Nothing points up
The Tree House at Elephant Park uses 2700K light and no upward-facing sources, for the people on its roof and for wildlife.
The Tree House is a pavilion with a coffee shop, an event space and a public roof deck set around the upper branches of a tree1. Washes of light on its vertical timber panelling turn it into a beacon as daylight fades, which also helps people find their way through the park1.
Two decisions make it a model. No light source is directed upward, and the colour temperature is a warmer 2700K, chosen both for a relaxing mood and to limit the impact on wildlife and the ecosystem1.
From the project
Light levels on the balustrades are kept low so that people on the roof can see out over the park, while soft cross lighting on the tree gives the roof deck a sense of theatre1.
The 2700K figure appears in the chart of colour temperatures in Chapter 6, alongside the other projects in this issue that publish one.
- Speirs MajorLighting design
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these public pages. Open the original to check it, or to see more of the project.
- Speirs MajorSpeirs Major — Tree House, Elephant ParkUndated page · checked 2026-09-28
Chapter 03 · Parks after darkRead it in the issue →
