Interesting Shadows

Here is a picture from my Spring Break trip to Virginia Beach. I was standing underneath a pier looking out to the ocean and I just had to take a picture. I loved the way the positive and negative space made the picture so dynamic and the way the shadows played along the water and sand from the pilings.

Light Series 1 - March 17th 2008

Today was a beautiful day and the sun was shinning bright. The space seems to be a bit brighter now too since the time change. The floor looked extra glossy today and the whole space felt warm even thought it wasnt. And it was also pretty cold outside too. I can understand the use of natural light to make a place feel warmer when it actually isn't as warm outside. It is a great technique and may even help with energy costs. I also noticed taht if you stood right near the windows, the natural light actually did feel really warm. However as you moved away from the windows it got a bit cooler although it wasn't very noticable.

Light Series 2 - Retail Store

Here is a picture in the hallway of the Freedom Mall in Charlotte, NC. Instead of just going into one particular store and studying the light patterns I thought it would be more interesting to stand in the hallway and see how the circulation uses lighting. Also I would like to see how the stores use lighting to attract potential shoppers. First off the first few shops on the sides of the picure just use a boring red and orange neon sign. It attracts you but it is not very original. The sign on the right with the white glow and the dark letters are interesting. The contrast is what is most important. Also the directionality of the overhead lighting is nice and effective although somewhat boring too. It also has a bad glare as you can see on the ground. Recommendations could be several different things. Flourscents are godo for covering wide areas but it would be nice to create more interest like using a soft diffuse cove lighting along the sides of the hallways. Also, as stated before, the individual store signs could have maybe more colors and more contrast. The Gap has a great way of using a track lighting to highlight their sing. In addition they carry that theme throughout the store and uses it to emphasis particular outfits and new arrivals.

Light Series 2 - Art Gallery

Here is a picture from a small gallery in downtown Stafford, Va. This is a picture I was able to take in the lower level of the gallery. The other part of the gallery is right off the street and the passing cars create a horrible glare from the glass onto the exhibits. One of the only lighting patterns I have noticed from visiting this gallery is that there is track lighting where each painting/piece has its own spotlight. I think in many other circumstances this would work well however there is a glass and frame that protects the art. This glass creates a reflective property that bounces the light around too much making it hard to concentrate on the individual pieces. In addition, as you are walking the the space your own shadow gets in the way of the light. This could be because the ceiling is so low. The track lighting that is used is good for an art gallery because they are flexible. They can be arranged differently as new art comes in. Recommendations would be perhaps using a different type of light that doesnt have as much of a glare on reflective surfaces. Also I know there isn't much you can do about the height of the ceiling since there is another level about it but I was thinking a wallwashing uplight might make the space seem larger. The distracting shadows might not be as strong this way. I wasn't sure what was being used, I assumed it was an L.E.D. of some sort... the lady I asked didn't know either. The hallway crossbeams on the ceiling also create an interesting affect from the luminaires. This presents an opportunity to group particular pieces together between the beams or have more emphasis on one compared to another.

Light Series 2 - Restaurant

In this portion of the light series I analyzed the dining space in the upstairs of the Elliot University Center. The main pattern that I noticed is that the luminaires are hanging fixtures directly above the eating areas, tables and condiment/ food preparation areas. This task lighting is successful because it is suspended higher in the air so it isn't distracting when you are trying to eat and converse with the people around you. Restaurants that have the low hanging spot lamps get in the way of view and also have strange color rendering making the food look less appetizing. The higher lighting in the EUC is diffuse as it hits the right places. The other pattern I found was that the walls, which is where most of the circulation is through the space, have wall washing systems. This is somewhat successful as a way-finding device although there are a few recommendations. The top corners and edges of the spaces above the wall wash seem somewhate cave-like. The contrast is too saturated in some areas and not enough in other areas. Instead of just a downlight wall wash perhaps there could be a uplight too. This will help guide you eye around the space better. In addition perhaps use a better flourescent that seems a bit warmer than the cooler one. No matter how warm or cold it actually is the space it always seems cold and I think a warm light color tone could help this problem. Similar to the Stone building I also light the use of repetition in the lights. Also even better in the EUC there is a combination of many different lighting usage... wallwashing, recessed, and hanging luminaires!

Light Series 2 - Stone Building

The Stone building has such a great presence on UNCG campus. After analysing the lobby outside the main office it was somewhat anti-climatic. It was very dark and uninviting. The one hanging luminaire is not nearly sufficient for people entering. In addition there is such a strong contrast from the outside brightness to the inside darkness that it take a bit for you eyes to acclimate to the light. It can almost be disorienting. As you turn back around and look outside the daylight is so strong that it creates an uncomfortable glare on the glossy floor. A recommendation for this problem could be a change in floor material. Perhaps the glossiness enhances the glare. Also I would recommend more lights in the entrance so that the contrast from outside to inside isnt so stong. Or maybe the luminaire could be a omni-present light the fills the space instead of a direct spotlight like there is now. Here are a few more pictures of the proceeding hallways which seem to be a bit more successful! The overhead lighting are stronger and even provide a directionality aspect to the space. Also it creates a nice rhythm throught the repetition. I think the use of cove lighting is successful too.

Day Light Model

In our private vs public space we were really inspired by Le Corbusier and Alvar Alto's brilliant use of natural light in their buildings. Although the assignment was to create a "daylight box" we thought it would be more dynamic to use cuvilinear forms concave and convex. We wanted to see how this would diffuse the light as it flows through the small slits and hits the surfaces within the building. In addition the small vertical slits played an interesting role in our project. The light from the slits that were higher seemed to fade out (almost fuzzy edges) as they hit the ground and walkway surfaces. The light from the slits that were lower seemed to be more crisp and clear. Also my favorite part is as the sun is setting the effect that it has underneath the walkway/bench. It has a really interesting glow that is a neat way to have a natural "lighted path" giving the space directionality.