Illumination and Acoustics

The manner in which a space is illuminated has a noted effect on its use and
character. Even in ordinary architecture, advanced lighting methods as
clerestory windows, occupancy sensors, return-air troffers, daylight
harvesters, and skylights containing translucent insulation can pay for
themselves quickly in terms of increased productivity, enhanced occupant
morale, and lower life cycle costs.
ILLUMINATION
Illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve a practical or
aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like
lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by
capturing daylight. Daylighting (using windows, skylights, or light shelves) is
sometimes used as the main source of light during daytime in buildings. This
can save energy in place of using artificial lighting, which represents a major
component of energy consumption in buildings. Proper lighting can enhance
task performance, improve the appearance of an area, or have positive
psychological effects on occupants.
Indoor lighting is usually accomplished using light fixtures, and is a key part
of interior design. Lighting can also be an intrinsic component of landscape
projects.
Architectural lighting design is a field
within architecture and architectural engineering that concerns itself
primarily with the illumination of buildings and demonstrates the range of
applications, building types, and artistic solutions to achieve a nocturnal
modernity that render buildings evocatively different at night. The potential
of electric light as a new building material was recognized in the 1920s and
became a useful design tool by the mid-century. Skillful lighting allowed for
theatricality, narrative, and a new emphasis on structure and space. Richard
Kelly was one of the fields most influential figure in developing Lighting
design as a professional area. The objective of architectural lighting design is
to obtain sufficient light for the purposes of the building, balancing factors of
initial and operating cost, appearance, and energy efficiency. Lighting
designers are often specialists who must understand the physics of light
production and distribution, and the physiology and psychology of light
perception by humans. Architectural lighting design is generally concerned
with the permanent illumination of a structure. It is influenced by lighting
Design in theatre.

Concept of lighting design

Comprehensive lighting design requires consideration of the amount of
functional light provided, the energy consumed, as well as the aesthetic
impact supplied by the lighting system. Some buildings, like surgical centers
and sports facilities, are primarily concerned with providing the appropriate
amount of light for the associated task. Some buildings, like warehouses and
office buildings, are primarily concerned with saving money through the
energy efficiency of the lighting system. Other buildings, like casinos and
theatres, are primarily concerned with enhancing the appearance and
emotional impact of architecture through lighting systems. Therefore, it is
important that the sciences of light production and luminaire photometrics
are balanced with the artistic application of light as a medium in our built
environment. These electrical lighting systems should also consider the
impacts of, and ideally be integrated with, daylighting systems. Factors
involved in lighting design are essentially the same as those discussed above
in energy conservation analysis.
Architectural lighting design focuses on three fundamental aspects of
the illumination of buildings or spaces. The first is the aesthetic appeal of a
building, an aspect particularly important in the illumination
of retail environments. Secondly, the ergonomic aspect: the measure of how
much of a function the lighting plays. Thirdly is the energy efficiencyissue to
ensure that light is not wasted by over-illumination, either by illuminating
vacant spaces unnecessarily or by providing more light than needed for
the aesthetics or the task.
Each of these three aspects is looked at in considerable detail when
the lighting designer is at work. In aesthetic appeal, the lighting designer
attempts to raise the general attractiveness of the design, measure whether
it should be subtly blended into the background or whether it should stand
out, and assess what kind of emotions the lighting should evoke. The
functional aspects of the project can encompass the need for the project to
be visible (by night mostly, but also by day), the impact of daylight on the
project and safety issues (glare, colour confusion etc.).
Methods
For simple installations, hand-calculations based on tabular data can
be used to provide an acceptable lighting design. More critical or optimized
designs now routinely use mathematical modeling on a computer.
Based on the positions and mounting heights of the fixtures, and their
photometric characteristics, the proposed lighting layout can be checked for
uniformity and quantity of illumination. For larger projects or those with
irregular floor plans, lighting design software can be used. Each fixture has

its location entered, and the reflectance of walls, ceiling, and floors can be
entered. The computer program will then produce a set of contour charts
overlaid on the project floor plan, showing the light level to be expected at
the working height. More advanced programs can include the effect of light
from windows or skylights, allowing further optimization of the operating cost
of the lighting installation. The amount of daylight received in an internal
space can typically be analized by undertaking a daylight factor calculation.
The Zonal Cavity Method is used as a basis for both hand, tabulated,
and computer calculations. This method uses the reflectance coefficients of
room surfaces to model the contribution to useful illumination at the working
level of the room due to light reflected from the walls and the ceiling.
Simplified photometric values are usually given by fixture manufacturers for
use in this method.
Computer modeling of outdoor flood lighting usually proceeds directly
from photometric data. The total lighting power of a lamp is divided into
small solid angular regions. Each region is extended to the surface which is
to be lit and the area calculated, giving the light power per unit of area.
Where multiple lamps are used to illuminate the same area, each one's
contribution is summed. Again the tabulated light levels (in lux or footcandles) can be presented as contour lines of constant lighting value,
overlaid on the project plan drawing. Hand calculations might only be
required at a few points, but computer calculations allow a better estimate of
the uniformity and lighting level.
Practical lighting design must take into account the gradual decrease
in light levels from each lamp owing to lamp aging, lamp burnout, and dirt
accumulation on fixture and lamp surfaces. Empirically-established
depreciation factors are listed in lighting design handbooks.
Exemplars of architectural lighting design

Kimbell Art Museum architect Louis Kahn, Lighting Design by Richard

Kelly

MIT Chapelarchitect Eero Saarinen ,

General Motors Technical Center architectEero Saarinen , Lighting

Design by Richard Kelly

Glass House architect Philip Johnson , Lighting Design by Richard Kelly

Seagram Building architect Mies van der Rohe , Lighting Design

by Richard Kelly

Austrian Postal Savings Bank architectOtto Wagner

Institut de Monde Arabe architect Jean Nouvel

Arena do Morro in Brazil by architect Herzog & de Meuron

Fagus Factory by architect Walter Gropius

Bahaus by architect Walter Gropius

William Fairbairn British engineer and architect credited with the first
designs for what he termed the shed principle (Saw-tooth roof) possibly
as early as 1827
International professional organisations
The Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand has
a long history. The Society was established in 1930 during the Great
Depression, a very difficult period in Australia and throughout the world.
The formation of the International Association of Lighting Designers
(IALD) in 1969, the current mission of which is "to serve the IALD worldwide
membership by promoting the visible success of its members in practicing
lighting design." This created a new attitude towards the profession and
raised the profile of architectural lighting design, one of the principal goals of
the organization.
The European Lighting Designers' Association (ELDA, later ELDA+) was
formed in 1993; in 2007, ELDA changed its name to the Professional Lighting
Designers Association(PLDA). These two organizations are the main
authorities regarding lighting design in architecture.
The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) seeks to
improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting
knowledge and by translating that knowledge into actions that benefit the
public.
The National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions
(NCQLP) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 to serve and protect the
well-being of the public through effective and efficient lighting practice.
Through a peer-review process, the NCQLP establishes the education,
experience and examination requirements for baseline certification across
the lighting professions. The NCQLP has established a certification process by
which practitioners in lighting and related fields, through testing,
demonstrate their knowledge and experience across the lighting professions.
Those who successfully complete the NCQLP Lighting Certification
Examination are entitled to use the appellation, LC (Lighting Certified), after
their name for professional purposes.
The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) is an organization
"devoted to international cooperation and exchange of information among its
member countries on all matters relating to the science and art of lighting."
CIE works globally to develop and publish lighting design standardization and
best-practice documents.
The Professional Lighting & Sound Association (PLASA) represents the
interests of many lighting designers and manufacturers, several of which are
involved in the Architectural lighting market. PLASA is UK orientated, but
does represent companies on a European and International level.

There are many more nationally-based organizations such as the

Schweizerische Licht Gesellschaft (SLG) in Switzerland, the Association des
Concepteurs Lumire et clairagistes (ACE) in France, the Hellenic
Illumination Committee (HIC) in Greece and the Associazione Professionisti
dell'Illuminazione (APIL) in Italy.
Pioneers of modern architectural lighting design
Male

Richard Kelly Lighting designer for significant modernist buildings.

George Izenour Theatrical lighting designer his patents form the

modern lighting control consoles.
Female

Motoko Ishii is a Japanese lighting designer.

Leslie Wheel WSG Founding member of the IALD.

Eileen Gray Her architecture demonstrates a profound knowledge for

space, the use of light, and ingenious planning.

Gae Aulenti was an Italian architect, lighting and interior designer, and
industrial designer e.g. Muse dOrsay
Notable architectural lighting designers & firms

Mark Major & Jonathan Speirs FIALD Speirs and Major Associates

George Sexton

Rogier van der Heide

Mark Sutton Vane

Paul Gregory, Focus Lighting

Claude Engle

Ray Grenald, FAIA, FIALD

Shiu-Kay Kan

Kaoru Mende Lighting Planners Associates

Maurizio Rossi, IALD

Barry Webb Webb Australia Group

David Skelley DjCoalition

Odile Soudant - Lumires Studio

Steensen Varming Niels Steensen & Jrgen Varming

ACOUSTICS
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of
all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such
as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the
field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of
acoustics technology may be called an acoustical engineer. The application

of acoustics is present in almost all aspects of modern society with the most
obvious being the audio and noise control industries.
Architectural acoustics (also known as room acoustics and building
acoustics) is the science and engineering of achieving a good sound within
a building and is a branch of acoustical engineering. The first application of
modern scientific methods to architectural acoustics was carried out
by Wallace Sabine in the Fogg Museum lecture room who then applied his
new found knowledge to the design of Symphony Hall, Boston.
Architectural acoustics can be about achieving good speech
intelligibility in a theatre, restaurant or railway station, enhancing the quality
of music in a concert hall or recording studio, or suppressing noise to make
offices and homes more productive and pleasant places to work and live
in. Architectural acoustic design is usually done by acoustic consultants.
Building skin envelope
This science analyzes noise transmission from building exterior envelope to
interior and vice versa. The main noise paths
are roofs, eaves, walls, windows, door and penetrations. Sufficient control
ensures space functionality and is often required based on building use and
local municipal codes. An example would be providing a suitable design for a
home which is to be constructed close to a high volume roadway, or under
the flight path of a major airport, or of the airport itself.
Inter-space noise control
The science of limiting and/or controlling noise transmission from one
building space to another to ensure space functionality and speech privacy.
The typical sound paths are ceilings, room partitions, acoustic ceiling panels
(such as wood dropped ceiling panels), doors, windows, flanking, ducting and
other penetrations. Technical solutions depend on the source of the noise
and the path of acoustic transmission, for example noise by steps or noise by
(air, water) flow vibrations. An example would be providing suitable party
wall design in an apartment complex to minimise the mutual disturbance due
to noise by residents in adjacent apartments.
Interior space acoustics

Diffusers which scatter sound are used in some rooms to improve the
acoustics
This is the science of controlling a room's surfaces based on sound absorbing
and reflecting properties. Excessive reverberation time, which can be
calculated, can lead to poor speech intelligibility.

Ceiling of Culture Palace (Tel Aviv) concert hall is covered withperforated

metal panels
Sound reflections create standing waves that produce natural resonances
that can be heard as a pleasant sensation or an annoying one. Reflective
surfaces can be angled and coordinated to provide good coverage of sound
for a listener in a concert hall or music recital space. To illustrate this concept
consider the difference between a modern large office meeting room or
lecture theater and a traditional classroom with all hard surfaces.

An anechoic chamber, using acoustic absorption to create a "dead" space.

Interior building surfaces can be constructed of many different materials and
finishes. Ideal acoustical panels are those without a face or finish material
that interferes with the acoustical infill or substrate. Fabric covered panels
are one way to heighten acoustical absorption.Perforated metal shows also
sound absorbing qualities. Finish material is used to cover over the acoustical
substrate. Mineral fiber board, or Micore, is a commonly used acoustical

substrate. Finish materials often consist of fabric, wood or acoustical tile.

Fabric can be wrapped around substrates to create what is referred to as a
"pre-fabricated panel" and often provides good noise absorption if laid onto a
wall.
Prefabricated panels are limited to the size of the substrate ranging from 2
by 4 feet (0.61 m 1.22 m) to 4 by 10 feet (1.2 m 3.0 m). Fabric retained
in a wall-mounted perimeter track system, is referred to as "on-site
acoustical wall panels". This is constructed by framing the perimeter track
into shape, infilling the acoustical substrate and then stretching and tucking
the fabric into the perimeter frame system. On-site wall panels can be
constructed to accommodate door frames, baseboard, or any other intrusion.
Large panels (generally, greater than 50 square feet (4.6 m2)) can be created
on walls and ceilings with this method. Wood finishes can consist of punched
or routed slots and provide a natural look to the interior space, although
acoustical absorption may not be great.
There are three ways to improve workplace acoustics and solve workplace
sound problems the ABCs.

A = Absorb (via drapes, carpets, ceiling tiles, etc.)

B = Block (via panels, walls, floors, ceilings and layout)

C = Cover-up (via sound masking)

While all three of these are recommended to achieve optimal results, C =
Cover-up by increasing background sound produces the most dramatic
improvement in speech privacy with the least disruption and typically the
lowest cost.
Mechanical equipment noise
Building services noise control is the science of controlling noise produced
by:

ACMV (air conditioning and mechanical ventilation) systems in

buildings, termed HVAC in North America

Elevators

Electrical generators positioned within or attached to a building

Any other building service infrastructure component that emits sound.

Inadequate control may lead to elevated sound levels within the space which
can be annoying and reduce speech intelligibility. Typical improvements
are vibration isolation of mechanical equipment, and sound traps in
ductwork. Sound masking can also be created by adjusting HVAC noise to a
predetermined level.