Architectural Lighting: Research/Technology

The Lighting Design Collective Turns an Architectural Remnant into an Art Installation

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:43:27 EST

Once a storage vessel for oil, Silo 468 has become a beacon in Helsinki's new district of light.

Optical Design for LEDs is Not Conventional

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:31:38 EST

After some initial grappling with LED technology, the lighting industry has begun leveraging its distinct performance and potential.

Regulating Heat Output in LED Luminaires

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:10:14 EST

Advancements in thermal management strategies for LED fixtures pave the way for design innovation.

A Detailed Look at the Solar Sunscreen on the Consolidated Forensic Laboratory

Wed, 9 Jan 2013 04:59:39 EST

The high-performance facility in Washington, D.C., by HOK uses a dynamic façade to draw in sunlight without the heat.

Light in an Expanding Field: New Technologies Dissolve Disciplinary Boundaries

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:12:05 EST

Discussion of the interaction between new materials and new lighting technologies.

Switch Appeal

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:13:17 EST

Change can be hard. Witness the reluctance with which some building owners, and even consumers, are approaching the switch to certain lighting technologies, such as T8s and LEDs—even though these sources meet new energy mandates better than previous options.

Ready, Set, Update

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:13:21 EST

Computer-aided design has elevated lighting design into a realm of automation and visualization that was unimaginable just a few decades ago.

Incorporating Building Management Systems into Architecture

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:19:04 EST

Building management systems bring us one step closer to dummy-proofing your clients’ lives—if we can design and program them correctly.

Control Integration

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:13:31 EST

Lighting controls have always been an essential component of a lighting system, as they enable basic functionality: turning lights on and off, and dimming.

Controlled Efficiency

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 06:37:28 EST

Today, we are in the midst of an era of regulated efficiency. And as a major consumer of electric energy in commercial buildings, lighting is subject to a large host of design restrictions and control requirements. Various product standards are affecting the availability of lighting equipment, while municipal lighting ordinances are setting boundaries on outdoor lighting design, and energy codes are dictating building design efficiency.

Taking Aim At Reflector Lamps

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 06:35:58 EST

Upcoming regulations are set to have a large-scale impact on reflector lamp availability as the least-efficient and lowest-cost options give way to higher-efficacy models.

After CRI

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 06:26:26 EST

Lighting designers commonly rely on two metrics to evaluate, compare, and predict the color performance of white light sources in applications where color is important: correlated color temperature (CCT) and color-rendering index (CRI).

LED Fundamentals

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 07:33:31 EST

Designing for LEDs and their specific attributes.

Peering Into the Floating World

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 07:18:46 EST

Japanese architects and designers integrate materials and light.

Meeting the Test

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 07:21:15 EST

The DOE's CALiPER testing program helps the lighting industry navigate the latest SSL product offerings.

The Task at Hand

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 07:52:41 EST

There is growing evidence that personal control over lighting is a key determinant of office-worker environmental satisfaction and productivity.1 For one, the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED rating system clearly recognizes that individual user control is a contributor to indoor environmental quality and sustainable design.

The Color Rendering Debate

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 07:42:03 EST

It has long been common knowledge that no artificial light source can be properly assessed for its color performance simply by its color temperature alone. Depending on the spectral reflectance distribution (SRD) of the object or surface being illuminated, two lamps of the same color temperature may have vastly different effects on that object or surface. The challenge then is to develop a way of quantifying a lamp's ability to reproduce faithfully the colors inherent in any object.

Home Run

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:04:33 EST

Jim Benya discusses residential lighting controls

Are You Using State-of-the-Art Lighting Controls?

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 07:58:33 EST

Until the mid-1970s, buildings usually were designed without any type of lighting control. In fact, many also were designed without heating systems, because of the enormous heat produced by 24-hour operation of indoor lighting systems. In hot climates, you can imagine how this added to the amount of air conditioning required to cool an entire facility. No wonder that since the first energy codes were implemented in 1975, switches for every room is a basic requirement.

Dr. U and Mr. L

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 05:51:14 EST

The real issue surrounding UL is whether its standards are current, necessary, cost effective, and fair. Most U.S. fixture makers (including those with offshore manufacturing) are resigned to meeting UL and many have set up in-house UL testing labs to do the work, keeping costs low. But for designers, inventors, and offshore lighting companies, UL can appear as a huge obstacle to bringing new lighting products into the marketplace. Moreover, with the threatened onslaught of new light-emitting diode (LED) technology, getting through the UL process threatens to become a barrier because of UL's deserved reputation for being intransigent and slow to accommodate new materials, concepts, and techniques.