Sustainable exterior lighting for cultural heritage buildings and monuments

Kobav, Matej Bernard (author), Eržen, Matic (author), Bizjak, Grega (author)

The improper illumination of cultural heritage buildings and monuments can be a source of enormous light pollution, which can have a major impact on the overall environment of the illuminated area. Such lighting can be the result of carelessness or a poorly designed lighting system. This paper presents one of the methodologies that can significantly reduce light pollution, especially spilt light out of building façades. The methodology is based on using luminaires with specially made shutters and an appropriate silhouette of the object. The shutters are designed with the help of photos of the object and the location’s sizes measured. The methodology was tested during the renovation of the lighting systems of different churches in Slovenia and is described using the example of the Church of St. Thomas near Ptuj, Slovenia (N 46°28.9554′, E 16°0.7416′). The results show that the methodology is effective and can significantly reduce light pollution that occurs when such buildings are incorrectly lit.

• Language: English
• Keywords: light pollution, silhouette, shutter, cultural heritage lighting, optimized exterior lighting
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FE - Faculty of Electrical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 15 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 18, art. 10159
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-136097
• UDC: 628.971
• ISSN on article: 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su131810159
• COBISS.SI-ID: 76161027
• Publication date in RUL: 12.04.2022

KOBAV, Matej Bernard, ERŽEN, Matic and BIZJAK, Grega, 2021, Sustainable exterior lighting for cultural heritage buildings and monuments. Sustainability [online]. 2021. Vol. 13, no. 18,  10159. [Accessed 25 April 2025]. DOI 10.3390/su131810159. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=136097

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Sustainability
• Shortened title: Sustainability
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2071-1050
• COBISS.SI-ID: 5324897

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 10.09.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: svetlobno onesnaženje, silhueta, zaslonka, osvetlitev kulturnih spomenikov, optimalna zunanja razsvetljava

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0356
• Name: Elektroenergetski sistemi