Constance, the night city: projects from the lecture and project series “Light and Shadow” at the College of Applied Science of Constance, Germany

The vivid blue of the sculpture “Imperia” in the harbour of Constance, Germany, and the green light for the Gondelhafen area of the harbour was part of the concept developed by students from the College of Applied Science of Constance, Germany.

As part of the project “Constance, the Night City”, students of the School of Architecture of the College of Applied Science at Constance, Germany, studied how artificial illumination as an instrument of design can modify urban locations generally considered to be too bright or too dark at night. The project was directed by Professor Myriam Gautschi and by the lighting designer Mario Rechsteiner, the assigned lecturer, from St. Gallen, Switzerland. The students conducted a survey of readers in the local newspaper, Südkurier, to identify and to select outdoor locations and situations with problematic lighting conditions in the downtown area of Constance. The student groups organized projects for three of these locations. The participants in the project presented the results of their work to the public in an evening event.

The activities conducted in the lecture and project series “Light and Shadow” by the College of Applied Science of Constance, Germany – undertaken by students pursuing a degree in architecture – are among the very few projects of their kind in which German students can directly realize their ideas in the form of concrete results – and in which they can critically analyze these results as part of an actual environment. Light as a fundamental element of architecture is an essential topic in college and university studies leading to this profession: after all, the dialogue between light and architecture significantly contributes toward human perception of rooms and buildings, as well as toward their user friendliness. Planning for the application of natural daylight, and planning of artificial illumination, play equally important roles in architectural lighting.

One of the essential aspects of the study of architecture is to impart an understanding for the interaction between light and architecture, and to heighten sensibility for the interplay among materials, colours, and illumination. Ideally, students who will eventually enter the profession of architecture will learn to keenly perceive the urgency of incorporating the element of light at an early stage in their future projects.

This article describes three projects realized by the students.