Night flight
Mox nox – night is falling. Which means the stage is set for light – artificial light, that is. After all, it’s only where the light penetrates the darkness that we, as part of the nocturnal urban living environment with its social points of contact, can perceive all the manifold facets in the interplay of light and shade right down to the finest detail. In the city, a precisely planned system of outside lighting provides orientation, conveys a feeling of safety, denotes certain places and roads with dynamic lighting solutions, and highlights architecture and art in the public space. As, for example, at “Susan-Sontag-Square” in front of the National Theater in Sarajevo: It is on this central plaza that every year the Sarajevo Film Festival takes place, transforming the space into a meeting point for the country’s cultural scene.
The lighting solution for the square in Sarajevo is courtesy of Zumtobel and takes into account not only the ideal positioning of the lights, but also the key aspects of “Active Light”: The intensity, direction, color and duration of the light are tailored to human needs entirely in keeping with the “Human Scale Lighting”, and aim to counter light pollution at the same time. With natural light and its dynamics as a model, the existing ecosystem – which can be disrupted by artificial light – is also protected. The modular “Supersystem outdoor” family of luminaires from Zumtobel ensures the light is directed precisely: Multiple light tubes with different radiance characteristics are combined in one light. Clear focusing helps to avoid scattered light and achieves glare suppression. What’s more, lighting controls mean that the light strength and contrasts can be adjusted in a targeted way. A drone flight over the “Susan Sontag Square” enables us to observe the structure of the modular lighting family particularly well.
The “Nightsight” lighting solution, which was developed together with UNStudio’s Ben van Berkel, also solves complex lighting tasks in outdoor areas. Both vertical and horizontal surfaces can be illuminated homogeneously. With a selection of different light spreads, color temperatures and installation options, the subtle luminaires draw attention to the objects being presented without standing out themselves. In addition, deliberate accents are achieved by the range of “Nightsight” spotlights with “darkBeam” optic and an area luminaire with “softGlow” comfort optic. With the help of a focused lighting design, people are better able to perceive the spatial framework and thus the use of the nocturnal outside space.
