Home | Calendar | Portfolio | Company Info | Contact Us

Greenwood International has two NILLA-certified landscape lighting professionals. And both recognize that landscape lighting is a demanding art form. Paved areas do not have to look like runways; the house does not have to look as though it were being interrogated by the Secret Police. But designing and installing an effective, unobtrusive and coherent landscape lighting system is a surprisingly complex undertaking.

Like the lighting in a fine art gallery, the mission of landscape lighting is not merely to display, but to enhance and showcase the property. Skillfully done, it can seem almost magical in its ability to display and define a property, shape welcoming spaces, and

• Extend the hours and variety of outdoor enjoyment
  
• Assure safety of movement in driveways and along walkways.
  
• Provide property security
  
• Project hospitality
  
• Highlight architectural details, specimen plants or water features
  
• Invite the eye to a particular vista or retreat
  

Professional landscape lighting always begins with a disciplined study of the site and of the owner’s expectations for the lighting system. Exactly what should be lit, and to what intensity? The focus is always on function and effect, not on the fixtures. After all, light is produced by lamps; not fixtures. Often, battery-powered fixtures, or a complete demonstration kit, are taken to the site and use to develop a conceptual plan. Working directly with the client, Greenwood specialists identify specifically what will be lit, how, and to what purpose. Only after all facts and factors are in hand do we proceed to custom design and install a lighting system fine tuned for that particular site.

The predominant element is a low-voltage electrical system, which provides safety, low energy consumption, and high quality light. The system design must also provide versatility, because minds and landscapes are subject to change, so the lighting system must accommodate expansions and revision. Maintenance accessibility is another key consideration. Chief among the constraints of designing and installing such systems, however, is the rapid loss of voltage as distances increase.

Various other technical and esthetic concerns add to the designer’s challenge, but at Greenwood, the optimum solution always emerges, with outstanding results.