cognitive processes. The objective was to discuss environments that support the child’s spatial perception along with shape and object recognition by means of lighting design, for example by creating distinct, well-placed shadows. The proposed strategies are informed by a literature review on the concepts and interrelations of light, human physiology and the perception of scale and space. In addition, our process also included visits to kindergartens to observe and analyse existing lighting as well as the use of simulation programs to test lighting scenarios and their patterns/distribution of light and shadow. The outcome described in this paper is a proposal and strategy to take into account children’s vantage points when designing lighting in kindergartens that is still open to practical interpretations in real-world sites.

The present paper summarises tendencies related to research in lighting for school environments from 1980 to 2020. Methods and tools used to evaluate and analyse both daylight and electric lighting are presented. The studies in this literature review were grouped in four decades and are presented chronologically. The review suggests a shift from on-site evaluations in the early decades, both when using qualitative and quantitative research methods, to software-based research and analysis in more recent studies. during the past decade, there appears to be a general increase in both software and user-based techniques for evaluation and design of educational spaces. However, it is interesting that the lighting layout in classrooms does not show significant changes during the four decades since it follows the same grid pattern regardless of the changes in architectural, design and teaching tendencies.

Light modelling, simulation, and photometric calculations are by now common tasks in the lighting design process. These practices contribute to the definition and comparison of suitable layout arrangements and help predict the impact of lighting devices. Those tasks demand the use of tools to support the simulation of different scenarios, the analyses of their pros and cons according to different criteria (e.g., health and safety, perception, aesthetics, energy consumption, and costs), and decision-making. Digital twins have emerged as relevant technologies to simulate and visualize different ``what-if'' scenarios associated with physical entities and processes. In this paper, we investigate the state-of-the-art research concerning the use of digital twins for supporting lighting analysis in the urban/outdoor context. We also present and discuss challenges and research opportunities related to the design, implementation, and validation of digital twins in this domain.