Lightscape : A case study of an experience based terminology

Abstract: Architectural lighting design is created to serve human needs. The human needs are constantly present and evaluated in all architectural light design-disciplines, such as natural and artificial light, interior- and exterior-wise, it highlights the human response and thereof the perceived experience. The standardized terminology does not declare the human response in terms of perceived experience. Another field of knowledge with both scientific and experience features are acoustics, where the different features are equally present and developed when designing. The fundamental difference between light and sound is that light is perceived by the vision and sound is perceived by hearing. Also, within the field of acoustics there is a well-developed terminology used for describing the perceived experiences of sound. The experience-based terminology explains how a certain environment is understood by those who is living within it and it is called “Soundscape”. The terminology soundscape and what it entails is what the lighting industry is missing in terms of describing the perceived experience of architectural light. The aim with the study was to explore the perceptual experiences of spatiality and develop the ability to create an architectural lighting design and hence an experience based language. In this study, the concept of perceived experience of spatial light denotes attentive observed light, which all of the widened terminologies with concepts and methods implies. However, little is explained about the spatial context and thereof the coherent perceived experience in today’s standards. Standards provide a foundation for concepts to establish and be communicated across disciplines. However, by raising mutual awareness of different approaches there is a great opportunity to constantly create a living language. A living language enables possibilities when considering how to turn, twist and share ideas of what has been done before and what can be developed. The study did not only consider the creation of a living language, but it also tracks the process of translating the very abstract source of information into a physical presence, in other words the physical demonstration of a concepts meaning. A living language is a shared language which is created by movements that is turning ourselves to each other. By breaking through a surface, there is a possibility of reconstructing where we are collectively and we are able to have a shared language through shared experiences.