Monte Riggs of Bos Lighting Design spent four years designing lighting for Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport which, not long ago, underwent a $112 million renovation. We asked the award-winning architect and lighting designer about the project:

Your firm helped re-light terminals A and B. Give us a little history about where things stood when you jumped into Terminal C?
The previous projects had no energy code limitations. The light levels were achieved by power densities that far exceed what current codes allow. The client’s desire was for Terminal C to look more like A and B. So we had to adjust.

What was your goal for Terminal C?
We wanted the terminal to be bright and inviting, and for people to feel comfortable. So our goal was to get the light levels as high as possible – and still meet code.

This is an airport, post 9/11. How did you factor in security?
Of course security was a big concern and we wanted to allow the security cameras to pick up anything that looked suspicious. At one point, we asked which was more important: homeland security or the energy code. I’m happy to tell you that the energy code won.

Any lighting surprises along the way?
Terminals A and B are lit indirectly with an older Peerless uplight with no downlight component. By the time we got to Terminal C, this model was no longer available. So we used Lightedge Rectangular, three-miles of it, in fact. The quality of the optics and luminaire detailing are as good as I’ve seen in a linear pendant, and the design sense is very elegant and clean.

What aspect of the project are you most proud?
The uplighting on the underside of the third-floor garage is my favorite. It’s indirectly lit with rectangles and squares formed with the Lightedge Rectangular luminaire. It creates a really a nice quality of light using fixtures with single, energy-saving T8 lamps. The impression is one of soft brightness, but it’s visually interesting, too. I think it works really well.

Anything really frustrate you?
Working with an existing space that was designed and built in the 70s. There were a lot of things we didn’t know about early on. You find stuff in demolition that you didn’t expect. In some cases, I had to move fixtures to make the design compatible. In other cases, I had to put lighting in places I normally never would.

How was your experience working with Peerless?
Peerless was really great. I went to the factory before we finalized the design and met with engineers and others to discuss the complexity of the project. The Peerless team got a jump-start on the potential problems that we might encounter and, together, we threw ideas back and forth about how to simplify the process. As a result, there were virtually no problems once construction began.

See additional Houston Airport project photos and download the case study.

Would you be more productive working in natural daylight than under those old T12 fluorescents in your office? I am sure the answer is yes.

Now what if the ceiling in your office could simulate that experience of sitting outdoors, would you still be more productive? A new LED lighting system from a German high-tech research firm was designed to answer this question. Click here to read the article.

What does this mean for us in the lighting world?

Most LEDs for general lighting use blue LEDs with specific phosphors that change this near-ultraviolet light into white light. At night these blue lights are disrupting our sleep patterns, but in the day, they are helping us keep alert and stay awake.

What if we had lights that changed their wavelength throughout the day corresponding to the activity we were performing? Is this the future of lighting? Please let us know what you think in the comments!

As other states move to limit wattage, it is very likely similar sensor credits will soon become the norm in lighting codes across the nation. Therefore, we believe every lighting pro should know how to best use and place photosensors.

But placement can be tricky. And there are many factors to consider when deciding to deploy and place photosensors.

The first decision one has to make is to choose between an open loop and closed loop system. A photosensor in an open loop system responds only to the daylight and is placed accordingly. A photosensor in a closed loop system responds to both daylight and electric light.

As closed loop systems are much more prevalent for indoor applications, we’ll keep our tips to photosensors used in those environments.

Ceiling-mounted Photosensors with Indirect Lighting
When using a ceiling-mounted photosensor with indirect lighting, the photosensor needs to be placed outside the direct cone of light coming from the indirect fixture. A good rule of thumb is to place the sensor above the least illuminated space in a work area, but keeping it as close to the fixture being controlled as possible. This will allow the photosensor to view the overall light in the room and adjust the electric lights to the desired level.

Ceiling-mounted Photosensors in DayLighting Zones
When placing a ceiling-mounted photosensor in a daylighting zone (spaces where sunlight penetrates into the room 1.5-2.5 times window head height) keep the sensor 6’-15’ from the window and away from spaces exposed to direct sunlight. Doing so allows the photosensor to “see” in the zone lit with daylighting but not be overpowered by the suns rays. Lighting fixtures in areas with the same daylight throughout the day can be zoned together and controlled by one well-placed sensor.

Integrated Photosensors
Using a photosensor that is integrated into lighting fixture is often preferable to using a ceiling-mounted sensor because no separate installation is required and the ceiling plane can remain free of additional mounted devices. There are, however, reasons that make integrated photosensors less desirable. For instance, when using integrated sensors, more sensors may be required as there is less flexibility with sensor placement and fixture zoning.

Once the photosensors have been properly placed, one still has to decide if the fixtures will dim and brighten or simply turn on and off.

Using dimming technology to keep light at desirable levels requires the electric lights to adjust slowly up and down as the amount of daylight entering the space changes. Dimming is usually not perceived by occupants is therefore recommended for work spaces.

On/off control of fixtures by a photosensor means that when the light level reaches predetermined values in a room, the electric lights turn on or shut off accordingly. This change is perceived by occupants and, therefore, is not usually recommended for work spaces.

What other considerations and factors do you take into account when placing photosensors? Comment below and let us all know.

“Design an object that exhibits light.”

That is the whole description. The object does not have to be commercial or practical. In fact, it does not have to be buildable. The only requirement is that the concept be able to be expressed visually.

What comes out of these projects is amazing. The process itself stimulates all sorts of conversations about light – light as an object, metaphor and verb; light as transient, visceral and kinetic. What becomes of these conversations is up to the intern.

Nestor Brito, our 2010 intern from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, chose to focus his project on creating an LED-based luminaire that that would at once be both artful and practical.

His explorations led him to study reoccurring cellular forms – forms that might be associated with molecular building blocks. As you can see in the accompanying photo and presentation, Nestor’s inspiration came from modern architecture and product design.

His finished study is something that could be built. It is designed to be modular and stackable in a planar or volumetric direction. It could be used to create an individual lighting fixture or a wall of light. Though the structure appears rigid, the modularity is fluid in its directionality.

As with all intern projects, Nestor presented his concept to Peerless’ senior staff and a group discussion followed focusing on his process and the viability of his fixture as a commercial product.

Nestor’s project is just one example of the kind of deep thinking conducted at Peerless about light and the direction its design and engineering may take in the future.

This is a great solution for a mix of contemporary and traditional design, and/or for those with limited floor space. We hope an LED or fluorescent version becomes available in place of incandescent.

Brox tells the story of the first use of stone oil lamps thousands of years ago and then moves quickly through the history of light from beeswax candles to kerosene lamps. The majority of the book deals with electric light and how civilization’s increased use of fabricated, artificial light has fundamentally changed the way we live.

Since Edison’s first filament bulbs were illuminated in Menlo Park with the flick of a switch, lighting has become ubiquitous and surrounds us everywhere we go. This “extra” light has allowed us to harness more waking hours, produce goods 24 hours a day and increase safety. In many ways, fabricated light has been a tremendous boon to society.

And yet, Brox also reminds us how this every-present artificial light has fundamentally changed life on Earth. It has transformed our circadian rhythms and sleep patterns. It has altered the migratory routes of birds. And it continues to disorient newly hatched loggerhead turtles on their route to the sea. As a result of these and other phenomena, Brox believes it is time to rethink our relationship to light, update our outdated electric grid system and lessen the amount of light pollution we allow in our cities.

Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light is an engaging read that examines the history of light and explores the possibilities for light in the future.

Due to the growing number of girls and young women GEMS serves, GEMS current office space needed to be reworked to accommodate more people and services. The architecture firm Perkins+Will donated their time and organized more than 40 donor companies to help renovate GEMS offices in Harlem, New York. Peerless Lighting was a proud donor, giving our Naro lighting fixture to light their open office space.

The potential of Solid State Lighting (SSL) to become our commercial lighting mainstay in the near (or perhaps not so distant) future is an exciting proposition. Certainly many lighting manufacturers feel this to be true as witnessed at Lightfair this past year, where I overheard someone at the show say this should be called LEDfair. Certainly you could draw similar conclusions by looking at the December 2010 issue of LD+A magazine, where I quickly counted (13) SSL, (1) induction, and only (5) incumbent source advertisements. This type of frenzied marketing adds to the perception that SSL is now our industry’s mainstay; yet it prompts me to ponder the mystery of the “Green Fog”… that is…this green haze that limits one’s clarity of vision as we navigate through a mysterious cloud of “ECO-Confusion” that leads one to assume that SSL systems are the appropriate way to go even before really reviewing other traditional “lamp source” options. I certainly hope that this emerging SSL technology will survive these limited early installations with happy, not disgruntled building owners. Having served the lighting industry for 30+ years, I’ve encountered new lighting technologies that have been painful to say the least (early electronic ballasts, compact fluorescent to name a few). So, at what point will we know if the SSL products are at the stage where we can truly recommend them without having some doubt in our mind? I’m often asked to give an SSL option to an incumbent source and I’m happy to oblige, because we do learn something from these exercises, but rarely does the SSL option make it to the final selection due to deficiencies in the value proposition. Recently, we compared an SSL luminaire with an equally equipped T5 luminaire, where the cost per delivered lumen for the SSL luminaire came in at $.09 and the cost per lumen for the T5 luminaire came in at $.04. Other than a severe case of “Green Fog”, this price difference is a non-starter in my market place. Advantage for the SSL luminaire in this example, is a rating of 50,000 hours for the LED life and 36,000 hours (12 hours per start) for the T5; one must ask, is this differential enough to overcome the price penalty in the owner’s mind? What would be the replacement cost for the board in SSL luminaire (even assuming they can be replaced) compared to replacement T5 lamps (including disposal costs)? As SSL chips/drivers improve in efficiency, will the luminaries of today be upgradable? All good questions to ask in the design phase, but it can be difficult to get answers to these questions. I do feel there is some “low hanging fruit” for replacement of incumbent sources with SSL like color changing applications, recessed downlighting, parking decks, and outdoor applications where there can be a positive value proposition especially if the owner properly evaluates and values their maintenance costs.

As time goes by and we have a better track record of SSL chip package/driver reliability, industry acceptable color temperature, color consistency, thermal control, dimming range, and getting the delivered lumen costs in line with incumbent sources then we may start calling our annual trade show LEDfair and witness the “Green Fog” yield to the “Clear Skies” of common sense.