To allow further development of the idea that different lighting technologies enabled different design approaches to the integration and use of light in façade illumination, I will now reflect on floodlighting. Floodlighting In 1915 the electrical engineer Walter D’Arcy Ryan introduced “floodlighting” as a new approach to façade illumination at The Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Ryan stated (as cited in Plain, 2015): “contrary to general expectation, there will be no outlining of the Panama-Pacific Exposition buildings with incandescent lamps”. Light as a Spatial Condition
Floodlight allowed an “even illumination” of the building and a focus on the architecture, as lighting fixtures were separated from the architecture rather than being positioned on the façade. Another effect characteristic of Ryan’s designs were “luminous shadows”, which entailed additional corner illumination to avoid dark spots. The building Tower of Jewels, shown in figure 37, displayed these principles at the exposition. Advantages of this illumination technique as opposed to Stieringer’s technique were that buildings appeared more “three-dimensional” and “natural”. A disadvantage was that it could also result in over-illumination of the building (Nye, 1992, p. 63–66). By considering this approach towards façade illumination as Lichtarchitektur, I propose that not only the concept of Architekturlicht, but also the concept of Lichtarchitektur can be linked to the scale of the façade. While incandescent lighting technology inspired Stieringer to develop an design approach characterised by a matrix of light points, allowing an effect that accentuated existing architectural qualities, floodlighting gave Ryan new design opportunities, enabling him to separate the light from the building and illuminate it from a distance and allowing him to extend the existing qualities and make the building appear more three-dimensional. It also inspired him to combine floodlighting with effect lighting, using coloured filters or motors. The project Great Scintillator (fig. 39) is an example of this new design approach. Described as the exposition’s “splashiest illumination effect” and “fireless firework”, Great Scintillator consisted of floodlights with coloured filters and motors, allowing vertical and horizontal control of the light spots, as well as the control of colour (Plain, 2015).
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