Home /Project 191

Project 191

back retaining wall at night

This is the view from the table. The varying illumination levels of the scene creates a 3 dimensional feeling.

statuary at night

You don't need bright lighting to call attention to garden art.

project 191 back porch at night

The downlighting on the picture window is a perfect compliment to the subtle accents around the grand back porch. Just the right ambiance for those intimate evenings with friends and family.

bay window at night

Downlighting has the advantage of washing a large area with a soft appealling light while accenting the objects directly beneath. Many enjoyable evenings can be had sitting at the table without feeling you are in the spotlight but there is sufficient lighting for pedestrian navigation.

retaining wall at night

This slide demonstrates a classic use of silhouetting by illuminating the retaining wall while not providing any foreground illumination. The form of the trees and shrubs are defined yet not detailed. The simplicity this effect offers creates interest because you don't have all the details. The dimensional layers are also very clear.

project 191 right view at night

From this view, it might be more clear why the front structural lighting had to be broken up into 11 zones.

porte cochere at night

The concept of dimension is better illustrated in this view of the porte cochere area. The foreground objects of the tree and structure facade are the most intense, the retaining wall behind the drive look further away as thee intensity is less and the tree line at the top of the picture has less illumination and therefore looks further away. The tree line actually has the highest wattage fixtures by far but they look furthest away because of the illumination level.

project 191 at night

Dimension at night is created when objects are lit in the foreground, mid-ground and background as it relates to the viewer. The amount of light at each position either adds to the perspective or detracts from it. If the intensity of foreground objects is too bright it has a tendency to collapse the dimensional effect. Here you can see the difference a conventional sconce with exposed light source can make in the overall appearance of a night scene. These sconces were added after the lighting system was installed to match the sconces on the house.

project 191 night view

Project 191 is a large structure with a lot of surfaces on different planes.  The front view here is segmented into 11 target zones, not counting any planted areas or plants. The contrasting surfaces present a challenge in that the highly reflective light surface can easily get washed out while trying to provide enough light for the darker brick. Part of the solution for this problem was to move the sources as far to the outside of the lighter target area as possible to dampen the effect over the lighter area and, at the same time, cast a heavier illumination on the darker brick surfaces. The upper gable areas were supplemented with narrow floods set back enough to create a pleasing effect that matched the overall light levels.

Uplighting the planting group on the right adds some dimension and balance to the night scene and provides an anchor to bracket the view.

Previous Pause Next
1 of 9