Appartement Spectral / BETILLON / DORVAL‐BORY. Image Courtesy of BETILLON / DORVAL‐BORY
Light is a key feature in architecture. Centuries ago, the sun and fire were the only sources of illumination, but in today’s technology-driven world, artificial lighting and cutting-edge optical technologies have found ways to mimic the qualities of natural light, making it possible to have a naturally-lit-looking space within four walls. LED technologies have even made it possible to embed lighting in furniture, interior surfaces, and facades, altering with their intensities and hues to make light a main feature in the architecture’s storytelling.
If used effectively, lighting can become a lot more than just an illuminator; it becomes a mood setter, a symbol to a specific emotion the architect is trying to convey. For instance, indirect lighting becomes a floater, levitating the walls from the ground and making the space seem lighter in weight, whereas orange light manipulates the space’s temperature, creating the illusion that the users are walking into an intense, overheated room.