going dark // abbadia a isola

2023
monteriggioni, abbadia a isola

Traverso Vighy and Light Collective jointly organized a workshop in the heart of Tuscany to exploring lighting design for heritage spaces that also enable us to preserve darkness and the view of the night sky.

The event took place in Monteriggioni, a medieval castle town along the Via Francigena pilgrim track connecting Canterbury to Rome and 3km further along the rural track is the monastery village of Abbadia a Isola. This tiny village is a heritage preserve and the focus of the workshop is to help create the right lighting approach throughout.

The event comprises a number of objectives including a workshop/living lab scenario where participants were able to work together on site to create concepts to share with the local municipality that demonstrate a responsible approach to lighting. There was an opportunity to learn about the history of the village, to discover and view the night sky with a local astronomy group, explore how to design in this kind of environment with its inherent issues and also to learn about exemplar projects, technology and case studies.  Participants were able to concretely play with light and luminaires, learning about glare control, proper optics, appropriate colour temperature, dimming and control thus expanding their lighting portfolio and producing a concept in a team for a site that will be presented to the local municipality to demonstrate exemplar lighting.

The event aims to raise awareness about light pollution and promote responsible lighting practices. Also to encourage individuals and organizations to take steps to reduce light pollution by using appropriate lighting fixtures, reducing unnecessary outdoor lighting and understanding about the negative impacts of light pollution on wildlife, human health and the environment.

client

Comune di Monteriggioni

design team

Traverso-Vighy architetti
Light Collective

photo credits

Matteo De Bernardini