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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…

Written by Kaoru Mende It has been 31 years since the start of the Lighting Detectives in August 1990.   We have also been connected to members around the world since the announcement of the Transnational Lighting Detectives 21 years ago.  It seems like just yesterday, but also such a long time ago.  It wasn’t our initial intention to grow membership, but the number of membership cards issued has reached 1400 with 250 members from overseas.  With this many members it is hard to remember everyone’s face, so I thought we needed something to create a sense of togetherness. On the Lighting Detectives website, there are two columns I contribute to regularly, “Mende`s Lighting Detective Note” and “Coffee Break.”   The Mende’s Detective Note is a collection of short essays about experiences with light and shadow from my point of view.   As I reread some of these essays, good and bad writing is very obvious and I find it very interesting.  Every so often, the point blank feelings and remarks in these essays are so very me.  On the other hand, “Coffee Break” is written as a casual interaction over lunch between a staff member and I, the principal of the lighting design office, LPA.   With a total of three offices in Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong, staff has grown to about 60 members.  Each individual is, of course, unique and many LPA staff members are very assertive and passionate.  I really…

Theme”Individuality in Lighting Design” Interviewer:　Ye Yu An example of too much individuality in Chinese lighting design. An example of individualistic lighting blending with the natural surroundings. Ye：Today I would like to talk about uniqueness and individuality in lighting design. For me, I think individuality is unnecessary in lighting design. However, in China many designers like to emphasis their own individuality in projects. Maybe they need to express individuality to become a top designer and the Chinese make this easy by valuing individual uniqueness in projects. Mr. Mende do you like individuality in lighting design? Mende：Yes, I think projects should have individuality, but there are ways to go about it and this is the difficult part. A few wrong steps and a project can quickly go from odd to bizarre to tasteless. Ye：Do you think LPA`s projects have individuality? Mende：Sometimes LPA`s projects are visited by acquaintances and without any prompting they deduce “Is this LPA`s work?” So one could say this might be LPA`s individuality. Ye：I often hear feedback like “This is so LPA.” I think LPA has its own style, but I can`t put my finger on it. Mende：I do not tell the LPA staff to “create something especially unique” or “do something radical.” But I am also not going to reject new ideas or methods of expression. Ye： Since I have been with LPA the one phrase I hear often is “create people-friendly light.” When the staff are working…

2018/11/29 Noriko Higashi We held a review of the Shibuya River Night Walk Survey. While there was high praise for the Shibuya River being brought back into public view, many opinions suggested there is still much room for improvement. About 20 members gathered to exchange opinions on the nighttime environment of the Shibuya River The sudare illumination over the Shibuya River generated mixed opinions The Shibuya River’s laser illumination also resulted in divided opinions The lighting environment of Shibuya Bridge received mostly high praise We held a review of the Shibuya River Night Walk Survey. This time, instead of dividing the area to be covered, we separated the participants into three teams based on different viewpoints (Pedestrian, Creative Worker, and Urban Environment). Each team summarized and presented the lighting heroes and villains of the Shibuya River from their respective perspectives.First, the team that focused on the Pedestrian perspective praised the successful creation of a more walkable area at night, where the formerly undesirable Shibuya River was transformed by strips of light from laser illumination and temporary displays. They also suggested that incorporating the “lines” of the former Toyoko Line and the Shibuya River into the lighting design was a good way to preserve the area’s history. The common characteristic among their villains was excessive brightness and glare from shops, signs, and lighting fixtures that ultimately undermined the atmosphere the promenade was trying to create. The team concluded that the constantly…

Competing with elaborately planned shop facades, intense Han River bridge illuminations, sign luminaries, and bare light bulbs, all flood the streets with chaotic lights. Multi-colored and thriving on pure energy, the different areas in Seoul are alive at night with their own individual style of light. Looking towards the Han River from the observation deck of KLI 63 Building. Myeongdong Commercial District. Light from sign luminaries flood the streets, a typical scene in many Asian cities. In the Dongdaemun Market, numerous bare light bulbs hang from the ceiling and reflect off the canopies overhead.