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HS2008 Light and Space-Outdoor 12.0 credits

The second course of the program in focused on outdoor space, Urban Lighting, using the city of Stockholm as a living lighting laboratory for observation and analysis. In "Light and Space” in the Outdoor context, you’ll explore how lighting contributes in urban morphology, influences social interactions, and impacts both the environment and non-human life. With a focus on creating balanced, responsible lighting solutions, the course addresses public spaces, from streets and facades to pedestrian pathways.

You will work at various scales to harmonize darkness and illumination, designing with sustainability, social responsibility and technological progress in mind.

Additionally, the KTH campus functions as a hands-on site, where you will install a real-scale lighting installation, giving you the opportunity to turn theory into practice and see the transformative power of light in the built environment first-hand.

Apart from the Lighting Design Division teachers and tutors, you will meet as part of your educational journey some of the regular guests that take part on this course like the lighting design practitioners Kaoru Mende, Clara Fraenkel and Thomas Schielke.

Sustainability, darkness, technology, full-scale application.

 

Information per course offering

Termin

Information for Autumn 2026 Start 24 Aug 2026 programme students

Course location

KTH Campus

Duration
24 Aug 2026 - 11 Jan 2027
Periods

Autumn 2026: P1 (6 hp), P2 (6 hp)

Pace of study

33%

Application code

12279

Form of study

Normal Daytime

Language of instruction

English

Course memo
Course memo is not published
Number of places

Min: 5

Target group
Mandatory for TLODM
Planned modular schedule
[object Object]
Schedule
Schedule is not published

Contact

Examiner
No information inserted
Course coordinator
No information inserted
Teachers
No information inserted

Course syllabus as PDF

Please note: all information from the Course syllabus is available on this page in an accessible format.

Course syllabus HS2008 (Autumn 2026–)
Headings with content from the Course syllabus HS2008 (Autumn 2026–) are denoted with an asterisk ( )

Content and learning outcomes

Course disposition

Content’s structure:

Design Methodology I 
(Approach and Methods)

Technology I 
(Light sources, luminaires)

Sustainability and Ecology
(People, Energy, Environment)

Urban Space Theory
(Landscape and City Scale)

Urban Lighting Design 
(Full scale application)

Course contents

  • Description of methodology and tools for outdoor lighting design process, including theoretical basis in concept and calculation for outdoor lighting.
  • Fundamentals in urban planning related to lighting design and its relations to lighting master plans, sustainability and energy conservation.
  • Full scale applications, functional tests and criteria for aesthetics and design based assessment.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Students should expand their vocabulary, introducing new terms, technologies and scales.
  • Students should be able to deal with urban spaces' structures and complexity, including the role of the users and the dichotomy between the diurnal and nocturnal image of the city.
  • Students shall apply methods for urban analysis, and develop urban lighting concepts and execute them through full-scale applications.
  • Students shall train and develop skills to work collaboratively in teams and independently reflect over their methodology and results, in order to be able to abstract them from the given context.
  • Students should be able to evaluate and develop project work through self-analysis and peer-review.

Literature and preparations

Specific prerequisites

The eligibility as required for the programme, or the equivalent knowledge in Architecture or related field. For exchange students not enrolled on the programme, specific entry requirements apply in the form of a portfolio, which must be approved by the course examiner.

Literature

You can find information about course literature either in the course memo for the course offering or in the course room in Canvas.

Examination and completion

Grading scale

A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Examination

  • INLA - Workbook, 6.0 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
  • PROA - Project, 6.0 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

The final grade for the course is based on a weighted assessment of the analysis, process and results from the two examination components, INLA and PROA, as well as an assessment of the learning process.

In INLA, the personal learning process is assessed based on the following criteria: completeness, structure, depth of reflection, critical thinking and research.

In PROA, both group work and individual contributions within the group are assessed. To pass PROA, students must carry out, follow and complete all the steps specified in the assignment description. Preparatory exercises and study visits, which serve as pilot activities before PROA begins, must be completed. The grade is based on an assessment of Vision and Concept, Process, Final Result, Presentation and Revision.

Other requirements for final grade

To receive a final grade for this course, students must achieve a grade of E or higher in both INLA and PROA and have an attendance rate of at least 80%.

Examiner

Ethical approach

  • All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
  • In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
  • In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

Further information

Course room in Canvas

Registered students find further information about the implementation of the course in the course room in Canvas. A link to the course room can be found under the tab Studies in the Personal menu at the start of the course.

Offered by

Main field of study

Architecture

Education cycle

Second cycle