Light
Like many crucial things in life – air, water, decent cellular service – light is often taken for granted. If our activities require that we need to change the light level, we can flip a switch or adjust the drapes. Even this small amount of physical effort can be avoided thanks to modern technology. Lights and window shades are smart now and can adjust themselves without any expense of physical or mental energy from us.
As artificial illumination becomes more and more sophisticated, natural light seems to be enjoying a resurgence in popularity due in part to its increasing scarcity in large cities. In a recent New York Times article, we learn that an algorithm is available for New York apartment shoppers that allows them to plot the precise amount of sunlight that will fall on the windows and balconies of every apartment unit in the city, 24/7 – coming soon, no doubt, to your megalopolis.
As the French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier famously said, and demonstrated (see “Light and Shade” and “Resilience” in this issue), natural light is a crucial part of architectural design. It’s hard to think of the Parthenon without the subtle shades and deep shadows created by the sun, or the Disney Concert Hall without daylight shimmering on its curved metal surfaces. Natural light – filtered, coloured, shaded and directed – also plays a huge part in the design of interior environments, large and small.
In this issue of The Right Angle Journal, we look at a number of different ideas about light: how it affects our built environment and even our moods.
Special Announcement
The Right Angle Journal is delighted to announce a partnership with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, beginning with this issue. Henceforth, readers will be able to access our publication through the RAIC website and, within our journal, you will find news and information about the RAIC and its current initiatives. This partnership supports our magazine’s belief that the discussion of the built environment is of national importance, and that the RAIC continues to be instrumental in promoting and supporting this discussion.
We would also like to warmly welcome our new professional partners: the Architects Association of Prince Edward Island (AAPEI), the Grand Valley Society of Architects (GVSA), the Niagara Society of Architects (NSoA) and the Northwestern Ontario Society of Architects (NWOSA).
The Right Angle Journal wants to engage design professionals and the public in a dialogue about the things that truly matter in our environment. If you have a thoughtful opinion you would like to express, don’t hesitate to contact the editor at: editor@therightanglejournal.com
Introduction
From Genesis to Edison to the LED: a brief history of light and why no design element moves us the way it does.
The Utility of Room Lighting
Bright lights make shoppers spend more and dim lights make diners eat more: what research says about light, mood, and behaviour in interiors.
From Humble Beginnings to Total Domination, LED is Growing Up
Fluorescent, halogen, metal halide, all gone: a lighting designer’s tour of the LED takeover, from the 1994 white-light breakthrough to fixtures that sculpt space.
The Beauty and Function of Window Treatments
A practical survey of window shades, from fabric types and operating systems to motorized scenes and daylight-harvesting light shelves.
Resilience - Light: Magic or Method?
Le Corbusier called architecture a play of masses in light, but is light magic or a measurable tool? A hard look at the most quoted sentence in architecture.
