Reply To: Defacing Buildings with Lighting

😀 The BOI should be lit in pure white light from behind the columns instead of the nasty sodium, indeed they should consult with Trinity on matching white schemes for the benefit of College Green at large. Also those distant spots that blast the portico with white light almost to melting point should also be toned down. This is a far superior way of lighting pediments from an architectural perspective, instead of sticking equipment infront of, or on top of the very features being illuminated – another example being Gandon’s niches under the House of Lords portico which could do without a floodlight nestling in each!

There is no doubting that the Westin looks great at night, indeed it is one of the few buildings where so many spotlights work well, and its corner site is perfect for a night-time ‘set-piece’, but the shiny silver spots against the red stone facade during the day are too much, directly beneath many fine carved pieces. The floodlights on the Portland stone facades are much more discreet however, sited on cills etc.
My main concern though is the silver strips on other buildings, where they almost become part of the architecture by following string courses and mouldings, but destroying the delicacy and lightness of the carving in the process. I know I’m sounding petty, but it’s largely cause I can’t remember the terrible jobs I’ve seen about the place! Must start taking notes…