Last week some of our Wales team joined our Ridge and Partners LLP colleagues at the launch event for the Good Practice Guidance around enhancing dark skies in the country. Ridge's Lighting Design Partner, Andrew Bissell FSLL MILP MCIBSE, talked at the event on designing dark skies in line with RIBA stages. Wales is leading the way in tackling light pollution which impacts many animals' natural rhythms causing impacts to be felt in the ecosystems. You can find out more about the problem and Andrew and Ridge's work in helping deliver dark skies in Wales here - https://lnkd.in/eH9EriDW
Wales has taken a major step in protecting its night skies with the launch of Good Practice Guidance: Planning for the Conservation and Enhancement of Dark Skies in Wales. With three International Dark Sky Places already within its borders, the country is leading the way in tackling light pollution 🌒 Artificial light disrupts sleep patterns by interfering with melatonin production, while many nocturnal animals rely on darkness for hunting, navigation, and reproduction. Disrupting these natural rhythms can have cascading effects on ecosystems and overall environmental health. Reducing unnecessary artificial lighting is key to preserving both human well-being and natural ecosystems. At Ridge, we’ve been working with all eight designated landscapes in Wales to improve the night sky and create case studies to educate people on reducing light pollution 💡 We identified 200+ buildings contributing to light pollution with 42 redesigns developed and have already completed the retrofit of 20. From schools and visitor centres to farms and even a castle 🏰, our work is helping Wales keep its skies dark while maintaining safe, functional spaces. Thanks to Welsh Government funding, building owners and homeowners were able to make these improvements at no cost. The guidance was launched yesterday in Cardiff where Andrew Bissell FSLL MILP MCIBSE, Ridge Lighting Design Partner, was invited to speak on designing for dark skies in line with RIBA design stages. You can read more here 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/eH9EriDW The link to the new guidance can be found here 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/ehHnF6uH Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government | Danielle Robertson | Reg Kilpatrick | Iram Ali | Elizabeth Side | UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) | International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) | BRE | RIBA | DarkSky | Anwyl Homes | Llanmoor Homes #DarkSkies #LightPollution #SustainableLighting #Wales #Lighting #Planning