Abstract
Light and color are inseparable partners in the process of perception. Together with the perception of form, they become part of the overall picture. As with color and its effect on the human organism, light is also associated with many disciplines and fields, and the interrelated effects are highly complex. It touches on psychology and physiology, biology and visual ergonomics, medicine and chemistry, electrical engineering and physics; it plays a role in architecture and is synesthetically linked with the perception of sound, and directly or indirectly with climate. Light occurs naturally in the form of sunlight, but there are also many different artificial light sources. Natural sunlight represents the entire visible spectrum of electromagnetic radiation from approximately 380 to 780 nanometers. The quality of light in a given space depends on the relationship between its area and the size of the opening permitting light to enter, the location of the light source, its location in relation to the points of the compass, the distribution of light in the space, as well as the atmospheric conditions. Light is the most important quality in the interaction between people and their environment. During the course of the day, the angle of light changes, which changes its quality, and ultimately the way in which it is perceived.
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© 2007 Birkhäuser Verlag AG
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(2007). Light and Color. In: Color — Communication in Architectural Space. Birkhäuser Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8286-5_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8286-5_7
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser Basel
Print ISBN: 978-3-7643-7596-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-7643-8286-5
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