How would you feel about being an occupant in the San Francisco city hall after renovations? Why?
I think I would be happy about being an occupant of the San Francisco city hall after the renovations because after reading the article it sounds like the architects were successful in restoring this important center piece as well as made it a safer and pleasant lighting experience for those that would occupy the space. They made renovations to the buildings aging interior while keeping the integrity of the buildings aesthetic. I think I would like to go there or work there especially with the new lighting design put into place, electricity was a relatively new thing when this building was built so one would be able to see the details in a whole new life while still being able to function and do tasks.
What types of lighting was discussed and how could these fixtures benefit Chatham County city hall?
Types of lighting discussed include task lighting, day lighting, pendant lighting, recessed lighting, LED lighting, and various other indirect and direct forms of lighting solutions. These fixtures discussed within the articles begin to help me as a designer see there various opportunities that could be chosen from in order to properly light the space for functional and aesthetic reasonings. Day lighting especially is a type of lighting I think will be very important in the space due to the pre-existing large windows that surround the building on all sides. A combination of task and indirect lighting will also be needed within the Chatham county city hall design in order to properly light the space.
What was the largest dissatisfaction of office types and how may this effect the design of the Chatham County city hall?
Is the courthouse appropriate for the dominant day lighting system?
I think that the Pittsboro courthouse is very appropriate for a dominant day lighting system, especially on its second and third floor mezzanine. The existing structure has many larger windows along all its sides and there are quite a few of them. With the depth of the structure and the opportunity for a very open floor plan on the upper floors I think it is very possible to make day lighting before the dominant form of lighting. Same with the first floor, even though there are more wall structures already in existence the larger windows within the space bring in ample light to thoroughly light the space.
What are the benefits of day lighting?
Aside from aesthetic qualities of day lighting and the orientation it gives a person as to the time of day, in interiors there are many health benefits in the use of day lighting within a space. The circadian system being one of the main benefits a human gets from viewing day lighting. “… the circadian system is daylight. Typical interior lighting does not contain the spectrum to which the circadian system is most sensitive” (Brawley 195). The circadian system, or rhythm, is a cycle in humans that runs on a 24-hour cycle, it is involved in biochemical, physiological, or behavioral processes.
Do codes matter for lighting design?
Codes do matter in lighting design; there are certain requirements for tasks and overall lighting of spaces so that they may be functional and safe for the inhabitants who work there. Mostly these codes are in relation to commercial buildings but there are some requirements for residential.
Is lighting objective or subjective?
I think that lighting design is subjective in the eyes of those inhabiting the space. Lighting does have its regulations based on codes for task and room light but lighting in all its various forms, types, and quantity is usually something that is chosen by the designer and is either approved of or disapproved of by the inhabitant of the space itself based on those choices.
How does the information from these articles influence your programming and design?
Information from these articles has helped me begin to think past my concept and more on how individuals will actually feel and act within my design based on factors like acoustics, lighting, and color. They make me want to look further into these influences and so adding these articles and others will be essential to my programming document in order to keep me on track.
Does the company Copper Lighting offer indirect lighting?
From viewing the Cooper Lighting Company website and perusing their selection of various lighting solutions Cooper Lighting does have a small selection of indirect lighting solutions available. One example is the Cove Lighting indirect system for spaces with ledges or recessed areas that would benefit from this type of lighting. Other lighting products seem to be hybrid like lighting systems that contain direct and indirect solutions for use in commercial spaces like classrooms, an example of this is the suspended linear direct/indirect lighting.
Resources:
Brawley, Elizabeth C. "Enriching Lighting Design." NeuroRehabilitation 25 (2009): 194-98.
Currimbhoy, Nayana. "Lighting Is the Finishing Touch for San Francisco City Hall's Renovation." Architectural Record: 156-60. Print.
Audin, Lindsay. "LEDs make their architectural lighting debut."Architectural Record: 156-60. Print.
Kaarlela-Tuomaala, A., R. Helenius, E. Keskinen, and V. Hongisto. "Effects of Acoustic Environment on Work in Private Office Rooms and Open-plan Offices - Longitudinal Study during Relocation." Ergonomics 52 (2009): 1423-444. Print.
Kuller, Rikard, Seifeddin Ballal, Thorbjorn Laike, Byron Mikellides, and Graciela Tonello. "The Impact of Light and Colour on Psychological Mood: a Cross-cultural Study of Indoor Work Environments."Ergonomics 49 (2006): 1496-1507. Print.
