Architectural Outdoor Lighting

Architectural outdoor lighting illuminates structure and details of building design and materials. It focuses on highlighting materials, architectural style, decorative elements, and beautification of functional building elements. Architectural outdoor lighting will greatly enhance and accentuate the practical and aesthetic elements of any building or house.

With advanced knowledge of architecture and other disciplines parallel to lighting design, consultants bring an in-depth knowledge of outdoor architectural lighting design to the table. Every project begins with a thorough building analysis, in-depth client consultation, and detailed planning. Architectural outdoor lighting consultants look first at how the building functions and what practical functionality proves critical to activity around that building. They then calculate precise photometrics to determine the exact level of light required to illuminate the building. Prior to requisitioning any equipment to complete the project, architectural outdoor lighting specialists sit down with the owners and discuss both the plans and the photometric requirements of the proposal. As well as we know different industries, we realize that each business within an industry is unique, and our final meeting prior to electrical installation ensures we have accommodated all particulars relevant to a specific home or building owner in terms of lifestyle, ceremony, service offerings, and business operations.

Outdoor architectural lighting themes can contain safety and security elements that make buildings not only more attractive, but also more well-protected and safer to employs working on location at night. A well-lit building deters nefarious activity much more effectively than an unlit building on a dark street. The presence of light alone conveys a psychological deterrent to mischief. Furthermore, specific elements of architectural outdoor lighting also add additional safety to homes and buildings by lighting surrounding properties. Step lights prevent cleaning personnel from tripping over dark stairwells, and path lights pinpoint the locations of walkways and provide a well-lit path with minimal hazard. Not every building or home has consistent night traffic, but almost all have visitors or night crews that clean the building. Architectural outdoor lighting equipment both reduces liability for businesses and brings additional comfort and a sense of accommodation to residential guests.

For large homes and commercial applications such as hospitals, storefronts, and multi-story office buildings, we can create an effect called a “facade” of light that transforms an otherwise plain, homogeneous surface into a luminescent surface whose light and color convey an aesthetic of its own. We use special fixtures to create a “wrap around” illumination effect where the light literally seems to wrap itself around a ledge, corner, or building fixture. Having already determined luminosity with previous photometrics, we can achieve this effect without spill light, white spots, or obtrusive shadows. The key is positioning the right equipment in a low profile position where optimal angles create the illusion of light radiating from the surface of the building. We call this “soft illumination” and find it especially enhances the structural beauty of churches, art galleries, and historical buildings with superior architecture. Custom homeowners also prefer this form of architectural outdoor lighting because it discreetly and politely distinguishes their homes from surrounding houses with a styled termed by Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, “Less is more.”

Regardless of the style or age of any house or building, architectural outdoor lighting is a must for the eclectically minded home or building owner.