light Sketch Series 5 & 5.5

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Light Sketch Series 4

a. semi direct

b. surface mounted

c. 2 lamps, fluorescent

d. off site construction

e. manufacturer - TCP

f. 2 lamps at 32 watts each

g. material - plastic; finish - silver

h. lensing - acrylic

i. function - fixed

j. ballasts - voltage - specific; lamps - 2; control method - non dimming; start method - program start; protection - thermal fuse; location - internal to luminaire

k. environment - dry

l. shielding - plastic covering. no baffles or louvers

a. purpose of space - stairwell, egress

b. purpose of lighting - allows for vertical navigation - ambient

c. the lamps provide an upward and downward wall grazing effect revealing the concrete walls

d. the lamps produce a decent light. but when there is a lack of natural light coming in, the light doesn't travel as far as it should.

lamp type

TCP 31032/841/XHL - shatter resistant - F32T8/841-32w

t8 - 24,000 life hours - 3,000 Lumens, CRI: 85

• brand - TCP
• Part no. 31032841
• wattage - 32w
• bulb color - crisp white
• bulb shape - T8
• base type - medium bi-pin
• color temp - 4100k
• length - 48"
• diameter - 1"
• life hours - 24,000
• lumens - initial 2950
• warranty - 24 months
• case quantity - 25
• price per case - $45.00

Light Sketch Series 3

Recorded on September 22, 2011 at 11:30 PM

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Light Sketch Series 2

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MR-16

a. hallway with pin up space

b. accent - purpose of lighting is to have spot lights on the pin up space

c. MR-16

d. the lamps along the ceiling create a direct spot light towards the walls

e. according to Flynn- cool colors stimulate impressions of visual clarity. cool atmosphere = efficiency and neatness

f. these lamps are great for focusing on details. But other than the paths of direct light, there is a dim hallway. A broader variety of light sources would help solve this.

Halogen

a. elevator

b. ambient - well diffused space with glow, without being too bright

c. grid of Halogen lamps

d. the light source produces a diffused glow

e. none of Flynn's impressions correlate with our findings

f. no recommendations. the warm glow produces a relaxing environment

Fluorescent

a. recycling room/utility closet

b. task - provides all over bright light

c. Fluorescent

d. the lamp is bright to light the entire room

e. according to Flynn - cool atmosphere = efficiency and neatness needed for this space

f. the lamp seems to be too bright for the small space. a smaller lamp is recommended

Metal Halide

a. studio workspace

b. task - provides adequate light for working

c. Metal Halide

d. multiple lamps provide the space with electric light needed to work

e. Flynn - cool atmosphere = neatness. the space looks organized because of the effect the lamps have

f. lamps should be closer to the desks. without the natural light during the evening hours, the space can become poorly lit

Incandescent

a. individual desk

b. task - purpose to provide extra light when needed

c. Incandescent

d. provides a warm light, close to work to light the area

e. Flynn - warm atmosphere = friendliness, coziness. this is helpful with a small space within a larger space, making it feel more comfortable

Fabric A

-MR-16: spotlights the texture and brings out the cool tones in the textile

-Halogen: brings out the browns and reds. looks a lot warmer compared to the other lamps overall. not as bright

-Fluorescent: brings out warm and cool tones both. not either one of the extremes (cool/warm)

-Metal Halide: slightly cooler than others. the textile appears vibrant. the turquoise stood out the most. texture is clear and detailed

-Incandescent: warm light really brings out the browns. shows a great amount of detail and grain of the fabric.

Fabric B

-MR-16: fabric is not a cool color, so the cool lamp brought out darker undertones making it appear cooler

-Halogen: warm tones of lamps makes it appear bright red

-Fluorescent: the room is so bright that is illuminates the fabric, showing off the sheen. neither extremely cool nor warm

-Metal Halide: bright, cooler than the others

-Incandescent: bold in color. fabric is obviously effected by the warm lamp. texture is visible

Fabric C

-MR-16: because of the cool lamp tones, the lighting really made this fabric appear dull and pale

-Halogen: color of fabric is vibrant, but appears more orange/peach than others

-Fluorescent: fabric looks a bit dull, bright lights didn't enhance the color. slightly cooler appearance than other light conditions

-Metal Halide: bright, still slightly cool

-Incandescent: this warm fabric looks best in the warm light. color is lively and a lot of detail in the texture is shown

Fabric D

-MR-16: the cool light source keeps this navy fabric true to its dark blue color

-Halogen: appears purple and much darker than other lamps

-Fluorescent: lamp is so bright that is washes out the color and appears very light

-Metal Halide: fabric looks best in this light. more blue than others

-Incandescent: clearly shows how the direct path of lamp creates a warm spotlight on one area but quickly diffused surrounding area. fabric appears warmer from where the light hits directly

Light Model

Board (Click to Enlarge)

Impact of Light on Health and Welfare

I always notice how sunlight affects a flower near the window. The flower leans towards whichever direction the light is. But I haven’t ever thought that light could affect people like that too. The article by O’Connor, The Claim: Daylight Saving Time Can Affect Your Health, enlightened me on a subject that I was uneducated about. Daylight savings time is something exciting every October because I get an extra hour of sleep that night! The fact that this could be dangerous to my health is scary. I haven’t noticed any sleep disruptions or problems with my internal clock. But I can see how your body and its circadian, rhythm could be affected by this and potentially be dangerous.

Influence of Architectural Lighting on Health, by Eve Edelstein is another topic that was new to me. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a condition involving prolonged exposure to inadequate levels of daylight (Edelstein, 2). This can cause dysfunction in a person’s immune and endocrine systems, and even cancer. Edelstein discusses the studies done of night shift nurses, factory workers and flight crew. Because of their almost constant exposure to electric and solar light, studies show increased cancer rates. Circadian rhythm is a body’s internal clock. Cardiac function responds to it and electric light almost instantly. Meaning daily heart rate patterns can also change under different environmental conditions (Edelstein, 2). These findings are all of importance to designers and other professionals because they could help to eliminate some of these problems that may be controllable.

Light Revealing Experience

“Our experience of light begins in the personal and proceeds to the universal” (Millet, 1). Light is something that has always been around me since I was born. It’s not something that the average person may necessarily think much about because it is always there when we want it and not, when we don’t. But when you do think about it, light affects everything. Light is what makes color, color. Its what makes objects and life seem real. In an article by Marietta Millet, Light Revealing Experience, she discusses the relationships between light and place, nature, climate, time, and task. Through reading this article, I am able to relate all of these topics to my own life and experiences.

There’s nothing quite like being on a boat in the middle of Lake Norman watching the sunset over the water. All the rich colors are seen in a reflection that I can touch with my hands. Light has the ability to identify places by their physical characteristics (Millet, 6). Not just a view, but the way light hits a building or sculpture. I can recognize where I am by seeing the shadows coming from my mailbox or the way light comes in through the different windows in my house. Every place is defined uniquely by the light combinations involved (Millet, 6). I think back to my visit to Fallingwater in my first year of Interior Architecture. There was a walkway that had a covering that produced a bold pattern of vertical lines cascading through the path. Frank Lloyd Wright is one of those skilled architects that I have seen use light in such a way that brings everything together – inside and out. Even the way light is shown throughout that home is a sight to see and remember.

Light can suggest other places that we see in nature. For example, the shadows from the walkway at Fallingwater are wide and vertical on a stone wall. It hints at the trees surrounding and brings the structure back around to reflect nature. All characteristics of light can together create a visual connotation that can remind us of something in nature that we have seen before or might perhaps be distant (Millet, 15)

The interaction between light and climate is multidimensional, having to do with place, thermal comfort, culture, peoples’ habits and rituals (Millet, 17). Depending on the temperature of a place or the way light is reacting to that place and climate can make a person have a change of emotions. As Millet stated, a winter day where there is snow on the ground can make a person feel happier than if there wasn’t snow because of the high amount of light reflecting off the white snow. I lived in Ohio for 16 years. There were plenty of days in the year where we had snow. There were also plenty of days with dead grass. I would pick that snowy day over any of those other gloomy days every time. The snow put me in a cheerful mood when there was any bit of sunlight shining down. It just makes me happier when it’s bright out.

Light also has an effect on time. In other countries like Egypt and England, they have been able to use means of telling time such as the pyramids and Stonehenge. Though in America, we seem rather fixed on the clock. What people may not think of is that we also tell time by the seasons and the amount of light coming in through a window. We can tell that it is morning because there is light coming in from a window facing east. We know that it is summer because the day is light for a longer time. While we can tell these time points by light, I do think than many people rely on electric light more than we should. It could be dark outside and I may not know it because I have lights on in my house. It is important to experience and experiment with all types of light sources, day and night.

We are most aware of light when there is either not enough or too much, to be able to comfortably do what we want (Millet, 26). I think Frank Lloyd Wright had a great idea for maximum task light in the Larkin Building by incorporating a large skylight and perimeter windows. This created diffused lighting from every direction and people could work at a desk without any shadows cast (Millet, 26). I prefer to have the use of natural light during the day and also electric light at night if needed for tasks. Having options is helpful when I need maximum light I could always turn on a bright desk lamp to do work by or an overall ceiling lamp.

Overall, it is clear that light relates to everything in our world. Whether we are with it or without it, light affects everything.

Jenga 7.0

wi10: connections

Throughout this semester, I have learned a great amount about myself, my class mates, and some great ways to design.

I set goals for myself at the beginning of the semester and have achieved most in one way or another I hoped to challenge myself and explore different ways of going about my own style. I think I have achieved this, I tested my limits and learned how far I will go to get to the results I wanted. Better expressing my thoughts and designs is another that I have made progress with. I started sketching more for ideas in the beginning of my design process. This came out most in the group of twelve when I had done about fifty small sketches of possible overall looks of our building. This helped my group members visualize our opportunities. This semester I learned Podium. While hard at first, I have gotten the hang of it and can do digital renderings that look great. In the coming semesters, I want to further my knowledge of digital rendering and be able to successfully intertwine digital with hand renderings. I also was forced to collaborate with peers as we were in groups for a large portion of the semester. I learned that getting my ideas voiced is highly positive with the addition of my peers ideas. I have slightly narrowed my focus. Right now I have a strong interest in residential design. I have enjoyed designing spaces that people live in this semester.

I think one of the biggest things I have learned this semester is our theme, whole is greater than the sum of its parts. What this means to me is that every little detail is important and is stronger when it is placed with the rest of the parts. This course has forced me to focus on these smaller details as well as the whole. Just as working alone as compared to being in a group of 3, 6, and 12; the design in a group of 12 being composed of all different people’s ideas can be very strong.

I loved working alone because it gave me the opportunity to actually do all the work and get practice at the technical drawings, perspectives, diagrams, and more. This semester is the first time that I have really been submerged into groups of such large projects. I wasn’t too fond of the idea of other people doing work that I was used to doing at first. But I realized that it is really helpful to have group members to collaborate with and help with the workload. I didn’t really like the small group of 3 because if one person was having an off day then the other two were left to take on the design production. The group of 6 was probably my favorite. There was enough people to really bounce ideas around and get a well-polished design, but not too many. The group of 12 had its ups and downs. While always having an idea there to consider, with so many different personalities and design styles involved it was difficult to come up with a final decision with everyone being pleased.

Writing has been a very helpful tool for the organization of a design. Working alone, I did many narratives of my designs that helped get my idea across. But in the larger groups, there were prospectuses, which I found the most helpful. These completely broke down our design as well as our group. At the beginning of a project, the prospectus helped to learn my group members in order to assign everyone’s strengths. It documented diagrams and notes throughout and in the end in a way that joined everything together. I think writing can really help a design process because of this sense of organization. This writing can be equally successful formally like a prospectus or informally in blog form.

My strengths this semester I believe have increased, formerly I included strength in graphic design, digital software, and being able to cooperate with others. I have vastly improved in model making skills. I have worked more with the laser cutter as well as hand created models. I gave a presentation about craft, which helped me realize that I do know a lot about having good craft, and hope that it shows through my work.

Some sketches from Jenga 7.0 group of twelve building design.

The model I made for Jenga 3.0 in my group of three with the assistance of the laser cutter.

A rendering I produced using sketchup and Podium for my individual unit during Jenga 7.0.

1st Year Final Critiques

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to attend the first year studio’s final critiques in the lobby. I enjoyed seeing all their projects and the progress they have made this past year. I didn’t know exactly what the assignment was but from what I could tell, they had to design a writing center within a historic building. One student’s project that really stood out to me was Sarah Wisseman (her blog can be found here). I found that her presentation was engaging and could tell she was passionate about design. Her key features in this building were that she wanted the space to overall be functional. She designed a space for conferences, gatherings, and even a greenhouse tower. This turret idea is what stood out about her presentation. She really took a risk on it which shows she had confidence in herself and her ideas. The circular tower had a huge contrast being located within a very rectilinear building. Sarah said she wanted this contrast so the tower could be like an oasis, or escape from the rest of the space. Being a historic house, it may be unlikely to get this tower inspection passed with it having an effect on the physical appearance of the house. But as Claire said, if she can sell the idea, and prove how it could fit in to the surrounding context of the house, then it could get passed. Overall, I was very impressed with Sarah’s presentation and the way she used her technical drawings, perspectives, and speech to get her design across.

10 Tips of Craft

the beginning of jenga 7

Earlier tonight, I met with my former group members from [E]merge (Kathryn, Abigail, Corry, Austin, and Leslie), as well as team Trepide (Cassie, Sharon, Kelly, Blakeni, Kara, and Dajana). We discussed our two buildings and their similarities that could join them together as a cohesive design. We found that there were actually many things in common. While my team's building used C's and columns to highlight verticals and horizontals, Trepide used a series of horizontal planes at various lengths to showcase their dematerialization. Overall, we liked the idea of all these key elements having their individual moments but then coming together in one place, similar to what we did in Jenga 6, with the front entrance. Tomorrow we will do a charette style class where we will meet with our original groups of 3, then the groups of 6, then finish all together with 12. I think this will help a lot with our design, being able to revisit each original building and how it has emerged throughout the Jenga assignments. This could trigger more similarities (and differences) than we have already noticed.

Jenga 6.0 Details

For Jenga 6.0, we remained in the same group, [E]merge. The assignment was to look back at the details of Jenga 5.0. We had to pick a specific site where our building would be located. We also had to design a meeting room, public entrance, and our individual unit door. This was a fun project for me because I really enjoyed going back to our individual units to design a door that made sense to both the unit as well as the whole building. I also enjoyed working with the site. We chose Valle de Bravo, Mexico as our site. Being just a few hours outside of Mexico City, it seemed like the perfect location for our "get-away" resort. The site was a popular place for outdoor and water sports like hang gliding, hiking, rock climbing, and most of all, the festivals that brings so many people every year.

We were also given a textile and chair to incorporate in the design. Both were Eames products, the LCM chair (link found here) and a mid-century modern fabric (link found here).

This is one of the public spaces that was redefined, the entrance.

For my own personal unit door, I used wood panels that were dominated by verticals on the sides then horizontal for the inner panels. I did this because of the key concept of well up and elevation in my unit. The vertical columns that appear on the outside of the building derived from my unit and are seen throughout the space. Also, there are horizontals that are stacked to show a different type of elevation. This contrast is simplified by the two different dominations of wood in the door.

Jenga 5.0: Allure+Jive= [E]merge

For this project, my group (Allure), was paired with Jive. Having similar design styles and approaches of the two teams, I was excited to see what we could come up with. We decided that our team name would be [E]merge. This being the joining of emerge and merge, separated by brackets that symbolize the "C" structure that was brought from Jive. The assignment was to combine the two buildings from Jenga 4.0 to create one cohesive 8 story building. We also had to incorporate 5 public spaces into the design: a fitness room, communal laundry facilities, mall and reception room, public bathrooms, and a managers office.

Overall, I was very pleased with how how building turned out. It showcased key elementes from both groups. The sleek columns from Allure's former design and the elegant C's from Jive.