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David Wilds Patton Lighting Design
THIS PAGE: 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 they 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
