In this bonus episode Jackson and Antony depart from Aalto that was discussed in last episode and discuss the role of daylight design in contemporary buildings.  We venture into the meaning of architecture, the art of daylighting and the rise of electric lighting to satisfy people’s needs for light and control in spaces.  The future of daylight might be less obvious as lighting design and lighting controls give greater certainty to lighting outcomes.  But can electric lighting ever give us what daylight gives us in architecture?  Find out what Jackson and Antony think will be the future of lighting design and architecture in the 21st century.

Light: Cities and Architecture

Beyond Alvar Aalto - The future of natural light within a world of electrified architecture.

In this episode Jackson and Antony look at the work of Alvar Aalto.  Specifically, we look at his library buildings and the relationship to lighting design and daylight.  Aalto’s work spans over 5 decades and each of his library buildings we see an evolution of the way he uses daylight to create spaces.  We explore the influences of luminaire design on his architecture and how he created a model of nature and the environment that inspired his interior architecture.

Alvar Aalto - A master of natural and electric light in architecture.

In Episode 5 Antony and Jackson delve into the delights and mysteries of the night time sky and the impact that light pollution is having on our connection to the stars and colours of the sky at night.  Since the advent of electric lighting and urbanisation of our cities we have slowly filled our cities with more and more outdoor electric lights.  Increasingly we rely on lighting, advertising, technology for entertainment, human connection and storytelling.  However, our evolution has for millennia relied on the simple day night rhythm that is deeply embedded in our DNA.  By removing darkness from our lives, we lose connection to our spiritual lives, we affect our physical and mental health and we impact flora and fauna to a frightening extent.  In this our (difficult) fifth episode Jackson and Antony once again attempt to navigate the impact of abundant electric lighting in our cities.  We delve into the consequences of losing the night from our lives and what it might mean for we humans.

24-hour cities: Disappearance of the night-time sky.

In episode 4, we explore the daylight in the urban context of big cities and the backlash that happens when we build tall buildings in close proximity.  The urban realm at ground level is compromised and the effects are felt for generations.  New York has progressively tried to provide planning regulations to limit the effect of daylight at ground level and the story of New York involves those who wish to see development thrive and those who want to see the public realm retained as a livable healthy place for people to thrive.

New York City's Fight for Light - Urban Planning and Daylight

Podcast 3 explores the origins of Christmas lighting. There are many interpretations of how the Christmas tradition evolved, and what most of these versions have in common is that Christmas came about as a way of bringing people together during the coldest & darkest days of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. In this episode Antony and Jackson discuss how the traditions have been adopted by different communities all over the world, the rivalries between neighbours that play out during this time, and how the advent of electricity transformed the celebration into a cacophony of glowing light.

Christmas Lighting Special

Podcast 2 ventures into the birthplace of lighting design.  Antony and Jackson discuss three important figures in the history of Lighting Design.  Mies Van de Rohe, Philip Johnson and Richard Kelly.  With the arrival of glass boxes in the mid 20th Century – lighting faced some new difficulties and challenges.  How exactly does one light a glass box reveals the importance of lighting design to solve problems that architects had previously never encountered before.  While the work of Mies and Johnson is revered – it is Kelly who is relatively unknown outside of lighting circles – who resolved the detail resolution of lighting space and architecture to create a wholly new discipline of design.

Richard Kelly, Mies Van de Rohe & Philip Johnson - The birth of architectural lighting design.

Hi and welcome to first LC&A podcast presented by Antony DiMase and Jackson Stigwood. In this episode we start at the very beginning and explore the historical relationship between light and architecture. The journey then continues through the introduction of electricity to cities and the commercialization of the incandescent bulb. Moving into the 20th century we discuss various forms of lamp technology and the social impact it has had on cities around the world. We conclude by taking a brief look at what our cities look like today and what they may be like in the future.  

Light: Cities & Architecture Podcast Introduction

Light: Cities and Architecture is an exploration of architecture and urban design since the invention of electric lighting around the end of the 19th century. The aim of the podcast is to explore how developments in lighting technology have influenced the built environment. As well we will look at key figures in both lighting design and architecture to best understand the interrelationship between these industries. The podcast is based on individual research by Jackson Stigwood a lighting designer from A Billion Suns and Antony DiMase a practicing architect at DiMase Architects.

hubhopper

Light: Cities and Architecture

hubhopper