360Photography

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

Access to natural daylight has long been one of the biggest limiting factors in building design – some solutions involve reflecting real daylight from the outdoors, but until now no solution has been able to mimic natural refraction processes and fool our minds into thinking we are surrounded by actual sunlight.

Developed by CoeLux in Italy, this new form of artificial light is able to dupe humans, cameras and computers alike using a thin coating of nanoparticules to simulate Rayleigh scattering, a natural process that takes place in Earth’s atmosphere causing diffuse sky radiation. It was not enough to make the lights brighter or bluer – variegation and other elements were needed as well.

The result is an effect that carries the same qualities we are used to experiencing outside, from color to light quality. The company also boasts that these photos are untouched and that their fake skylights in showrooms fool people in person just as effectively, appearing to have infinite depth just like one would expect looking up into the sky (James Turrell’s skyspaces and this work by Christo come to mind).

The potential applications are effectively endless, from lighting deep indoor spaces to replacing natural light in places where winters drag on and daylight hours are short. The company sees opportunities in areas like healthcare facilities where it may not be possible to put patients near real windows for spatial or health reasons.

Currently, three lighting types are on offer to simulate various broad regions – Mediterranean, Tropical and Nordic – featuring various balances of light, shade, hue and contrast. They are also working on additional offerings, including simulated daytime sequences (sunrise through sunset) and color variations to reflect different kinds of weather conditions.

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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