ABSTRACT
So far we have considered daylighting and electric lighting of interiors. This chapter
reviews night-time lighting of the exterior of buildings and of the areas surrounding them.
Electric lamps cannot match the sun and sky in power and size as light sources, so it is
rarely the aim of night-time lighting to mimic the daylight appearance of a building or a
street. The natural appearance is essentially different, as is evident in Figures 12.1 and
12.2: direct light tends to come from below rather than above; the sources are small
points; there is negligible interreflected light; there can be sources of light on the building
itself that are strong in comparison with the ambient light; and the sources can be brightly
coloured. Exterior lighting gives scope for new creativity, the opportunity to design in
light and colour on a scale that extends from the distant view of a town to the close detail
of the building fabric.
