Two phenomena form the basis for this thesis; bad lighting for children and our connection to nature. The former has somehow largely stayed unchanged through the years, the second one is rapidly changing for the worse. Lighting in spaces designed for children in Sweden often seem like an afterthought focusing on the quantitative aspects, ignoring the qualitative; following standards but often forgetting who the space is meant for. At the same time, cities are becoming denser, making nature something many people actively have to seek out to experience - children’s definition of nature is slowly changing.How can outdoor lighting for children become better? Using the Ringmuren preschool in Uppsala, Sweden, as a case study, this thesis proposes an alternative way of thinking when designing light for children and how it can encourage a connection to nature. The design proposal was made using interviews, site analysis, research and experiments inside a digital twin custom made for RIngmuren preschool.

The direct result of this project is a digital twin and a lighting concept, but it also argues that the practicalities of analysing and designing lighting is one thing; getting the people in power to understand why good lighting is important is the first, and largest, hurdle. Producing good, affordable examples of good lighting design that can be applied to varying situations is a good place to start to at the least initiate a discussion.