Methodological approach to creating an urban lighting atmosphere with regard to human needs

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to assess how lighting correlates with human needs and emotions and to examine the implications for lighting design. The complex variables of urban lighting include practical, social, cultural and semantic elements of the urban environment. The research identified the most promising opportunities for using lighting technologies responsive to the basic levels of the human need for lighting. The dynamics of ?LIGHT-VIEWERATMOSPHERE? were applied in order to explore critical areas of interdependence. To determine the most critical areas, the hierarchical principles of A. H. Maslow?s pyramid of needs were adapted and applied to the data. The authors studied the interaction between the viewer and light technologies in order to determine the most likely enhancements to the emotional impact of lighting. The ?Expanded hierarchy of needs with regard to the presence of light? illustrates the issues considered here. The classification of societal needs is based on an analysis of the emotional impact of examples of lighting solutions in architectural environments within a clear social context. A morphological analysis was carried out using the cross-consistency assessment method (CCA). Criteria for evaluating the effects of light were considered on 4 basic levels of needs following Maslow?s pyramid configuration.