The architectural competition
To paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield, "Lighting don't get no respect".
Whatever architectural design is made, Good Lighting should be included early on, not as an afterthought. Lighting is essential to see or do anything. It is the easiest of the disipclines with which to conserve energy, enhance design, increase productivity, safety security, personal comfort, sales, attendance, generate support and PROFIT.
Howevere, unless it is coordinated with all other systems - HVAC, life safety, communications, etc. - it will be obtrusive and hasten disintegration of the fugtive organic materials (anything that once grew) that are components of the building and its contents.
Introduction of modern lighting into historic structures never originally having artificial illumination, CAN be done on time, on budget and sensitive to original design and fabric.
Often, while decorative features are well done, there is an awful lot of bad lighting in historic venues. Sloth (too lazy to do it right), Ignorance (they don't know that they don't know), and Greed are some of the reasons. Practical education in how to do right is the solution.
Moreover, an Arts Center has to combine architectural with theatrical illumination carefully. No one type/style lighitng fits all. Therefore, only if ALL the most energy-efficient technologies BEST SUITED TO THE PARTICULAR APPLICATION are known and used, can sustainable, affordable, acceptable illumination be created within the increasing energy conservation regulations.
The exciting new Organic LEDs, and dependable glass fibre optics (GFO) functional architectural ligihting (still the most sustainable energy-efficient method) are two source/systems used internationally.
