Light Art for Historical Buildings: A Case Study of the Heritage Buildings in George Town, Penang Island

Light art has been used for heritage buildings to express their cultural, historical and visual importance. But what was needed for the buildings and what was initially required? These are the main issues, which surfaced when our urban architecture became more influenced by state-of-the-art aesthetics than ethics in conservation and professional conduct. The objectives of this paper are to outline the features of light art used around George Town–a UNESCO World Heritage Site–and to raise questions on how to strike a balance between aesthetics and ethics in its design. The observations done around George Town led to more specific branches that define light art for historical buildings, aesthetics, the quality of light and building conservation. It is quite obvious that designers must balance design sustainability with technical sustainability by fully expanding the spectrum of the design's aesthetic, historical and functional needs.