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Lighting Outdoor Rooms Interview with Alan Brynjolfsson, CEO, Volt Corp
Lighting spaces for outdoor living projects is a very large topic. As a landscape architect, you are, at the same time, dealing with safety issues, adding extendable hours, and the artistic/design side as well as functionality.
According to Alan Brynjolfsson, CEO of Volt Corp and President of Volt Lighting, ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????Down lighting patios to make them functional for parties or cooking is part of the equation and depends as much on the customer?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s needs as it does on creating an ambience. The other aspect is how to pick the correct fixture for each function. Landscape lighting adds value, especially when the focus is on kitchens or path lighting. Of course, landscape architects know all the basics, but starting at the grass roots level, knowing what types of fixture have longevity helps.?EUR??,,????'?????<????????
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?EUR??,,????'?????<????????Whenever you are specifying to integrate lighting into outdoor living spaces, most of the applications are going to involve integrating the fixture into a hardscape (core drilling into concrete or stone, or mounting fixtures to woodwork such as a pergolas, walls and fencing or under the railing of a countertop. These are much more involved installations than sticking a fixture into mulch. As a result they require more work and more planning and are usually found on high end projects. Along with all that work (such as core drilling into concrete) you don?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??t want to have to replace that fixture later on. It?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s important to put in a high end fixture?EUR??,,????'?????<???????????so you only have to do it once.?EUR??,,????'?????<????????
?EUR??,,????'?????<????????As for pergola lighting,?EUR??,,????'?????<???????? he says, ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????keep in mind that there are two points of view. There is the beautiful exterior view when people are looking at it from outside. It looks beautiful with the up lighting, but be mindful of the times when the pergola is actually being used. You don?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??t want people to be blinded by glare bombs.?EUR??,,????'?????<????????
?EUR??,,????'?????<????????Integrating fixtures into outdoor living spaces creates a truly majestic high end experience. However, it?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s important when choosing your integrated fixtures that there is no unwanted glare coming from any possible angle, because once you?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??ve installed the fixtures there is no changing them. That applies to any pergola for both the outside view and the seating area as well.?EUR??,,????'?????<????????
?EUR??,,????'?????<????????Working areas are definitely best lit from above with specific task lighting. For romance and intrigue such as a fire pit on the patio, those are much better lit with indirect lighting. You want to light objects near by and make sure the source of the light is completely shielded. For example, light the tree or the rock wall and the ambient light splashing off those will cast a soft glow on the rest of the area.?EUR??,,????'?????<????????
?EUR??,,????'?????<????????Deck and step lights can provide both a safety measure but also scatter indirect light. You don?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??t want strong lighting which makes the area look like parking lot. Almost all path and area lighting fixtures are Dark Sky compliant. It?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s best to have as many fixtures as possible that do not translate any light emissions above 90 degrees.
Basically, that requires that none are aimed beyond horizontal. When up lighting a tree or patio cover, for strict IDA compliance you shouldn?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??t aim any above 90 degrees. However when you need to, for example, light an exquisite palm tree, place the fixture so the light grazes the trunk and the rest hits the canopy. That way you aren?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??t wasting the light by having most of it just go up into the dark sky.?EUR??,,????'?????<????????
?EUR??,,????'?????<????????A general rule for great design is to use lower wattage and more fixtures. Brynjolfsson says he wouldn?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??t recommend LED right now. ?EUR??,,????'?????<????????It is undisputed that LED will be the future, but for now it?EUR??,,????'?????<????????????EUR??,,??s the general opinion that because of the bulb issues, it is a bit premature.?EUR??,,????'?????<????????
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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