Preliminary Discussion on Night Urban Lighting along Middle Hong Kong Road to Zhanqiao in Qingdao

Lv Lin

Abstract:Along with the acceleration of modernization construction in Qingdao, the process of night urban lighting project also speeds up. Especially, the night urban lighting along middle Hong Kong Road to Zhanqiao is most characteristic, which can prominently show the urban night lighting of Qingdao. Based on the night urban lighting along Middle Hong Kong Road to Zhanqiao, this paper mainly analyzed the architectural complex, flowing space and nightscape from the angle of aesthetics.

Keywords: Zone along Middle Hong Kong Road to Zhanqiao; Urban Lighting; Building Complex

CLC number:TU247.3Documentcode:AArticles ID:1005-5312(2009)21-

Beginning from 1980s, along with the acceleration of modernization construction in China, most cities are in the initial starting process of lighting projects and the process of night urban lighting project in Qingdao also speeds up. Especially, the night urban lighting along middle Hong Kong Road to Zhanqiao is most characteristic, which can prominently show the urban night lighting of Qingdao.

I. Building Lighting along Middle Hong Kong Road to Zhanqiao

1.1 Emphasize the Building Group Effects of Nightscape

Along middle Hong Kong Road to Zhanqiao, the high-rise buildings are close together and the shading is serious between each other. Except that the buildings at the zone boundary have the opportunity of lighting the whole elevation and structure, such as Sea Palace, most of others can only show the part of their buildings, or even just the top. On this account, when dealing with the building design in such region, it will need not to provide the lighting for the exterior structure of each building. Then we can choose some parts of the buildings to carry through the nightscape design; on the other hand, taking account of the nightscape structure from the angle of architectural complex, each building will be the factor of the composition and the part or component to be lightened will depend on the whole design concepts.

1.2 Stand out the Building Sight through Changes of Lighting Types

In the lighting design of the architectural nightscape, one important principle is to emphasize the top. There are numerous ways to stand out the topping sights. If the main body of the building has no setting of lighting or weak lighting effects, the effects of topping nightscape will be easily projected, since the comparison between the lighting and dim can cause the projecting effects. The topping landscape does not exist independently, which should be integrated with the main body. The effects can be achieved through the fading halo of the lighting projected by the single color, echoing to each other up and down. At the same time, we can have the aid of the structural features of the building to carry out the lighting design. For instance, by dint of the elevation stairway and top lighting to be treated as the composition elements of the building nightscape, we can form the effect of "exterior display of interior scene". Such a sort of special design of interior light transmission can give birth to the shape different from the one at daytime.

The different techniques can be applied in the lighting design to create the different effects. For example, the line lighting on the top of Shangri-La Hotel draws the outline of the building in the form of light spot and such easy and concise design can display the building top without any crudity. Since the topping nightscape has formed the relatively harmonious and perfect landscape map, there is no need to place farther lighting on the building elevation. In other words, it will be unsuitable to add the extra lighting element to disturb the composition of the topping scene. The relatively dark building body can preferably set off the topping scene and we only need to add some lighting on the corners of the buildings in place, in order to draw the outline of the building and show the approximate volume and size, which will realize some kind of balance between the top and bottom building nightscape, avoiding the top-heavy effect.

II. Design of Flowing Space Lighting

2.1 Lighting Design in Walking Space and Traffic Space

The lighting in the walking space requires considering the visual demands of walking. Besides the appropriate lighting on the ground, there should be no dark dead space but require the feasible space lighting. Furthermore, we should properly think about the distinct edge of roads, the signs on the pavement, road facilities and obstructions. If possible, we should try to visually separate the walkway and roadway, avoiding the mutual interference of the lighting in these two spaces.

The lighting on the roadway primarily offers the favorable visual condition for the vehicle drivers, which requires the functional properties of suitable road brightness, brightness uniformity, dazzling control and inductivity. In order to lay emphasis on the separation of walkway and roadway, we can place a row of sidewise lighting pillars at the boundary, which can not only provide the certain vertical illumination, being convenient for the facial feature recognition of people, but also offer the proper lighting on the ground, though not even, suitable for the passerby.

III. Design of Square Lighting

On an open and wide square, if there is no lighting, it will be dark around. Even though people psychologically know that the square ground should be flat and there will be no obstruction, they will still feel perplexed, without any sense of security, which will be adverse for people to carry out the activities freely. Then if there are some buried floor lights on such ground, composing the certain pattern, people will gain the seemly space perception on the square with the enclosed boundary. For instance, the sculpture on May Fourth Square is connected together with the peripheral building images through this open space. On such square, the ground becomes a necessary element. Due to the size dimension and wide degree between people, buildings and constructional works, people can sense the size and scale of the buildings, as well as the openness and closeness of the space. In the sun at daytime, the square is clear at a glance, but it can only rely on the reflection of the lighting to show this scene at night.

IV. Design of Night Landscape Lighting

In the design of the night landscape, if comprehensively considering the environmental factors of building, trees and water, it will be feasible to create the nightscape with varied forms and preferred integrity by making use of the differences in the shapes and lighting reflection. For instance, sea view building and turret can be treated as the core elements of the overall landscape and the nightscape can focus on the outstanding effects, namely lighting the structure of the turret in pursuit of the natural attraction of the sight. In this way, when people skimming over the overall landscape, they will tend to localize the sight on the turret. When lighting on the front trees, the back ones will be hidden in the shadow. The obscurity will leave the imaginary space to the human. The water has no special lighting, which can display the reflection of turret and trees preferably, keeping off the negative effects caused by the overmuch lighting.

References:

[1]Li Tienan. Originality and Design of Landscape Lighting. China Machine Press

[2]Wang Xiaoyan. Planning and Design of Urban Night Landscape. Southeast University Press