City Night Survey : Saitama-Shintoshin 2019.04.11　　Lin Hu + Hikaru Kimura Saitama Shintoshin is a district established around the year 2000. Centered on JR Saitama-Shintoshin Station, it is an intensively structured urban area featuring a variety of functions, including large-scale commercial facilities, a major multi-purpose arena, government office complexes, and hospitals. This survey examined how this planned city has evolved from the perspective of lighting. Nightscape over the heliport from the Saitama Government Office Complex Light Linking Spaces A pedestrian walkway system is installed around Saitama-Shintoshin Station, utilizing an active pedestrian-vehicle separation plan that allows for smooth circulation from the second-floor station gates to various facilities. While the ground level is brightly illuminated by roadway pole lights, the pedestrian walkways feature lower-level lighting such as uplights and footlights—excluding some decorative pole lights in park areas—creating distinct expressions of light for each zone.Saitama-Shintoshin Station is connected to Kita-Yono Station by a walkway spanning approximately 600m. A continuous cantilevered glass canopy allows pedestrians to walk without getting wet in the rain or being stopped by traffic signals. Along this route, there is a straight path of about 100m running parallel to the railway tracks. Here, despite the cantilevered canopy structures being identical—likely due to differing construction phases—the lighting techniques varied across three distinct types. Although the architectural design is similar, the change in lighting methods results in varying levels of brightness depending on the location. While achieving uniformity may seem important, using different…

2018/09/30-10/08 Shosaku Takahashi + Masafumi Yamamoto Morocco is located on the African continent but retains a strong influence from European countries such as neighboring Spain and France. It can be said that the cities have been formed under the influence of various cultures. This survey started in the major city of Marrakech, crossed the Atlas Mountains to visit the vast Sahara Desert inland, and then continued for ten hours and another 600 kilometers across the continent to reach the blue city of Chefchaouen. We experienced the climate, culture, and lifestyle of this country, which shines on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea while benefiting from the sun, and investigated the relationship between lighting and people’s lives. Djemaa el-Fna Square Many of the Old Town’s paths are covered with sunscreens The souk is bustling with people at night People watching street performers ■Arrival in MarrakechAfter driving four hours from Casablanca Airport, we saw the reddish-clay streetscape of the major city of Marrakech pop up in the middle of the wilderness. The moment we got out of the car in the old town, swarms of flies started hitting our bodies. The smell of rotting fruit and raw fish stung our noses. Crowds of people moved through the narrow alleyways, as motorcycles sped past, honking their horns. The air was thick with dust and exhaust fumes. Flies immediately swarmed the tuna sandwich we bought from a nearby stand for a late lunch. ■Old…

Colombo ⇒ Kandy ⇒ Galle 2018/10/23-28 Momoko Muraoka + Yuri Araki We surveyed the relationship between lighting and people’s lives in the Buddhist nation of Sri Lanka, traveling through three distinct cities: Colombo, which has seen remarkable development in recent years; and Kandy and Galle, both designated as World Heritage Sites. ↑↑The nightscape of Kandy, a World Heritage Site. The illuminated Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic can be seen on the right, across Kandy Lake ↓With few buildings featuring facade light-up or sign lighting, the nightscape is primarily formed by light spilling out from shop interiors ■What Creates the Night Streetscape of Sri Lanka Kandy is an ancient capital and a World Heritage Site in central Sri Lanka. In the heart of the city, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic—a sacred site for Buddhists—stands by the lake. Directly across from it is the colonial-style Queen’s Hotel, which evokes the British colonial era. During the day, this diverse streetscape allows you to feel the history of Sri Lanka. However, the streetscape takes on a different appearance in the evening. Very few buildings have facade lighting, and even the Queen’s Hotel, a city symbol, is plunged into darkness. Since shop signs lack extravagant electrical decorations, the nightscape is primarily formed by light spilling out from the interiors. Compared to the streetscapes of modern cities, the scene is like a figure-ground reversal. Even the city’s largest road has no streetlights for…

2018/10/13-23 Mikine Yamamoto + Kouki Iwanaga This was our first South American survey in about 15 years. We tracked the light expression of Rio de Janeiro, a port city marked by both entertainment and poverty, which hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016 and has become increasingly international. While possessing famous coasts like Copacabana and Ipanema and being counted as one of the world’s three most beautiful harbors, it also has the “favela” slums covering its hillsides. Surrounded by magnificent nature, Santiago, Chile’s largest city, has annual rainfall of only about 360mm, meaning it is sunny for most of the year. We investigated the lighting situation of this city blessed with natural light. The nightscape from Pão de Açúcar: A beautiful contrast created by the rich topography Viewing Copacabana Beach from Pão de Açúcar Favelas built on the mountain slopes ■Rio de Janeiro / Brazil Rio de Janeiro is an international tourist city that hosted the Carnival and the Olympics in 2016. It is said to be a microcosm of the country, where light and darkness coexist: scenic areas with beautiful topography blending nature and culture are situated next to slums. We surveyed the light expressions of this city, which has various faces, including the glamorous light of tourist and resort areas, and the strangely glowing light of the favelas (slums) where poor communities gather, reflecting the lives of the people.The suburbs leading from the…

2018/04/16-19 Misuzu Nakamura + Sherri Goh It was interesting for me to juxtapose the two cities and their evident priorities with the implementation of lighting masterplan. In Hokkaido for the first time, I felt that the two cities were greatly different for their appeal to tourists. Even though Hakodate’s night view was greatly famed and did not disappoint, Sapporo seemed to be the more popular place to be at night and for its nightlife. City view of Sapporo City view of Hakodate Hakodate streets at night Sapporo streets at night Well illuminated pathway to Sapporo TV tower Dim pathways towards Hakodate Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward despite many fixtures This survey of both cities suggests that there might be a compromise between the balance of two objectives; planning for a potential attraction and planning for functional use. As Sapporo is the larger and denser city, it makes sense to cater to comfort of the people that roam the streets after working hours. From the junction pictures, you can see that there is more lighting on the floor level in Sapporo in comparison to Hakodate. Despite the numerous dotted light fixtures, we felt that the pedestrian pathways and roads were generally darker in Hakodate.And for Hakodate, turning the nightscape into an economic tool could also be the better solution as most of the streets were empty after 1900h, with major attractions closing by then. It was also strange that Mt…

City Survey in Qatar/Azerbaijan 2018/02/12-02/17　　Masahiro Iwata + Hikaru Kimura We went to Qatar and Azerbaijan from 12th to 17th February for 6 days for lighting survey. Both of countries are oil producers, and have been developed with oil money. Qatar and Azerbaijan are located on similar longitude, however each urban landscape has been developed in different ways according to their history. Qatar is an emergent country, which benefits from oil money. High-rise buildings has been built on vacant huge desert, and the gulf coast has been developed for attracting wealthy class in around the world. On the other hand, Azerbaijan still faces a problem which a lots of refugees by the past war have hard lives, even it is in bubble boom and it benefits from oil money as much as Qatar. They have redeveloped the old town, which is world heritage. We surveyed lighting in these two countries, where electricity expenses are free by benefit of oil money. Sketch of the road lighting ■Qatar, Capital city Doha Doha used to be described as “the most boring city in the world”, where there were no accommodation and entertainment facilities according to its closed policy. Today luxury hotels and huge shopping malls has been built, and it has become a bustling city. There are lots of buildings painted the current president’s face on the façade. These buildings are by pocket money of president or owned by the government. The buildings along…

Zurich ⇒ Bern ⇒ Basel2018/04/12-04/17　　Yumi Honda + Kyoko Takubo We visited Switzerland in search of places with light where people gather. Celebrating the longawaited arrival of spring, we found that more people than we expected were relaxing outdoors from morning until night. During the day, they enjoyed the abundant nature and beautiful cityscapes, soaking up the natural light. At night, people were chatting and laughing in a soft, gentle light. We climbed a dark hill for an elevated nightscape shot, but even there, it wasn’t tourists but locals who were gazing at the nightscape. We were able to find a city light in Switzerland that makes you want to spend a long, leisurely time there. People enjoying the sunset on the shores of Lake Zurich People Gathering on the Riverside in Basel, with Beers in Hand ■Waterside at DuskOn a warm spring evening, people gather on the shores of Lake Zurich. In open areas with a view, everyone enjoys the passing of time in their own way—a unique luxury. After the sun sets and the sky turns indigo, historical buildings from the Middle Ages are softly lit and reflected on the water’s surface. The reason this atmosphere can be enjoyed comes from a combination of historical background and urban planning.First, the number of cars is overwhelmingly small compared to other cities. The city is not obstructed by wide roads or traffic jams, so you can feel close to the river,…

Worldwide City Lighting Report in Copenhagen / Stockholm December 2-9, 2017　|　Written by: Hu Lin and Simeng Huang Located in high latitudes on the Northern Hemisphere, northern European countries including Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark are known to be very unique in terms of the seasonal natural phenomena – the midnight sun during the summer, and the polar night during winter. In this December, we went to some of the cities experiencing the polar night during winter to research lighting environment. Considering extremely long night hours can affect circadian rhythm, are city lighting and residential lighting in those countries designed to eliminate the problem? In this trip we closely looked at the light environment that are unique to Northern Europe, gained through observation of public facilities and residential lighting. Here is the research results. Christiansborg Palace Pole lamps at bicycle parking outside the Danish Parliament Catenary lighting illuminating the roadway ■Copenhagen, Denmark In Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, classic design and contemporary design co-exist, each divides the city into visually distinctive areas. An area across a canal is on a new development with various kinds of new buildings are being constructed. If you walk in this city, you will feel the history of Copenhagen and be convinced how this city takes creative culture so important. ■Classical Lighting Copenhagen is a city where you can feel its history reflected upon the classical architectural design and how they use light. The city is…

City Survey: Tsukiji, Tokyo 2017/12/14,2018/01/12　　Nemoto Isao + Masafumi Yamamoto　 Night view from the opposite shore of Tsukiji, across the Sumida River. Tsukiji Market on the middle, Tokyo Tower and Tsukiji Bridge on the left, and Kachidoki Bridge on the right. In this Tsukiji survey, we visited the inner market, where mainly wholesale is taking place, the outer market, where visitors can shop and eat, and also the Tsukiji Honganji temple and the Kachidoki Bridge which are popular spots for tourists. ■Luminous Environment around Tukiji Fish Market From the Kachidoki area on the opposite side of the Tsukiji fish market, you can overlook the entire view of the market, buildings such as Kachidoki Bridge and Tokyo Tower across the Sumida River. While we notice white light that comes from the market and surrounded buildings, the warm-colored light of incandescent lamps emitted from the fish handling facility facing the Sumida River on the opposite shore. This view is quite impressive, and creates an emotional and beautiful view during the night.This warm light from the market brings the sense of the history of Tsukiji rooted in this area for a long time. In contrast, the white light emitted from the group of high-rise buildings in the background seems to symbolize the momentum of the rapidly evolving city. Outside the market, there are more than 400 shops, and many shops still remain open after evening.Various light sources and lighting fixtures are used in each…

Lighting Survey：Kagoshima 2017/10/25-10/27 　Shunichi Ikeda + Yuri Araki Kagoshima city is a city which its urban area is integrated with nature and magnificent scenery, and it is also a tourist attraction that is represented by Sakurajima. It has scenery unique to Kagoshima city such as a view to Sakurajima, Japanese modernization asset like historical buildings, and urban scenery with slanted green area in the background. We researched the light environment of this highly regarding scenery formation area with Sakurajima as a main axis. Night view of Kagoshima seeing Sakurajima. There isn’t any color lighting or building advertisement on city in front of the Sakurajima. It takes 1 hour to get to central area of city from Kagoshima airport. It was very exciting and felt good to have a drive looking at clear sky, rich water and greens, and magnificent Sakurajima with rising smoke. When we arrived at urban area, we started from researching about urbanscape planning, so we visited city hall that is a little walk from statue of Saigou Takamori. After that, we checked up main roadways in central areas and parks, history and culture area, commercial area, etc, and started preparing for a research about lighting environment. Night view of Central Kagoshima station from the same observatory. There are color lightings and building advertisements. ■Night view of Kagoshima When the street lights started to turning on and the city was gradually taking on liveliness of night, Sakurajima gradually…

Lighting Survey in Mumbai 2017/10/02-10/07　　Mikine Yamamoto + Leon Hitsu　 We researched the biggest economic city of India, Mumbai. It is located west coast of India, which was used to call Bombay. This is the second time we researched this city since we last did in 2004. The goal of this research is to compare how its architecture and lighting have developed, and to compare with Navi Mumbai (New Bombay) developed as a new city of Mumbai. Dhobi Ghat is an outdoor laundry with more than 100 years of history. It is used as a laundry in the daytime, though people lived there and felt a sense of life in the nighttime. The contrast with the skyscraper in the background is very Indian. The building in front of the station. Building was carefully lit up with orange color. Mounting details. The hood was installed in the fixture in order to avoid glare when seen from the front Arriving at Mumbai hotel after the sunset, from the taxi on the way to the hotel, I only saw street lights that lit the street, and the city that was on the background looked dark and sunken. We expected that it was developed like China where a number of buildings lit up, but there was no building that was illuminated. The situation didn’t change even in the city, with only seeing street light illuminating the building a little. Entering the central part of the…

Global Nightscape survey in Melbourne 2014.11.11-11.15　　Misuzu Nakamura+Haruka Sakoda　 For 4 years running, Melbourne has been chosen as the best place in the world to live. City planning has successfully focused on public space to build one of the world’s leading and charming cities. The cityscape is harmonious balance of old and new buildings. Main avenues lined with trees and lampposts are beautifully maintained, along with smaller alleyways, and even the waterfront along the river flowing through the middle of the city is carefully planned. We surveyed the Melbourne nightscape in search of the secret to its coziness. We can clearly feel the difference of lighting atmosphere between CBD area which is occupied with blacked-out buildings and surrounding local area which is covered by twinkling warm-colored street lights, when we look down from “Eureka Sky Deck”. The lighting plan of the city seems to have intent to differentiate business districts and cozy alleyways, using different color temperature as public lights. The waterfront area was well-maintained with designed pole lights and façade lighting from the surroundings, but some of tree lightings were by glaring spotlights. Many people were enjoying their walk along the river. We found a lot of “catenary downlights” in the city. Instead of pole lighting, catenaries covered large squares, wide intersections and narrow pathway between the building. When the night falls, the downlights looked like a starry sky. As we can see that so many people were gathering at…

2014.06.24-06.29　　　Ai Sohara+ Mami Ichida With the population of 60 million and the 2nd largest country in South East Asia, Myanmar has not yet been well-known to the world because of its isolated policy for over a half century. Reforming as a democratic nation in recent years, Myanmar is now developing very rapidly and its cities are witnessing fast urban growth. The survey was made to “unveil” the role of light in three different cities. Sulepaya, View from the Surepaya As darkness falls over Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar, golden pagodas enhance its majestic presence in contrast to the modest living environment. These brilliant pagodas symbolize the faith of the local people. Street light at Naypyidaw Nay Phi Taw, the vast but empty new capital, seems the only city without electrical problems. Unlike other cities, road and public facilities are built with lighting technology and are well maintained. View from the Shwesandaw Pagoda The winning light in Old Bagan, where almost no artificial light can be seen, is absolutely during dusk. Watching thousands of pagodas turning into silhouettes and eventually merging into darkness creates the impression as if you are traveling back to ancient times.

East meets west in the Islamic streets of Istanbul, as quite unique light are unleashed. Light from many different directions is churned together, as in the bright light particles of the bazaar and the interiors of the mosque. A testimony of the Islam Religion is in the minaret floating in the silent shadows and the blue moon reflected in the Bosporus. From a hill above the old town, the moon reflects in the Bosporus Strait. The faint residential lights and hushed silence create a spiritual-like setting. The tall minaret towers emphasize the silhouettee of Hagaia Sofia (also spelled Ayasofya). During the summer months sound and light interact on the grounds in a dramatic show for viewers. Sound and light mysteriously interact inside the Blue Mosque. Visitors are left wondering: Where is the light coming from? Where is the sound coming from?

2014.03.31-04.06 Genki Watanabe + Hu Lin Dubai which becomes a hub in the Middle East. Since 2003 decade, sustained economic development of urban construction at the same time, decoration, lighting, etc also has a very significant change. This time, we investigated the city lights and light of life. View from the Burj Khalifa Dubai is separated by an old town from new town. From the birth of the new urban area in the desert, about the lights of the messy no uniformity, glare is very much also. Is old town which is driven by the local way of life, have a certain order of light in the evolution of the light environment. Too light or too dark in the space is more, the overall light environment in a state of disharmony. In a city there are two completely different forms of development order, and are looking forward to Dubai in future how to plan more mature light environment. The Dubai Mall Dubai’s sunshine time is long, many architectural practice break hot also consider natural lighting. In the Dubai mall every space has a unique Islamic architecture design, Ceiling. Interior lighting and day lighting harmonious blend in together. Day lighting is a good example. Deira Gold Souq Deira Old Souq （Spice Souq） Signboard light in old town

2014.02.01-02.11 Kanon Hujimoto + Mayumi Banno Italy is an irresistible destination to travellers from all over the world, including the Lighting Detectives. We toured three big cities, Rome, Milan, and Firenze, and two smaller cities, Bergamo and Siena, to discover the nightscape and compare the illumination of historical buildings and more modern structures. For most of the historical architecture we visited the light source and color temperature used depended on the building material and color, with a slight shift to the use of LED fixtures. In many churches and museums, the effective use of daylight incorporated into the structures was overwhelming. Piazza della Repubblica Lighting for Colosseum Papal Basilica of Saint Peter MAXXI Museo Nazionale delle Arti XXI Secolo, Completion: 2010 Galería Víctor Manuel II (left) and Duomo di Milan(Right) Compared to the galleria, duomo is roughly illuminated by flood light which makes details of architecture looks bit too flat. People are enjoying window‐shopping in the corridor inside of Galeria. Wall sconces give elegant vibrancy in the context of the last natural light of the day from the top light. Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in Bergamo Collaboration of natural light and artificial light softly melt in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in Bergamo. We felt the solid relationship between the light and the religion. Cattedrale di Sant’Alessandro and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo enveloped by fog.

New York is a modern city to beat all modern cities. Streets are lined with skyscrapers and the lighting adds to the excitement of the city. On the other hand, in neighborhoods like Chelsea, the lighting is minimal, creating a quiet and comfortable residential area. However, city street lighting has not advanced to support LED fixtures, along with businesses and public facilities which still use older lighting methods. New York is a city sensitive to crazes and fads, but the city doesn`t seem to have any interest in lighting trends. Office lighting is usually a cooler, whitish tone, but office lighting in NYC seems to hover around 3000k, adding a touch of warmth to this concrete and steel jungle. Colored LED lighting is used periodically throughout the city, but full-on flood lighting seems to be on the way out, creating a very refined NYC nightscape. A view of Manhattan from across the river. No lighting displays really stand out and there is no real facade lighting, either. Interior light escaping from windows is the main element of this famous nightscape. At dusk most windows are bright with light and help to outline each building, but as the interior lighting fades, the nightscape changes for a very dynamic view of the city. Memories of 911 are still fresh in NYC. The victims` names and a cascade of water are dimly lit at the memorial, still blanketed in a solemn atmosphere. Depending…

Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper and a city with a refined style of its own. However, the nightscape is basically assembled for crime-prevention with streets over powered by high-pressure sodium lamps and wrapped in an orange haze. We can only hope to see a more stylish Chicago nightscape in the near future. High-pressure sodium lamps create yellow lines of light across the Chicago landscape as viewed from the 103 floor of the Wills Tower. The lines of light extend as far as the eye can see, but it is not all that beautiful of a landscape, but more of a reflection of the fear and concern of criminal activity that might lie in the shadows. The view along N Michigan Ave. Trendy, retro street lamps line the avenue, but the light is diffused and not directed for a flat, blanket of light everywhere. Some of the more classic architecture has flood lighting along the ground level, but when combined with this method of street lighting it is not very effective. The lux level directly below a street lamp in 105lux, halfway between is 56lux and in the middle of an intersection we recorded 80lux. These numbers are too high, but maybe give residents and sense of security. Crown Fountain at night. In the park, artwork is lit up at night creating a vibrant area in the city.

Bangkok is a center of on-going development in Southeast Asia. Solemn Buddhism culture and lively night markets have developed side-by-side to create a modern, but chaotic city full of energy. Amongst the harmonious charm of the old and new along the streets of Bangkok we survived the lighting environment. Open-air restaurants on the top floors of high-rise buildings are very popular nightspots. From the 55 floor the energetic and chaotic atmosphere of the city is absent. Amongst the rows of tall buildings sodium lamps flood the streets with light creating the impression of a sprawling modern city. Street vendors line the sidewalks. Moving deeper into the night market, the booths are covered with various lamps and neon arranged without much thought other than to show off the merchandise. At one booth warm colored lamps were used to showcase warmer tones of accessories and whitish light reflected off the spangled jewelry. An hour’s drive outside of Bangkok is the town of Amphawa, famous for the Amphawa Floating Market. Along the narrow river are many lights that reflect of the surface of the water. The reflections create depth along the Chao Phraya River and a lively buzz along the riverbanks and streets of the town.

Berlin is a multi-cultural city. Amongst the streets dating back to the Middle Ages, are very modern buildings that mysterious blend perfectly with the historical surroundings. In conjunction with this city survey we also attended the Festival of Lights, a lighting event in Berlin that keeps growing every year. Around the city light up, projections, and installations are arranged expanding the event and developing a lively night culture in the city. Looking over the city westward from the top of the TV tower. The axis of Unter den Linden extends toward the brightly lit Brandenburger Gate. Around the Potsdamer Platz are several modern buildings, but over all flashy displays of light or advertising does not stand out. One installation cover the street corner is colorful messages. Old and young, after-hour office workers and tourists, the city is alive with pedestrians enjoying the light entertainment and actually become part of the installations themselves. Festival viewers are proactive; men and women, old and young, all are enjoying the light entertainment. An older group of gentlemen shower themselves in color light and play in the color shadows and several older women carry around a camera and tripod snapping photos here and there. The festival is not just about technological quality, but creating a fun and entertaining culture.