Lighting for History and Cultural Heritage
A recent New York Times article describes push back in Rome over LED street and area lighting.
"These horrible lights, mamma mia!" says Nathalie Naim, a municipal council member for the city of Rome.
Rome, Italy: Residents are concerned that LED lights are a detriment to the city's historical aesthetics. Color temperature and modern-looking fixtures seem to be the main areas of concern.
The city invested $52M in new LED municipal lighting.
Comparing new LED vs. previously installed "yellow sodium" streetlights:
- “candlelit dinner versus the frozen-food aisle of your local grocery store,”
- “They are assassins of the beauty of Rome, of its history.”
While North American cities don't have 2700-year old sculptures, monuments and architecture to highlight, this could be a lesson on how to balance modern lighting and energy needs with historic and architectural perspectives.
Lesson learned:
When changes occur to lighting, there will always be naysayers. Pleasing everyone is impossible. Situations like the one described in Rome bring the importance of professional collaboration to the forefront. Assemble the stakeholders and experts early in the project:
City architects and planners, energy managers, construction/maintenance personnel, finance teams must collaborate with expert lighting designers, landscape architects, historical preservationists and cultural heritage enthusiasts so that conflicts like the ones described in the Eternal City can be avoided or drastically minimized.