Views on ancient lighting

Modelling lighting devices and their effects in architecture

Authors

Keywords:

luminaire modelling, Artificial illumination, Lychnology, Lighting simulation

Abstract

Lighting is the practise of the deliberate, often combined, utilisation of daylight and other lighting devices to illuminate the human environment. Its effects can be reconstructed employing computational simulation from archaeological evidence, the findings of historical building research, and other sources. Methods of describing flames as the primary source of pre-modern artificial lighting in lighting simulation have to be developed. Exemplary lighting devices and research questions with regards to their interplay with their architectural contexts are discussed. The paper presents preliminary results and lines of thought emerging from the authors’ ongoing interdisciplinary research in lighting devices, lighting practice, and its effects on pre-modern architecture.

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Published

2025-01-09