Thursday, May 8, 2008

Buying Fluorescent Lamps

By: Randal Smith at lightingdesignlab.com
Basically a guide for non designers to buying an appropriate fluorescent lamp.
New uses for LEDs in China
This image was taken and over-exposed

Monday, April 14, 2008

Another Advantage of LEDs

Fluorescent


This is the first time I have seen fluorescents used in a new way.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Light Sketch Series 3



The first image is of open fluorescent bulbs at a retail store, the second from lower quality fluorescent bulb in a different store and the third is from a HID lamp.

Light Sketch Series 1

Light Sketch Series 2




A. Dean's Office/Stone
This slightly enclosed space is not very brightly lit.  The only windows are near the door and the general illumination comes from overhead lamps.  This space would be much better suited with lighting that provided direction.  The hallway that crosses this entrance is narrow and with the dean's office being there the lighting should be sufficient and provide more contrast to highlight the dean's office.
B. Art Museum-Weatherspoon
The Weatherspoon is based on the illumination of the art that it exhibits.  The multiple track lights and the general illumination is very effective at focusing the attention on the artwork instead of the design of the space.  The only thing I believe could help would be to completely eliminate the visual of the light sources as well as lowering the ceiling because a lower ceiling would be less distracting although I don't know if it would be as versatile.
C. Restaurant-Bravo
Bravo, being an intimate Italian restaurant depends on ambient and indirect lighting for the most part, so that they may maintain the atmosphere.  This is a themed restaurant that is based on italian ruins so a small percent of the lights come from small pocket lights on the ceiling.  The large portion of the light is from large, half-dome shaped incandescent lights that are strategically placed in relation to the tables.  There is no glare and the intended atmosphere is achieved.  The only potential problem with the space is that the employees don't have enough task lighting near the computer screens.  This would be easily fixed by close-proximity task lighting near the computers.
D. Retail Store-Linens n' Things
This store's lighting is similar to that of a warehouse and for good reason.  The products are stacked almost to the top of what looks to be a twenty foot ceiling.  Most of the lighting is fluorescent bulbs that are exposed.  These lights cause very little glare and only on the floor.  Near the front of the building, in the check out area, it switches over to HID lamps that are fully covered and dispersed.  These provide much better light but the switch from the HID to the fluorescent lamps is distracting.  I would recommend that the areas that are differently lit be separated with a ceiling change.  The light is the only element in the space, with all shadow being minimal of accidental which makes sense for a retail store.  I would recommend however that the patterns in the lighting systems match so that it is not so distracting from the products.

HID Floodlight


Even though this light takes minutes to light up, the HID floodlight is advertised here as a good way to abided by the light restrictions for larger buildings about the light going into the night sky.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Stairs at Gatewood


My Place

This is my room in my old apartment last fall in the morning.  The light woke me up every morning because my window faced east.  The only problem with this was the glare.  The light cast was so strong and had only blinds to filter it.  

Picture from 2nd Year Lycee

This window was in a warehouse that we were hypothetically redesigning for a project in second year.  It caught my eye because of the intensity of the light in such a dark space.  This lighting source provided more light to a larger area than the fluorescent bulbs posted around the building.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Light and Texture

This is a great example of how light affects the texture of an object.  The highlighting of the water feature gives it movement and life that could not be achieved without this type of lighting.  This effect has a resemblance to CRI but it is more of using light to render texture as muted or exaggerated.

Use of Indirect Light

Article 3

Article from www.lightingdesignlab.com
About Color Rendering Index
This article provides a detailed description of what CRI is and also the difference between color rendering index and color temperature as well as the way the two connect.  This article does a good job of fully explaining the color rendering index and how it can be used.

http://www.lightingdesignlab.com/articles/cri/cri.htm

Article 2

Article from www.louielighting.com

The Advantages of LED lighting
This article mentions the many uses and advantages of LED lighting in various settings.  The stop light industry being on of the biggest markets for LEDs, these lights are energy efficient, long-lasting, they have no UV emissions and very little infrared.   These lights also come in a variety of colors and are very durable, making them appropriate for almost any use.  Some more fundamental advantages are that they are silent when in use, can easily be dimmed, and they light instantly.

Article 1

Legislative Lighting
Published January 28, 2008
Written by Elizabeth Donoff in Architectural Lighting Magazine
On December 19, 2007 President Bush signed the Energy and Independence Act of 2007 which concerns some of the highest energy initiatives passed into law.  This bill mentions higher fuel economy standards for cars and new efficiency requirements for public and private buildings.  Lighting is mentioned specifically  by moving to implement energy-efficient lighting by 30 percent that will lead to a phase out of traditional general service incandescent and halogen light sources.

Article 4

Published March 8, 2008
The IALD ( International Association of Lighting Designers) has released its view on the new legislation concerning the banning of incandescent bulbs.  The IALD states that it promotes the use of new technologies and encourages that but that the banning of incandescent bulbs at this point will prove ineffective.
Article by Stephani L. Miller in Architectural Lighting Magazine

Monday, March 3, 2008

Shadow and Light


Shadow and light always have an aesthetically pleasing contrast.  I am working with ways now to use that contrast in designing a space.  Cutouts in the roof, panels on the windows...

Light and Feeling


This is a picture I ran across one day on the web and it's title is "bad light."  Personally I found this light more interesting because it carries feeling with it.  It creates an entire setting therefore it cannot be all bad.  The color IS unpleasant but a light, in my eyes, is only bad when it doesn't serve it's purpose.  If this light was meant to be eery then it is not a bad light

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Lighting Quote 2

"And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehend it not." -John 1:5

Lighting Quote

"Focal glow is 'the campfire of all time,...the sunburst through the clouds, and the shaft of sunshine that warms the far end of the valley.  Focal glow commands attention and attracts interest.  It fixes the gaze, concentrates the mind, and tells people what to look at.  (It) Separates the important from the unimportant.' ...Ambient luminescence is 'a snowy morning in open country.  It is underwater in the sunshine, or inside a white tent at high noon.  Ambient luminescence minimizes the importance of all things and all people.  It fills people with a sense of freedom, of space and can suggest infinity.' ...Play of brilliants is 'the aurora borealis, ...the Versailles Hall of Mirrors with its thousands of candle flames.  Play of brilliants is Times Square at night, ... the magic of the Christmas tree, Fourth of July skyrockets.  It quickens the appetite and heightens all sensation.  It can be distracting or entertaining."   -Richard Kelly

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Light Revealing Experience

This is the image that inspired me most.  Because natural light is essential, the ways that we choose to use this light are equally important.  This image shows the source of natural light as well as the ways of reflecting it.  What I find especially interesting is if you look past the ornamentation in the center and focus on the walls you see that the reflectivity is repeated throughout the space.