Recherche qualitative des enjeux de la mise en lumière urbaine : création d’un modèle opératoire pour la conception des projets d’éclairage

This study examines urban lighting, its conception and complexity. The study explores the operational mechanisms of lighting design projects, through an analysis and understanding of this type of project. Issues of urban lighting are studied to understand how these are perceived from different perspectives, including urban design, the environment, culture, visual communication, as well as the perception of various actors and their practices. This empirical research uses a qualitative research approach to understand the different meanings of light as a phenomenon and how these meanings are used within the creation of real projects.   The fundamental question asked is what constitutes an appropriate lighting approach for urban lighting design in the context of an urban milieu? How does a project evolve from conception to final  realisation? Who are the different actors and what are their perceptions of a lighting design project? The study investigates how professionals create lighting projects and how these get realised, through a complex understanding of multiple factors. The literature review explores different theories and meanings of light as a phenomena and how these become a catalyst to creating interpretations when designing in the urban milieu.   The research proceeds with case studies and work experiences that demonstrate the complexities inherent in conceiving lighting projects. A complex research approach was used that integrates phenomenological and “Grounded theory” methods with case study analysis. This qualitative approach allows for an understanding of both the complexity in this type of projects and a perspective from the various players. Data is collected to combine practices from the field with the perception of this practice by the actors in lighting design. First, case studies both from urban sites and from lighting sites were used to situate the theoretical ideas explored. Second, the methodology included case study data collection and interviews with professionals who work on urban lighting projects. This data is collected using action research and semi-directed interviews to collect data about how the actors perceive their own activities.  The analysis includes both interpretive and grounded theory methods. The data is analysed incorporating an interpretative approach, to determine the convergent and the divergent points between the theorical issues defined before and the issues defined after by the research on the field. This comparison will permit us to create an interpretation of the complexity of the issues of the urban lighting design, both from a theorical and a practical point of view.   The results show how the complexity of lighting as a phenomenon demands complex tools for the conception and realisation of lighting projects. The emergent phenomenon from the analysis help to create a proposed model that shows these different complexities as an integrated system. This system could be used as a guide to understand the mechanisms which work from the point of the context, the actors, the means and the issues of the projects. The final theoretical model proposed suggests a way to understand this complexity of the urban lighting design project, what different elements constitute these projects, their roles and their inter-relationships. This model helps to form a basis for what determines the quality of a lighting design project and could be used as a tool for lighting professionals.   This study contributes to providing a methodological and analytical guideline and reveals the importance of the lighting design phenomenon by questioning these activities linked to the industrial design, architecture and urbanism. Finally, we return back to the idea of what constitutes “good lighting” through an analysis comparing the theory to what actually occurs in the field.

Keyphrases: vision perception, light design, urban landscape, urban lighting, light environment, vision perception, urban planning, lighting design, lighting phenomenon, qualitative approach, action research, grounded theory