Astrolab du parc national du Mont-Mégantic
Light pollution

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Highlighting architectural and natural heritage
     

Lighting design evolved in Europe towards the end of the 1980's. This new discipline takes a comprehensive view to exterior night lighting. Instead of uniform and strong illumination, accent lighting produces an ambiance and images that respect the nocturnal environment.

Thus, planners take moderate lighting and use it to design imaginative lighting that:

  1. offers improved visual comfort;
  2. consumes a minimum of energy;
  3. does not create light pollution.

This type of management can therefore protect the starry sky and highlight the nocturnal landscape at the same time, to the delight of all.

Highlighting of architectural patrimony often involves the illumination of facades. In the IDSR territory, facades should be illuminated by light gently falling from luminaires that are attached to the building. The desired result is soft, weak-intensity and controlled lighting.

 
     

In the municipality of Scotstown, promotion of the architectural heritage favours interior lighting, which avoids creating any light pollution. This approach effectively integrates the architecture into the nocturnal landscape and sends a message of welcome.

The use of blue light adds a touch of colour and is justified symbolically. Blue is associated with the sacred and meditation and so is the ideal colour to highlight stained glass windows in churches.

Source: Graph Synergie Inc.

 
     
     

The photo above represents a simulation of illumination of the Scotstown dam falls. Here, the lighting is also aimed towards the ground.

The nocturnal ambiance of the village is mainly provided by the roadway illumination and a few residential luminaires. This rural environment is much darker than in urban situations and so luminaires do not need to be intense to be noticed.

Source: Graph Synergie Inc.