Urban Illumination
Human social lives, when viewed from past to present, have been influenced by various factors such as technology, the Renaissance, and art. Human life was often limited to the extent that sunlight allowed, but with the advent of electricity, people were observed to stay up longer and participate in various activities. This, with the invention of electricity, gave birth to a new social life. Stories or conversations told at home by candlelight, chats in public spaces within the city with kerosene lamps, and later, social activities in areas illuminated by the city's lighting. Thanks to illumination, people gradually increased their possible activities, which led to the advancement of electricity and its emergence as one of the most important fields today. The aim of urban lighting is to make the city more livable, allowing its inhabitants to be comfortable and to increase the city's global value. When we look at the first urban lighting, it was merely an effort to illuminate the maximum area, but this situation gradually changed, and the idea of creating a modern image, a work of art, was added to this purpose.
Architectural Lighting Distinction
Once it was understood that cities could have an identity through their lighting systems, illumination systems were developed for various purposes such as preparing the city for night tourism, activating nightlife, drawing attention to important places within the city, highlighting ruins and architectural structures, and providing better living standards for residences. This practice, especially following the path of exterior architects, landscape architects, and environmental engineers, has led to the formation of lighting companies in this field today. Lighting is divided into two categories: architectural and functional. Functional lighting refers to illumination studies conducted to maximize the benefit from the relevant area. Architectural lighting, on the other hand, aims to bring important values such as works of art and engineering structures into prominence. These types of works are carried out with systems called LEDs, which have high luminous efficacy. Although this concept cannot be widely applied yet, despite the fact that strip LED prices are still high, its first traces are seen in Istanbul. The efforts of the local administration, which wants to best reflect the works of the Ottoman Empire, have succeeded in bringing out the city's identity. The recent work on the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge can be given as an example of this.
