Blog 8

 Electricity

Power companies provide electricity for most buildings. The electricity travels from the utility company to the user through overhead and underground electrical lines. Electrical systems are made up of a connection to a building, cables, and energy management devices. There are a variety of cable types and energy management devices. These energy management devices focus on keeping buildings well-insulated and lowering thermostat temperatures. They include lighting control devices, motion and daylight sensors, and dual switching options. 

Interior Design Implications

Good lighting design is very important for interior designers. It not only improves the look and appeal of the space, but also the energy efficiency and cost for the client. It also impacts the ultimate sustainability of a building. Designers often make the mistake of over-lighting a space. Too much lighting can overheat a space and require more air conditioning.

Behavior of Lighting

The behavior of a light depends on the material being used and the surface it reflects off of. People also perceive different levels and types of lighting. Good lighting improves worker performance, and being able to adjust lighting improves employee satisfaction. 

Lamps

There are different types of lamps that have different applications and implications. Incandescent lights are primarily seen in residential spaces. They are warm in appearance, dimmable, and inexpensive. They are also not very sustainable. They are inefficient and give off more heat than light. Halogen is a type of incandescent light. They have a warm-white appearance and have a strong, focused beam of light. They are used mainly to illuminate display items and artwork.

Fluorescent lights are used mainly in commercial applications. They are energy efficient and economical. Disposing of these lamps introduces mercury into the landfill. The lamp and ballast also enter the waste system when these fixtures are thrown away. 

High-intensity discharge(HID) lights are used in both indoor and outdoor spaces. For indoor uses, they are mainly seen in parking garages, factories, and big box stores. For outdoor uses, they are mainly seen on street lights, roadway lighting, and landscape lighting

Light-emitting diodes (LED) lights were introduced more recently as a more energy-efficient solution for interior lighting. Although they are still being researched, they have been shown to be long-lasting and affordable. There are concerns over the color consistency of them.

Design Process

Designing with light is very important. As a designer, you must identify the spaces and tasks for lighting. You must verify the number of foot candles, select the best lamp type, and select a luminaire consistent with the design. You must do lumen calculations for this. It is also important to analyze the daylight entering the space to determine the need for artificial lighting. You must create solutions for managing daylight and do a lighting layout. You must also create a 3D model of lighting to study its distribution. There are different tasks to achieve for each phase of design. During the programming phase, you must identify spaces, tasks, and required illumination. For schematic design, you must create sketches of desired lighting and how that coordinates with the design concept and architecture. During the design development phase, you must select lamps and luminaires and complete lighting calculations. And finally, for the construction documents, you must create spec sheets for lamps and luminaires. You must also complete a reflected ceiling plan that includes dimensions and notes. And a lighting fixture schedule. This plan makes it easier for a contractor, electrician, and other trades to understand what needs to be built. 

For this week's activity, we chose two interior images that showed a variety of lighting. We then had to sketch the interior, attempting to emphasize the shading in it to show the effect of lighting. The image I chose had back lighting to emphasize the objects on the shelves. Below is the original image and my sketch.