The role of light in architecture extends well beyond practical requirements. Light can create an environment, saturate a space with emotion, and compose spatial illusions. When manipulated in the right ways, light makes an architectural space livable, shapes it, and guides the inhabitant through it. As our homes and buildings become increasingly interactive and connected to the “internet of things” (where physical objects such as a lamp or microwave are programmed in the “cloud”), the creative possibilities for lighting are growing exponentially.
This timely publication captures the most imaginative ideas for the use of light in homes and buildings. Some 200 projects are organized into three sections: lighting that transforms space, lighting that alters the experience of time, and lighting that evokes emotion or psychological change. Projects range from design solutions— practical applications and techniques for improving the ambience and function of our spaces for living and working—to highly experimental or immersive experiences that induce physiological responses or use entirely new sources of light, such as bioluminescence or rarefied gasses.
Reviews
art and science of light elegantly brought together…One of the most valuable elements of this book is that one can either read it through or randomly open the pages and read about one of the many creative projects that explore different aspects of Light
— California Home + Design
The color photographs of the installations are numerous and excellent, going well beyond commentary on design to reveal the many manifestations and effects of light as an element of architectural design.
— Choice
Contributors
Anna Yudina
Author
Anna Yudina is co- founder and editor- in- chief of MONITOR magazine. She has curated design exhibitions on Zaha Hadid and Jakob + MacFarlane and has authored several books on architecture, including Furnitecture and Lumitecture. She lives in Paris.