Personal Experiences with Natural Lighting Conditions

Personal Experiences with Lighting Conditions

  

            As natural lighting conditions are such an integral part of (sighted) human existence, it is easy to take them for granted. I am one who, until this point, has generally not been immediately aware of the conditions that I will describe. Although some conditions I am very much consciously aware of, this writing assignment has forced me to recognize and identify conditions of natural light that are around us all of the time.

            For me, identifying a personal experience of light and place is easy because the entire environment of the place was awesome and magnificent. The place is Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. I visited Hagia Sophia in 2004 and when I entered the building, I just had to stop and look up. I was completely taken aback by the enormity of the structure and marveled at the technology that was required to erect it. The natural light that streams into the interior is remarkable. There are (what appears from the floor to be small) windows placed all the way around the bottom of the large center dome, two rows of windows below the large dome on two of its walls, windows around the bottoms of all of the half domes, and a series of tall windows in rows behind what was the pulpit when Hagia Sophia was a Christian church. There is also a grid of enormous chandeliers; however, as I was in the space during the day, the light cast by these was very secondary to the natural light from the windows. The windows that are around the bottoms of the dome and half domes allow sunlight to stream into the space and bathe the mosaics, materials, and architectural details in light. The windows act as spot lights that direct the light to the specific details that one should notice. As the sun moves overhead, the spot light changes, as does that which is highlighted. The reflection of light from the interior materials helps to illuminate the space in a warm glow. And although the overall effect of the light is warm, the overall space maintains a sense of coolness. I have not seen the interior of the Hagia Sophia at night, but it must be a very different and equally dramatic experience. I imagine that the chandeliers create a darker, warmer, more intimate (quite a feat for such a huge space) lighting condition in which more shadows are cast and might even take you back in time.

            One of the most common natural lighting conditions is dappled sunlight through leaves of trees. Although I feel very comfortable in and enjoy this condition, this is an example of one that did not come to mind immediately. I think it is because it is so common and familiar. Many built environments mimic the natural dappling of sun as a means of allowing natural light and controlling heat. This is especially common in regions that are hot and sunny. Screens can be quite elaborate, creating interesting patterns of shadow, which, in these environments, becomes an important design element. Dappled sunlight is also emulated in outdoor built environments by pergolas, gazeboes, and arbors. The structures of pergolas, for instance, cast enough shadows to have a cooling effect outside just as trees do.

            I have lived in three different geographic regions of the United States, the southeast, the Rocky Mountains, and southern California. The light in these regions is very different from one another, yet sometimes exhibits similarities. In the southeastern US summer sunlight is bright but very hazy; the haze results from the high amounts of moisture in the air. Because of the humidity and haze, there are few summer days with bright blue skies or when one can see distant mountains (or distant anything). When the air is saturated, it can sometimes appear that there is a film over your eyes. The thick light of summer adds to the feeling of oppressive heat. The summer sunlight in Colorado is very different from that of the southeastern US. Summer sunlight is very clear and bright, and can get a bit glary. The sunlight is very intense and can be very hot (but it’s a dry heat), in part because of the altitude. The skies over the Rocky Mountains are very clear and blue because of the lack of moisture in the air, so too is the light. The sunlight in southern California could be described as a mixture of the previous two conditions. Sunlight can be very bright and clear when there is little humidity or smog, or it can look very hazy because of smog conditions.

            In my family in late summer when we have a day with lower humidity, it is common for us to say, “It looks like fall outside.” The light and shadow that are cast at the close of summer whet our appetites for the cooler, crisper days of autumn. Fall light is much clearer than summer light, the shadows are longer earlier in the day and the sky is a beautiful clear blue. These conditions are caused by the Earth’s shift toward its winter solstice and less humidity in the air. It is beautiful light; probably my favorite!

Lighting and Human Health

 

            The articles, Influence of Architectural Lighting on Health, from InformeDesign’s newsletter, and In Eyes, a Clock Calibrated by Wavelengths of Light, in The New York Times, give great insight into the ways human health is affected by lighting conditions. These articles discuss ways in which human health and welfare are greatly impacted by the lighting conditions to which we are exposed. As artificial lighting technology has changed and continues to change, we experience different lighting conditions and different benefits and consequences from those lighting conditions. Current benefits include overall convenience, ability to complete tasks after dark, and an increase in overall societal productivity. The consequences are not completely understood, although there is significant scientific evidence regarding the relationship between human health and well-being and lighting conditions. Continued research must be done to know the exact effects of lighting on humans, especially as lighting technology changes and we are exposed to new conditions.

            As suggested in the articles, circadian rhythm is greatly affected by artificial light, but the effects vary depending on the color of the light wave. Evidence suggests that blue light waves inhibit the production of melatonin, a hormone that is released in the body to promote sleep, for a greater length of time than red light waves. Additionally, experimental evidence suggests that blue light waves make users feel more alert and focused. This may explain why it is easier to fall asleep after reading a book in bed, as opposed to watching TV or reading on an e-reader.

            Decreased levels of melatonin affect our ability to fall asleep, in turn affecting our circadian rhythm from resetting our bodies’ functions. Interruptions in our natural circadian rhythm have a wide range and, potentially, long-lasting impact on our overall health. It is, therefore, evident that artificial lighting has the potential to negatively affect human health based on the type and exposure to it, by interfering with our circadian rhythm.

            Natural light also impacts our health and well-being. In geographic locations where days are shorter or rainier weather is experienced, there is a high incidence of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a condition that causes seasonal episodes of depression in its sufferers. A typical treatment of SAD is light therapy, a treatment in which patients are exposed to bright light at determined intervals.

            Based on existing and ongoing research on the effects of light, both natural and artificial, on human health, it is critical for architects and designers create spaces in which full benefits of lighting can be maximized while the consequences can be minimized or alleviated. For instance, blue light waves can be used in areas that require a high degree of alertness and focus provided that there are spaces available that allow the brain and body to relax and maintain a natural circadian rhythm.

Personal Development Spring 2013

 

 

 

 

This semester was a semester in which I felt as though I grew more in my abilities to deal with people than in design. There were many design/teaching challenges that I felt like I had to face, and while I may not have always done it gracefully, I definitely grew from them.

 

From a design standpoint, my final project best shows my growth. For the final project my group designed ribbon furniture for the IPC. The pieces changed greatly from our initial ideas and I feel that the way those pieces engaged both the floor and the ceiling best represents my personal growth as a designer. The pieces are interesting and practical and deserve to be explored further. I think this is the first project that I thought about how to integrate the floor and ceiling without being directed by an instructor, to do so.

Global Engagement Center + a class project

 

 

 

 

The final project of designing a Global Engagement Center for UNCG was the most professional project we have worked on thus far. As group projects are frequently difficult, this one had some unique difficulties as our group was the entire class. In making it a class group project I think breaking the class into subgroups was a good way to help us work more efficiently but waiting on other groups to get initial planning done to be able to proceed with our planning became frustrating, although these challenges were not unexpected.

 

 

As group projects go this was one of my more positive experiences. I was made a task manager and was able to delegate tasks based on the strengths of my group members. I was fortunate to have the majority of my team eager and enthusiastic about the project. We worked well together and were able to design specifically for our group (International Programs Center). They are an energetic, lively group so I felt that we had freedom in our designs to express those qualities.

 

 

 

Overall I think our design was a success and we received kudos from IPC, in the form of an email, after the presentation. They seemed thrilled with our initial ideas. The things that need improvement are many, fortunately my clients were not aware of them. Firstly, I would like to further develop our "ribbon" design and maybe carry it throughout the building and generally have more time to fine tune everything. I feel like our design is good for the short amount of time in which we had to do it but I feel as though it is very rough. The other things I would like to fix are: the AutoCad file of our floorplan, the sections on Auto Cad,the orientation of the floorplan in relation to the orientation of the key plan, and the renderings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Space Planning for the IPC

 

Using the information that we gathered from our initial research and interviews, we made an adjacency matrix and bubble diagram (as shown in the previous post). Based on those items we started playing around with a floorplan. We always had the idea to put Dr Pynes in the middle and have various faculty radiate from her space. We started working with floorplans and space planning before we actually knew what the second floor of the building looked like which was very difficult. We double checked with IPC about their needs and were informed that we needed to include about 15 people more than we had initially planned. These additional people increased our square footage from an estimated 6500 square feet to 10,000 square feet.

 

In planning the space we took all of the storage needs into consideration, made sure there was a lot of natural light and began to think of ways to design a space that was an outward display of the energy and personality of the IPC.

 

 

The following are our floorplans:

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Initial Programming for International Programs Center

 

 

 

Ana, Annelise, and I visited Dr Penelope Pynes and Nor Othman in the IPC. We were fortunate to have been given a great deal of time from Dr Pynes. We talked to her for two and one half hours about her program, how she would like for it to grow, and the physical items that are needed in the office space of the IPC. After discussing these things with us she took us on a tour of the department and introduced us to all of the faculty of the IPC. In talking to each of the faculty members, we determined their needs and wants in office space and equipment. We compiled that information into boards that we presented to our class.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Deep Dive or Dive Deep

"Fail often in order to succeed sooner..."

 

 

The video called Deep Dive about the design firm IDEO from ABC's Nightline television news broadcast was an inspirational video. I have briefly researched the philosophies of IDEO before watching this video and believe them to have unique and creative ways to solve design problems. I based the concept of my living/learning community on their problem-solving philosophies.

The things and structures that we design tell very specific stories about us, in the language of design, about the history of our time. Based on that understanding and IDEO's multidisciplinary approach to design problem-solving, they have grown beyond product design and space design into a firm that designs and implements ideas to solve global concerns.