Introducing a methodology to define the negative effects of upward façade lighting in historical buildings.

Abstract

Light pollution is a phenomenon that affects both humans and the environment negatively. Currently there are no established means to calculate light pollution. This work proposes a method for calculating the levels of light pollution on the facades of buildings, specifically historical buildings, which are the most difficult to light, using simulation techniques. The proposed methodology tested different simulation grid densities and concluded that the highest density produces most accurate results, since lower densities are prone to software errors. Moreover, this research proves that the visual perception of a lit façade is the wrong way to determine if a lighting design produces light pollution and that the comprehensive methodology proposed should be used to determine the percentage of light that spills into the environment.

Assessment of the Historical Gardens and Buildings Lighting Interaction through Virtual Reality: The Case of Casita de Arriba de El Escorial

“…In particular, green areas have played a significant role for sociality in urban areas during day and night hours. Differently from urban green areas, the historical gardens, with their architecture, allow for the combination of vegetational areas for social cohesion [7] and rehabilitate mental fatigue [8,9], with historical architecture representing moments of history, evidence of an artistic period or idea [10,11]. The challenges for architectural lighting (or floodlighting) solutions are to make the building perceptible at night as it is perceived by day and to make architectural details stand out concerning fewer characteristic parts.…”

Perception of Light in Museum Environments: Comparison between Real-Life and Virtual Visual Experiences

“…Properly designed lighting systems can maintain the exhibited objects' visibility, conservation, and aesthetics with high quality, as well as the visitors' visual sense and the appeal [24] in the visiting experience. Several studies are available in the literature concerning museums, e.g., the deterioration of artworks due to lighting conditions [25,26], the use of daylight [27,28], sustainability and energy efficiency [29][30][31], the use of LED technology [32][33][34][35][36][37][38], impact of lighting systems on visual perception and color quality [39,40], and lighting techniques in historic buildings [41,42].…”