Urban Echoes 2013, Finland, Oulu
Communicative and interactive park lighting
A direct reference to the performing arts, light was chosen as the main medium to provide the neighbourhood with a visual identity. But the Luminous Pathway is more than just a luminous brand image: it also brings the Quartier’s public spaces to life with video projections and installations.
A direct reference to the performing arts and the incredible concentration of cultural venues in this one square kilometre area, light was chosen as the main medium to provide the Quartier des Spectacles with a visual identity and brand image. The Luminous Pathway comprises three different kinds of permanent projects.
Details
Building or project owner : Adaptive Urban Lighting project, Oulu School of Architecture, University of Oulu
Project artist/ concept/ design/ planning : Henrika Pihlajaniemi, Toni Österlund, Tuulikki Tanska, Aulikki Herneoja & Anniina Valjus, Adaptive Urban Lighting project, Oulu School of Architecture, University of Oulu
Light design : Henrika Pihlajaniemi, Toni Österlund & Tuulikki Tanska, Adaptive Urban Lighting project, Oulu School of Architecture, University of Oulu
Light hardware (LED hardware) : Philips, Fagerhult, Valopaa Oy
Lighting control software : VirtuAUL, Pharos Designer
Project co-ordination : Adaptive Urban Lighting project, Oulu School of Architecture, University of Oulu
Interaction design/ programming : Adaptive Urban Lighting project, Oulu School of Architecture & Multimedia systems course, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Oulu
Descriptions
Facade type and geometry (structure) : The installation was implemented with LED luminaires suspended above a path through the park and positioned on ground near trees and bushes. The suspended lighting fixtures were tightened with steel gables between the birch trees on the sides of the path. The luminaires on ground were situated in snow in plywood boxes covered with clear acrylic sheets.
Kind of light creation : The selection of lights consisted of RGB spotlights with varying beam angles and 3000K LED luminaires with efficient street lighting optics.
Resolution and transmitting behaviour : Low resolution - The park lighting was designed as a flexible system which was programmed to produce both even distributions of light and more uneven distributions consisting of different sized patches of light on the surface of the path. The lighting reacted to park visitors’ movements via a network of motion sensors, pursuant to control algorithms designed in the research project.
Pixel distance : 2 - 5 m
Luminace : Varying levels of brightnesses between low, medium and reasonably high levels - The lighting was operating both as functional lighting of the path making the moving safe for park visitors and as communicative and atmospheric lighting. The light levels varied according to the situation and use of park. When there were no passers-by in the alley, the light level was kept low to safe energy
Urban situation : The installation situated in Otto Karhi park in the core centre of Oulu, on a rather inactive park path. For a couple of months, the seldom-used park path transformed into an attractive urban space, where families had evening promenades, people were photographing and doing “cosplay”, having picnic by the path in the freezing temperature, or even dancing in the rhythm of light.
Description of showreel : Lights playing on the surfaces of the park path and the surrounding trees visualized the real-time activity levels of different districts in the city centre and categorized types of current events in Oulu.