5
David Wilds Patton Lighting Design
Renowned Japanese landscape designer Marc Peter Keane was brought from
Kyoto, Japan, to oversee the installation of every element of this authentic
Japanese garden in San Francisco. All the features we needed to light required
the fixtures to be discreet and as unobtrusive as possible. Some of the most
important features were the "Three Friends of Winter" — based on a centuries-
old Japanese art motif of pine, bamboo, and plum — symbolizing integrity,
perseverance, and endurance in the face of adversity (like winter). The reading
pavilion was nestled among these three elements. The traditional hand-tied,
willow-twig bundle fence was so distinctive that it needed special lighting to
accentuate its texture along the entire 25-foot length. A grazing technique was
employed, utilizing a narrow, linear IP68 LED strip concealed behind a custom-
fabricated Corten valance, thereby keeping the light source out of direct view.
The bas-relief-carved stone Buddha would have been washed out if a
floodlight had been aimed at it from the front. Instead, a narrow beam on
each side grazes the relief and brings the Buddha forward into prominence.
Photography courtesy of David Wilds Patton
