Light Sketch Series 3

Recorded on September 22, 2011 at 11:30 PM

(click to enlarge)

Light Sketch Series 2

(click to enlarge)

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.