LUCE estratti LUCE 325 _Calatroni_Pietro Palladino | Page 7

F
or Pietro Palladino, light is not just lighting.
Lighting engineering was born at the
beginning of the century with only two purposes:
ensure good vision and reduce energy use.
Nowadays, we know that visual perception
depends on a complex and interconnected system
that is related to all five senses. Lighting is not
just about seeing and it is not just about energy
saving, but the current approach does not differ
much from that of the beginning of the century.
This is true for many projects designed only
“for the rules”: the numbers add up, but the
lighting is not right. Sometimes it can create
discomfort. It is very common to come across
situations in which the lighting is random,
untidy, un-ergonomic, annoying, inappropriate,
unpleasant, inadequate, and frankly irrational.
Therefore, a legitimate need arises: making these
topics easier to understand, for those who
propose it – directly or indirectly – and for those
who use it. In other words, we must create
a culture of lighting design.
good “concept”, to be implemented, involves
the appropriate use of techniques and
technologies. But the opposite is also true: a good
lighting cannot exist without a good “concept”.
Sometimes, even if you have a good “concept”,
the result won’t live up to the expectations
because it lacks sustainability.
Where do you get inspiration from when you
tackle a project: from the observation of the place
or from the feelings that it transmits to you?
First of all, the project starts from the knowledge
of the light’s potential. When you want to create
a specific scene, or well-defined visual patterns,
you mentally imagine some situations that
can generate particular emotions or “feelings”.
All this must be validated by sustainability.
We should observe, analyse the place and
evaluate sustainable solutions. In other words, a The Duomo (the Milan Cathedral) and the Sesto
San Giovanni Church designed by Cino Zucchi;
the same function, with diametrically opposed
architectures. What approach did you take
to design the light?
The churches are always characterized by a dual
function. They are places of worship and
monuments at the same time. Leaving aside the
building, some of them could also be considered
real museums. The lighting design is done in such
a way as to privilege sometimes one function,
sometimes the other. In the case of the Duomo,
it is the only “living” Gothic cathedral: the
Candoglia quarry still provides the marble to build
those pieces that, if necessary, will replace the
original ones, because they are structurally
damaged. The main objective was to show the
constructive complexity and the characteristics
of a majestic and still alive architecture to about
five million visitors coming every year from all
over the world to admire a unique work. Using
advanced technologies, it is also possible to
manage the lighting for religious functions and
special events: you can turn on and off, or adjust,
the approximately 900 installed projectors, simply
by touching icons on a tablet.
Pietro Palladino è un ingegnere
elettrotecnico, titolare dello studio
Ferrara Palladino e Associati che
a Milano opera nel campo del light
design sin dal 1990. È professore
al Politecnico di Milano presso le Scuole
di Architettura e del Design
e docente del Master “Lighting Design
& Technology”, Poli.Design Milano.
È inoltre consulente tecnico per
amministrazioni pubbliche, aziende
costruttrici e aziende di servizi del
settore. È stato presidente dell’APIL
(1998-2004) e direttore scientifico della
rivista Luce & Design (2003 -2013).
Autore e curatore di numerose
pubblicazioni sull’illuminazione, tra
le quali: Lezioni di illuminotecnica
(Tecniche Nuove 2003); Manuale di
illuminazione (a cura di P. Palladino,
Tecniche Nuove 2005); Manuale di
Lighting Design (Tecniche Nuove 2018). Pietro Palladino is an electrical
engineer and owner of the Ferrara
Palladino e Associati studio, which has
been working in the light design field in
Milan since 1990. He is professor at the
Faculties of Architecture and Design of
the Politecnico di Milano, and at the
"Lighting Design & Technology" Master
of the Poli.Design Milan. Beside his
design activity, he works as a technical
consultant for public administrations,
constructing companies and services
companies of the sector. He was
president of APIL (1998-2004) and
scientific director of the magazine Luce
& Design (2003 -2013). Author and
editor of numerous lighting books,
including: Lezioni di illuminotecnica
(Tecniche Nuove 2003); Manuale di
illuminazione (edited by P. Palladino,
Tecniche Nuove 2005); Manuale di
Lighting Design (Tecniche Nuove 2018)
At the Poldi Pezzoli Museum you dealt with the
most different materials, supports and works:
from precious metals to paintings and ceramics.
Would you tell us about this project?
It is one of the most complete and sophisticated
projects I have ever faced. The Poldi Pezzoli is
a house-museum, a place where many different
exhibition situations coexist. The boundary
conditions are different, room by room, and the
objects on display are of every type. We started
from the idea of studying a mechanical system
able to provide the necessary flexibility and opted
for the use of composite materials to lessen the
weights. The devices have been designed to emit
a radiant flux with variable spectrum, using a
custom four-channel mix. The Poldi Pezzoli’s
solutions and technologies for lighting have made
it possible to create a system that can be
considered a milestone in LED museum lighting.
In Milan, for the Holocaust Memorial you used
a “harsh” light, like the history of the place.
Why did you make this choice?
In some areas of the Museum the light is
distressing, detached, sharp, insufficient,
annoying. It is an emulation of the dim light
of filament lamps screwed into porcelain
reflectors suspended from the ceiling and the
penetrating light of portable torches, directed
towards the people who got into the cars
heading for the concentration camps.
The so-called “non-places”, theorised by Marc
Augé, like train stations and airports: how could
they be transformed by the light?
Light is a creation material, the most eternal and
universal. Designing the light means to establish
Pietro Palladino
The professional (of light)
is a must
LIGHTING DESIGNERS / LUCE 325
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