LIGHTING DESIGN
CRI and GAI: A New Way to Look at Color Rendering
In a demonstration performed at Rensselaer’s Lighting Research Center, observers were asked to view a still life of fresh fruit illuminated by different undisclosed light sources. They were then asked to comment on the appearance of the fruit and on their preferences. Three out of the four sources were considered acceptable, the favorite being... »
Exterior Lighting: Onwards and Upwards
Approaching a lighting design project is always a balancing act of multiple goals towards a single end: a beautifully lighted project that enhances the perception of the place, meets the budget, and satisfies code requirements. But as discussions of dark-sky compliance and reduced power consumption to meet stringent new requirements have come to the... »
Animation as a Lighting Design Tool
No one can dispute that AGi32, Photoshop, and Illustrator are a lighting designer’s best friends, but as we strive to give clients more reasons to demand lighting design, we should be looking at new ways to convey lighting design’s importance. Many visualization techniques have been adopted from architectural conventions, but, as we all know,... »
Deceptive Simplicity
I’ve been thinking about the relationship between simplicity and complexity in design. Why do some design problems initially appear simple but then upon investigation, turn out to be very complex? Why does the solution to a complex problem often, after lengthy analysis, turn out to be the most simple answer? Or why does it... »
Lighting Design and Revit: Part 2
Continued from Lighting Design and Revit: Part 1. Earlier versions of Revit were not really optimized for use in a linked, work-sharing environment; even so, architects, engineers and other consultants in the design trades quickly recognized its value. Strategies for linking each other’s models together efficiently and effectively had to be worked out very... »
Basic Sustainable Lighting Concepts: On Lighting Controls
Part 4 of an ongoing series outlining design principles for sustainable lighting design: here are a few ideas regarding daylighting, to help navigate the greenwash. Controls: use them! It’s really not acceptable to use simple switches and whole-floor relays anymore. Some energy codes may still allow it, but that doesn’t mean it’s good practice.... »
A Little Birdie Told Me
One of the core fundamentals of the design community is collaboration. Whether it be among multiple designers within a single office, or between the architect, consultants, and of course the owner working towards the goals of a project, a design is never fully visualized and constructed without careful collaboration of resources and ideas. As... »
Basic Sustainable Lighting Concepts: On Electric Lighting
Part 3 of an ongoing series outlining design principles for sustainable lighting design: here are a few ideas regarding electric lighting to help navigate the greenwash. Strike a balance between efficiency and functionality The efficiency of a light fixture or system is not a replacement for functionality and aesthetics. On the other hand, the... »
Lighting Design and Revit: Part 1
Like it or not, BIM – by which I mean Revit – is here to stay. For smaller firms, Revit may represent a daunting hurdle to overcome, in terms of both cost and learning curve. While I agree the cost is high, once I began to understand how the software functions, I realized it... »
Basic Sustainable Lighting Concepts: On Daylighting
Part 2 of an ongoing series outlining design principles for sustainable lighting design: here are a few ideas regarding daylighting, to help navigate the greenwash. Only a little direct sun, please Too much direct sunlight increases the indoor temperature, creating higher cooling loads. It also increases the potential for glare. If there’s too much... »
