The facade is the face of every building! No one is surprised by this statement. However, it is surprising to see how different this face can be in the dark. There is no doubt that it looks different at night. The question is, should it be welcoming, spectacular, beautiful and stylized or is it better to remain hidden in the darkness. We would say that the only reason a beautiful building should remain dark at night is if the other option is to be poorly lit! In two words – a definite YES to the facade lighting, but not if it is such that is done for the sake of having the bare minimum! The lighting of the facade should be consistent with the history and significance of the building, consider the surrounding landscape, the lighting should not disturb people and perhaps most important – reveal details and elements that are not visible during the day and that give a more different look of the building during the dark part of the day, in sync with all the other things listed earlier in this sentence. All in all, a tough job, but still possible, of course. Another important point in such lighting is the installation work. If the architects, designers or project manager have planned in advance the necessary installation works, the way of installation and even the spare extra units, things will be much easier. The last thing is very important, because facade lighting fixtures are usually specific, require time to manufacture and deliver, and the availability of additional fixtures can be important in view of the future operation of the lighting system and the quick response to replace even one fixture. It’s a puzzle and missing even one piece definitely ruins the look.
Summary: The beauty of facade lighting is something that requires a creative process combined with technical knowledge and experience to achieve. When these things are not available, the result is not good. Last but not least, the first step in the process is always the desire of the team and its motivation to make the building facade spectacular and good-looking.
