Note: I began this post in a different world, a pre-coronavirus world. Now, as many more of us are sheltering in place, light at home is more critical than ever. Now, as many of us face illness, the benefits of light for wellness are more important than ever. We’re still on a mission to help. […]
Category: Design Theory
Lightseeing Blues
This series of posts may lead you to believe that I am always looking at lighting and that would be a false impression. I also look at billboards for injury attorneys, the back of the airplane seat in front of me, the speedometer, the GPS. I usually do not set out intentionally to look at […]
Human Centric Lighting…or Profit Centric Lighting?
Human Centric Lighting (HCL) is a nebulous term quickly replacing Circadian Lighting as the go-to language for describing lighting strategies intended to improve our lives. The more expansive idea behind HCL is that it includes circadian rhythm science but also accounts for moment-to-moment human wellness, comfort, and needs. Human Centric Lighting sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Recently […]
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Endgame: Lighting Designers vs Interior Designers
“But we already have an interior designer who is helping us with lighting. Why should we hire a lighting designer?” Here’s the answer: Lighting Designers are lighting designers and Interior Designers are…interior designers. Make sense? Okay, let’s put it another way: Interior Designers craft and coordinate the entire look of a home. Lighting Designers make […]
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Lightseeing 2
We take light for granted: we assume it will be bright enough to see whenever we want it so, even in the middle of the night. We assume entrances will be lit, lobbies will be illuminated, restaurants will glow. Sometimes, despite being taken for granted, we notice something that catches our eye. I call this […]
Red Light, Green Light
A few years ago I heard a simple phrase from a leading lighting researcher: “Light is a drug.” Like most drugs, light causes chemical reactions in our brain and body. Moods change, biorhythms change, migraines disappear. Wait, migraines? Dr. Mohab Ibrahim, director of the chronic pain clinic at a hospital in Tucson, Arizona, has an […]
The Next DMX for Architecture
WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT MAY BE UNSUITABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS SENSITIVE TO ACRONYMS. I like control. A lot. And it all started in theater many, many years ago when I moved to my first computer-controlled light board. It was love at first “GO.” I have not lit a traditional show in years, but […]
Stairway to Heaven
If you have read other posts on this blog you might be thinking “this guy hates all normal lighting.” You would be mostly correct. Take stairways for example. My previous home had a light at the bottom and a light at the top. That made the landings well lit and the stairs themselves, well, dark. […]
I went lightseeing
I enjoy sightseeing. My family and I have been privileged to see many wonderful natural and cultural sights in the United States from New York City’s Grand Central Station to Yosemite’s Half Dome. Today I am by myself on a rare international business trip to Spain, and the miracle of modern air travel granted me […]
The Politics of Light 2
I [dis]agree with President Trump. This is a lighting blog, not a political blog, correct? Yes. Unfortunately, light- like so many aspects of our lives- is being politicized for electoral advantage. Recently President Trump’s administration repealed rules that would continue to require energy-efficient replacements for yesterday’s incandescent lamps. In live speeches, Trump spoke strongly against […]