Lighting with Character: Lighting strategies for public Spaces in Copenhagen - City Center vs. Ørestad

Gomez Palacios, Francisca

4. Term

Lighting Design

2025

2025-05-26

61 pages

This thesis investigates how lighting can be used as a design tool to transform underutilized public spaces into socially vibrant, emotionally resonant environments after dark. Focusing on Bella Park in Ørestad, Copenhagen, the study explores how the absence of human-scaled, character-driven lighting contributes to the perception of the park as a transitory, disconnected space. Through a combination of literature review, expert interviews, resident surveys, site analysis, and comparative observation with Copenhagen’s historic city center, the project identifies key spatial and atmospheric challenges related to flow, scale, and function. The research proposes three targeted lighting strategies: gathering geometry, which introduces circular lighting forms to reduce excessive flow and encourage social presence; warm color temperature, to create a more comfortable and slowerpaced nighttime environment; and function-specific lighting, to support distinct activities such as play, rest, and nature engagement. Together, these strategies form a scalable, adaptable design approach that reimagines lighting as a catalyst for belonging, identity, and behavioral change. By grounding design in both theory and real-world analysis, this thesis demonstrates that lighting (when shaped with character) can do more than illuminate. It can evoke atmosphere, guide interaction,

Urban lighting ; public space ; lighting design ; human-centered design ; spatial comfort ; light contrast ; Ørestad ; Copenhagen ; Lighting Character

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