Waiting in Living Light: Translating Natural Phenomena into Restorative Transit Spaces

Sammanfattning

This thesis investigates how lighting can transform the experience of waiting within transport environments, with a specific focus on bus terminals. Waiting is often treated as an incidental pause within transit spaces, resulting in environments that can feel monotonous, stressful, and emotionally disconnected. This research challenges that condition by exploring light as an active spatial medium capable of shaping perception, mood, and the awareness of time. Through the study of restorative environmental principles, natural light phenomena, and temporal light behaviour, the research develops a lighting approach that questions functional illumination. It examines how layered lighting, dynamic patterns, and pixel-based interventions can evoke qualities commonly associated with natural environments, such as rhythm, movement, variation, and calmness. These strategies aim to create atmospheres that reduce stress and encourage a more reflective waiting experience. The study is derived from spatial analysis and precedent studies, that are applied to a case study on the Stockholm Cityterminalen, where hands on model testing and iterative design explorations are used to develop and refine lighting strategies. The outcome is a structured framework that guides the creation of immersive waiting experiences, positioning light as an active emotional and atmospheric medium capable of reshaping the perception and quality of public infrastructure spaces.