ENcounter - O'Fallon, Missouri

Let me start by saying that I don't want to be hyper-critical of anyone's lighting design. Hindsight is, they say, 20/20. And I'm sure I have some examples on someone's "bad lighting application" list somewhere! But the fact remains that we can learn from observing the spaces that we encounter on a daily basis.

This is a small civil war memorial in a park-like setting at a condominium complex near my home. It is nicely landscaped and has benches for rest and contemplation. During the daytime it is inviting, and - more importantly - visible. I typically see it when I drive by at 35mph on the adjacent road.

---

But at night when the lights are supposed to be doing the job of helping us see, the statue virtually disappears. From the drive-by view, all that remains is the glare of the bollards.

---

As a lighting designer, I would recommend just some in-landscape accent lights on the statue and some additional lighting at the stairs. The lighting on the statue would both illuminate the statue and provide comfortable ambient light for the sidewalk and seating area. Here's where it gets really interesting. The bollards that were actually used to light the area typically cost several hundred dollars each. So the designed solution would have cost less and provided better illumination. Think about that before saying you can't afford a lighting designer on your next project!