LIGHTING DESIGN
William M.C. Lam
In memory of our founder and mentor William M.C. Lam 1924 – 2012 Photo credit: Kwai Lam (c) 2008 »
What About Colored Light?
The rate of growth in LEDs these days is perhaps only exceeded by the rate of growth of colored LEDs. Colored light in itself constitutes a new world, insofar as it is used in a wider architectural context. While destinations like Times Square and Las Vegas (and many rock concerts and laser light shows)... »
50 Years!!
For half of a century the principles of visual perception and integrated architectural lighting design, pioneered by Bill Lam, have been practiced and preached by Lam Partners and its architecturally trained staff. In 1961 William M.C. Lam founded William Lam Associates (Proprietorship) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As an architecture student at MIT in the 1940′s,... »
The Dark Side of Lighting – A Brief History of Electrical Lighting Costs
The process of designing and constructing a building today is a complex series of challenges: timing, budgets, codes… Each of us in the building industry has our own specific challenges, but it seems that everyone in the industry complains about lighting fixtures and how they’re purchased. This is nothing new. The lighting business has,... »
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.... »
