Landscape lighting

LANDSCAPE LIGHTING

HIMANSHU YOGIHUMAYUN IMRANRAHUL BHAUMIK SIDDHARTH MATHUR

LANDSCAPE LIGHTING*Landscape lighting has excessive potential to enhance the landscape and provides many benefits for both residential and commercial applications.

*Landscape lighting can add safety, security, ambiance, mood and drama to the outdoor environment. Limited only to the designers imagination, the practical functions and various mood effects of landscape lighting are endless.

1 SAFETY. One of the primary functions of exterior lighting is to insure safe passage for pedestrians on steps, sidewalks, walkways or other areas where aspects of the outdoor environment may become a hazard at night. Safety lighting typically projects downward and never into ones eyes and is free from glare.

2SECURITY. Low levels of light evenly spread around the perimeter of buildings can act as a preventive to intruders and provide greater security than floods which create pools of light along with dark shadows where someone can hide. Light sources that emit low level light from the knee down silhouette prowlers and make them visible from every angle.

3AMBIANCE AND DRAMA. Beauty, hospitality and drama are enhanced by the proper selection and placement of landscape lights. Choosing focal points of architecture, art, unique features and landscape plant material can add night time drama to the landscape after the sun has set.

LANDSCAPE LIGHTING

LIGHTING TECHNIQUES

1. Path Lighting

*This technique is used primarily for safety to highlight sidewalks, drives, or any path to ensure safe pedestrian passage at night.

*Choose pathway lights offering downlighting with emphasis placed on fixtures that incorporate diffused or shielded lamps.

*Avoid lighting that shines in the eyes. Since path light fixtures become an integral part of the landscape during the day, attention should be paid to placement and daytime appearance.

*Typical fixtures: mushrooms, tulip light, lantern, specialty lights

2.Step / deck Lighting

*Step lighting brings deck to life in night and help us to navigate stairs safely during night.

*Its fixtures can be installed beneath benches, as recessed light in the risers of step and as a surface lights on vertical posts.

*Typical fixtures: spot/accent light, specialty lights

3.underwater Lighting

*Underwater lighting highlights underwater plant material and captures light to show off depth or imaginative design.

* Illuminating water-bodies not only increase their attractiveness but also ensures safety in dark.

*Cascading fountains and falls reflect light in their movement adding a visual perspective to the sound of rippling or spraying water.

4. UP Lighting

* Uplighting means to light something from below.

*Uplighting is rarely seen in nature yet this effect is typically used to highlight the trees, statues etc.

* and to produce large shadows and dramatic facades or to “wash” walls with light.

5. down Lighting

*Mirroring the effect of the sun or the moon, downlighting is the most natural form of

landscape lighting.

*Choose fixtures that can easily be mounted on eaves and walls or suspended from trees and other elevated structures.

*The Downlighting effect is used to provide general illumination for safety, security or outdoor entertainment or it can be used to focus on a singular object such as a statue or specimen tree.

6. Architectural Lighting

*The techniques of architectural lighting are used to emphasize the variation in texture as well as architectural features in brick and stone work, soffit details and facade.

*Architectural lighting can also be used to enhance gateways, statues

Architectural Lighting

This effect utilizes a narrow focused, deep beam of light to accent or highlight a specific landscape object creating nighttime main point. Uplighting, downlighting or any combination can be used to create a spotlighting effect; however, care should be given when spotlighting since it has so much potential of ruining a subtle beauty and enhancement of the nightscape if too much light is introduced.

Spotlighting or Highlighting

*Spotlighting or Highlighting* Silhouetting* Shadowing* Grazing Light

Grazing light is utilized to highlight and enhance the textures of interesting surfaces such as cobblestone, masonry, stucco or tree bark. Hooded fixtures with wide beam spread lamps are ideal for this technique.

This effect creates a visual similar to silhouetting; however; the fixture is positioned in front of the plant or object rather than behind it. Since the shadow of the object is often magnified the effect can be more dramatic than silhouetting.

Silhouetting is created when the image of a distinctive plant, tree, statue or other landscape object is reflected against a wall or other vertical surface. Lights are placed behind the plant material or object to and direct the light upward onto the backdrop to create this dramatic effect.

Silhouetting

Shadowing

Grazing Light

LIGHTING fixtures

1. Solar Lights

* Solar lights make use of tiny photo voltaic cells (PV cells) or solar powered cells to charge the battery that is integrated into lighting fixtures.

* Most manufactures prefer to install PV cell into the lighting fixture itself. These can’t work if they are placed in shade.

* Other solar landscaping models tend to separate the PV panel from the lighting fixture. Thus the PV panel will be able to receive maximum sunlight. Drawback is that wire have to be buried.

With PV panel

Without PV panel

A long straight tube coated with phosphor containing low pressure mercury that produces white light.

High pressure incandescent lamps containing halogen gases such as iodine or bromine allowing filament to be operated at higher temperatures.

4. LuminaireA complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp, ballast as required with the parts designed to distribute the light, position and protect the lamp and connect them to power supply.

2. fluorescent Lights

3. halogen Lights

5. neon Lights

6. Light emitting diodes (led)

*Light emitting diodes (led) are tiny light bulbs without filament that are illuminated solely by the movements of electrons in a semiconductor material.

*Earlier only halogen or fluorescent lamps could provide the punch, color, and energy savings for certain landscape applications, LEDs are now available with these important attributes, as well as added benefits of very long life and durability.

* Neon lighting consists of brightly glowing, electrified glass tubes or bulbs that contain rarefied neon or other gases.

* Neon lights are a type of cold cathode gas-discharge light. A neon tube light is a sealed glass tube with a metal electrode at each end, filled with one of a number of gases at low pressure.

*Neon lights were named for neon, a noble gas which gives off a popular red light, but other gases and chemicals are used to produce other colors, such as helium (yellow), carbon dioxide (white), and mercury (blue).

References--www.bculick.com-thelandscapelightingsite.com-LED LANDSCAPE LIGHTING GUIDE