Residential Lighting - Illuminating Engineering Society

Lighting Design + Application 

February 2003 

Residential 

Lighting 

From Cloudless Climes to Peaks of Light 

Also: Daylight Design • Banking on Matthew 

LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL • MAY 6-8, 2003 • NEW YORK

33 

CONTENTS 

RESIDENTIAL LIGHTING 

”Under Starry Skies Above...” 28 

A high-end residence in a sensitive environment demands 

careful attention to the interrelationship of architectural materials, 

colors, textures, and lighting 

Peaks of Light 36 

Robert Singer sets a mood, expanding and defining 

residential spaces with light 

FEATURES 

Inside Out Synergy 33 

A clerestory illuminates most of the building with an 

extraordinary amount of natural daylight. An open-office environment 

encourages interaction among researchers 

Banking on Matthews 42 

Diners deposit their trust in chef Matthew Medure’s 

culinary talents and Larry Wilson’s lighting 

DEPARTMENTS 

3 Beardsley’s Beat 

4 Letters to the Editor 

8 President’s Points 

9 Regional Voices 

10 Lighting For Quality 

14 Views on the 

Visual Environment 

17 Research Recap 

19 Energy Concerns 

21 Scanning The Spectrum 

25 IES News 

45 2003 IIDA Submittal Form 

49 Light Products 

52 Scheduled Events 

55 Classified Advertisements 

56 Ad Offices 

56 Ad Index 

FEBRYARY 2003 

VOL. 33/NO. 2 

42 

ON THE COVER: Michael Souter’s goal: integration of lighting and environment 

(page 28). Photo: David Livingston 

LD+A (ISSN 0360-6325) is published monthly in the United States of America by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, 120 Wall Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY. 10005, 212-248-5000. © 2003 by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North 

America. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y. 10005 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LD+A, 120 Wall Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10005. 

2 LD+A/February 2003 www.iesna.org

President 

Randy Reid 

Past President 

Pamela K. Horner, LC 

Manager, Technical Training 

OSRAM SYLVANIA 

Senior Vice-President 

Ronnie Farrar, LC 

Lighting Specialist 

Duke Power 

Executive Vice-President 

William Hanley, CAE 

Vice-President—-Design & Application 

John R. Selander, LC 

Regional Sales Manager 

The Kirlin Company 

Vice-President—Educational Activities 

Fred Oberkircher, LC 

Director 

TCU Center for Lighting Education 

Texas Christian University 

Vice-President—-Member Activities 

Jeff Martin, LC 

Vice-President—-Technical & Research 

Ronald Gibbons 

Lighting Research Scientist, Advanced 

Product Test and Evaluation Group 

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute 

Treasurer 

Boyd Corbett 

Belfer Lighting 

Directors 

Jean Black 

PPL Services Corp. 

Anthony J. Denami, LC 

Gresham Smith & Partners 

Donald Newquist, LC 

Professional Design Associates, Inc. 

Earl Print, LC 

Lightolier 

Joel Siegel, LC 

Edison Price Lighting 

James Sultan, LC 

Studio Lux 

RVP/Directors 

Kevin Flynn 

Kiku Obata & Company 

2002-2003 

Board of Directors 

IESNA 

Russ Owens, LC 

West Coast Design Group 

Editors have a tough time forgetting 

their past—particularly 

when stories come back to 

haunt them in print or on the web. A 

colleague recently took great 

delight in showing me the January 

1975 issue of LD+A –which I edited 

in my youth. 

Articles in that issue extolled the 

benefits of high-pressure sodium 

lighting for offices (“a warm glow”). 

Another stressed the need to 

replace carbon paper and typewriter 

ribbons frequently to improve visibility 

of the printed page. 

No one can deny the distinct 

color temperature of HPS sources, 

or the need for fewer carbons—if 

indeed carbon paper is still used. 

But how does an editor evaluate a 

lighting design 

The January 1975 cover story 

of LD+A featured a New York 

architect’s office with a single 

RLM over each drafting table and 

a cluster of four in the conference 

room. Table luminaires and ceilingmounted 

cans offered additional 

illumination. 

The story drew fire from manufacturers, 

who criticized the lighting. 

The responsible designer and 

his colleagues defended the cover 

story, citing aesthetics and subjectivity 

as factors to be considered. 

Comments from manufacturers 

included: 

“I could not believe such lousy 

lighting was shown.” 

“The cover story is a complete 

abrogation of the efforts of the 

Society in espousing energy-efficiency 

lighting.” 

“This installation can only be 

described as disgraceful.” 

“If 1920’s nostalgia was the 

goal, I offer my congratulations.” 

The client, on the other hand, had 

this to say: “If seeing is believing, 

then come and see and visit what 

our staff, clients, and visitors agree 

is one of the best work environments 

in New York City.” 

The designer, Howard Brandston, 

FIES and a past president of IESNA, 

said, “My responsibility as a private 

BEARDSLEY’S 

BEAT 

practicing professional is to present 

my point of view... I hope that the 

opportunity for innovation lies in all 

aspects of the lighting industry, not 

just in the creation of new sources 

and luminaires, but also in the 

attempt to create exciting visual 

compositions with light itself.” 

Bravo, Howard! Your statement 

of design and personal integrity in 

those old pages of LD+A still rings 

true today. 

Perhaps the last words on the 

subject belong to another lighting 

legend, Jules Horton, FIES. At the 

time he wrote, “As to the benefits 

of enough light to discern one more 

angel on the head of a pin, forget it, 

Howard. The veiling reflections 

would hide him anyway.” 

Charles 

Beardsley, 

Editor 

www.iesna.org 

LD+A/February 2003 3

Iread Kevin Houser’s ‘Lighting For 

Quality’ in November’s LD+A and 

am very curious; unless I missed 

something, why there was no mention 

of the scotopic function and 

the work that Sam Berman, Don 

Jewett, Moji Navvab, Jim Sheedy 

and others have done on scotopically 

enhanced lighting. 

LETTERS 

TO THE EDITOR 

Based on good science, there is 

little doubt on the following points: 

• Rods are active at normal interior 

light levels 

• Rods are the main controller of 

pupil size 

• More scotopic color in light 

activates the rods = smaller pupils 

• Smaller pupils = better visual 

acuity and higher levels of brightness 

perception 

• These are important considerations 

in many working environments, 

especially with VDTs 

If the author wants to bring up 

any recent research that does not 

confirm advantages of scoptically 

enhanced lighting, I do not consider 

it relevant, if 20/20 visual considerations 

are not the governing criteria. 

Stan Walerczyk, LC 

Director of Lighting 

Sun Industries 

Concord, CA 

Kevin Houser replies: 

Mr. Walerczyk’s last sentence 

struck me as remarkable. As I 

understand it, he does not consider 

spectral issues in lighting to 

be relevant unless they are about 

scotopically enhanced lighting 

and 20/20 visual considerations. 

Why would we limit ourselves to 

these topics Different lighting 

applications have different priorities; 

while 20/20 considerations 

like task visibility are often important, 

so is the color of human 

complexions, food, and merchandise, 

the brightness of room surfaces 

and objects, the visual efficiency 

of electric light sources, 

and perhaps above all the occupants’ 

satisfaction with the lighting. 

These items are (partly) 

dependent upon spectral power 

distribution, of which the S/P 

ratio is just one of an infinite number 

of derived metrics. e.g. 1 - 28 

Recent research also shows that 

people may have different spectral 

needs for visibility and circadian 

photobiology; 29 as knowledge 

in this area grows it may 

influence architectural lighting 

practice and the spectral design 

of light sources. It is wrong to 

presume that scotopic enhancement 

is our only spectral variable, 

and unjustified to assume that it 

is the best way to improve the 

spectral performance of light 

sources. 

Furthermore, a careful reading 

of Berman’s work does not support 

Mr. Walerczyk’s conclusions 

about pupil size. While Berman’s 

work contains much good science, 

it is important to separate 

the facts from the speculations. 

Quoting Dr. Berman, “The spectral 

response of pupil size has 

been studied by several investigators 

but there is no consensus 

within the vision literature.” 1 

Berman and his coauthors have 

speculated that the scotopic 

function governs pupillary response, 

31-37 but, as far as I am 

aware, they have not tested this 

directly. Although it is not impossible 

to make physiological inferences 

from psychophysical experiments, 

it must be understood 

that these conclusions contain 

speculation. I believe that other 

viewpoints about pupil size and 

brightness perception have been 

prematurely dismissed or never 

addressed by Berman and his colleagues. 

For example, Alpern & Campbell 

38 and Doesschate & Alpern 39 

claim that pupil size is affected by 

both rods and cones, and that the 

action spectrum for pupillary 

response peaks midway between 

the photopic and scotopic functions 

(near 530 nm). Independently, 

Thornton has identified “a 

particular set of primaries as an 

invariant of the visual system,” 40 

and has termed the regions near 

450, 530, and 610 nm the “prime 

color” regions of human vision. 

Publisher 

William Hanley, CAE 

Editor 

Charles W. Beardsley 

Assistant Editor 

Roslyn Lowe 

Associate Editor 

John-Michael Kobes 

Art Director 

Anthony S. Picco 

Associate Art Director 

Samuel Fontanez 

Columnists 

Emlyn G. Altman 

Louis Erhardt • Stan Walerczyk 

Willard Warren 

Book Review Editor 

Paulette Hebert, Ph.D. 

Marketing Manager 

Sue Foley 

Advertising Coordinator 

Leslie Prestia 

Published by IESNA 

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Email: iesna@iesna.org 

LD+A is a magazine for professionals involved in the art, 

science, study, manufacture, teaching, and implementation 

of lighting. LD+A is designed to enhance and 

improve the practice of lighting. Every issue of LD+A 

includes feature articles on design projects, technical 

articles on the science of illumination, new product developments, 

industry trends, news of the Illuminating 

Engineering Society of North America, and vital information 

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LD+A (ISSN 0360-6325) is published monthly in the 

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Society of North America, 120 Wall Street, 17th Floor, 

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Thornton’s research suggests 

that a spectrum of light comprised 

of these spectral bands will 

maximize both brightness per 

watt and pleasantness of object 

coloration. Thornton has not studied 

pupillary response. The scotopic 

response peaks at 507 nm; 

Berman’s work implies that light 

in this spectral region will enhance 

depth of field, visual acuity 

and brightness perception. Thornton 

has identified this same 

region as harmful to brightness 

perception and pleasantness of 

It is 

wrong 

to presume 

that 

scotopic 

enhancement 

is our only 

spectral variable 

object coloration. 40-45 Thornton 

suggests “it is more reasonable 

to relate ‘scotopic response’ and 

‘photopic response’ to the same 

three spectral system responses, 

and to ascribe the difference 

between scotopic and photopic to 

strong reduction in the redmost 

system response when input levels 

fall to those labeled ‘scotopic’.” 

42 Note that the spectral 

region identified by Alpern & 

Campbell and ten Doesschate & 

Alpern coincides with one of 

Thornton’s prime color regions 

(530 nm). Taken together these 

results suggest that energy at 

530 nm would yield smaller pupils 

and greater brightness per watt 

than the 507 nm region supported 

by Berman. 

It is also important to remember 

that Berman and his colleagues 

used very sensitive tests 

in an effort to isolate and quantify 

the pupillary effect. 34 Their 

experiments included very difficult 

visual tasks of low contrast 

and small size, and in some cases 

the visual task was only visible for 

1/5 second. While statistically 

significant effects were found 

under these trying conditions, the 

incremental benefit may not be a 

top criterion in typical real-world 

building interiors. 

I believe we can agree that 

vision and energy efficiency can 

be improved by tuning the spectral 

output of light sources to better 

coincides with the human visual 

response. This is a critical subject 

as we attempt to find ways to 

improve lighting quality while 

reducing energy consumption. 

References 

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Quantity: Principles of Measurement.” 

Paris, Central Bureau of the 

CIE. 1978. 

2. CIE 13.3. “Method of Measuring 

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3. CIE. “Guide to the use of 

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Interim report of TC1-30, 

Luminous Efficiency Functions. 

1999. 

4. Corth, R. “The Basis for a New 

System of Colorimetry.” J. Illum. 

Eng. Soc. 1979; Apr.: 155-161. 

5. Guth, S.L. “Model for Color 

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Journal of the Optical Society of 

America A 1991; 8: 976-993. 

Erratum: 1992; 9: 344. 

6. Guth, S.L. “Unified Model for 

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International Society for Optical 

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7. Howett, G.L. “Linear Opponent- 

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3202. 1985. 

8. Hunt, R.W.G. “A Model of 

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R. “A Colour-Appearance Transform 

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Research and Application. 1985; 

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10. Hunt, R.W.G. “A Model of 

www.iesna.org

Colour Vision for Predicting Colour 

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Conditions.” Color Research and 

Application. 1987: 12; 297-314. 

11. Hunt, R.W.G. “Revised 

Colour-Appearance Model for 

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12. Hunt, R.W.G. “An Improved 

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13. Jerome, C.W. “Flattery vs. 

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Soc. 1972: Apr.: 208-211. 

14. Jerome, C.W. “The Flattery 

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Jul.: 351-354. 

15. Jerome, C.W. “Absolute Color 

Rendering.” J. Illum. Eng. Soc. 

1974; Oct.: 25-28. 

16. Judd, D.B. “A Flattery Index 

for Artificial Illuminants.” Illuminating 

Engineering. 1967; 62(Oct): 

593-598. 

17. Nayatani, Y., Takahama, K., 

and Sobagaki, H. “Prediction of 

Color Appearance Under Various 

Adapting Conditions.” Color Research 

and Application. 1986; 11: 

62-71. 

18. Nayatani, Y., Hashimoto, K., 

Takahama, K. and Sobagaki, H. “A 

Nonlinear Color-Appearance Model 

using Estevez-Hunt-Pointer Primaries.” 

Color Research and 

Application. 1987; 12: 231-242. 

19. Nayatani, Y., Mori T., 

Hashimoto K., Takahama, K., and 

Sobagaki H. “Comparison of Color 

Appearance Models.” Color Research 

and Application. 1990; 15: 

272-284. 

20. Nayatani, Y., Sobagaki, H., 

Hashimoto, K., and Yano, T. 

“Lightness Dependency of Chroma 

Scales of a Nonlinear Color- 

Appearance Model and its Latest 

Formulation.” Color Research and 

Application. 1995; 20: 156-167. 

21. Sagawa, K. “The Future of 

CIE Photometry, Toward a System 

More Visually Meaningful.” CIE 

Symposium ’99, 75 years of CIE 

Photometry. Budapest, Hungary. 

1999; 159-163. 

22. Sanders, C.L. & Wyszecki, G. 

“Correlate for Brightness in Terms 

of CIE Color Matching Data.” CIE 

Compte Rendu. 15th Session. 

Vienna. Vol. B. CIE Publication No. 

11. 1964; 221-230. 

23. Thornton, W.A. “Color 

Discrimination Index.” J. Opt. Soc. 

Am. 1972; 62(2): 191-194. 

24. Thornton, W.A. “A System of 

Photometry and Colorimetry Based 

Directly on Visual Response.” J. 

Illum. Eng. Soc. 1973; 3(Oct): 99- 

111. 

25. Thornton, W.A. “A Validation 

of the Color Preference Index.” J. 

Illum. Eng. Soc. 1974; Oct.: 48-52. 

26. Thornton, W.A. “Brightness 

Meter.” J. Illum. Eng. Soc. 1980; 

Oct.: 52-63. 

27. Xu, H. Color Rendering 

Capacity of Illumination. J. Illum. 

Eng. Soc. 1984; Jan.: 270-276. 

28. Fotios, S.A. “Lamp Colour 

Properties and Apparent Brightness: 

A Review.” Lighting Research 

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33(3): 163-181. 

29. Rea, M.S., Figueiro, M.G. & 

Bullough, J. D. “Circadian photobiology: 

an emerging framework for 

lighting practice and research.” 

Lighting Research and Technology. 

2002; 34(3): 177 – 190. 

30. Berman, S.M., Jewett, D.L., 

Bingham, L R., Nahass, R.M., Perry, 

F. and Fein, G. “Pupillary Size Differences 

under Incandescent and 

High Pressure Sodium Lamps.” J. 

Illum. Eng. Soc. 1987; 16(1): 3-20. 

31. Berman, S.M. “Photopic 

Luminance Does Not Always Predict 

Perceived Room Brightness.” Lighting 

Research and Technology. 

1990; 22(1): 37-41. 

32. Berman, S.M. “Energy 

Efficiency Consequences of Scotopic 

Sensitivity.” J. Illum. Eng. 

Soc. 1992; 21(1): 3-14. 

33. Berman, S.M., Fein, G., 

Jewett, D.L., Saika, G., and Ashford, 

F. “Spectral Determinants of 

Steady-State Pupil Size with Full 

Field of View.” J. Illum. Eng. Soc. 

1992; 21(2): 3-13. 

34. Berman, S.M., Fein, G. 

Jewett, D.L., and Ashford, F. “Luminance-Controlled 

Pupil Size 

Affects Landolt C Task Performance.” 

J. Illum. Eng. Soc. 1993; 

22(2): 150-165. 


Jewett, D.L., and Ashford, F. “Landolt-C 

Recognition in Elderly Subjects 

is Affected by Scotopic Intensity 

of Surround Illuminants.” J. 

Illum. Eng. Soc. 1994; 23(2): 123- 

130. 


Jewett, D. Benson, B., Law, T. and 

Myers, A. “Luminance-Controlled 

Pupil Size Affects Word-Reading 

Accuracy.” J. Illum. Eng. Soc. 

1996; 25(1): 51-59. 

37. Berman S.M., Jewett, D.L., 

Benson, B.R., and Law, T.M. 

“Despite Different Wall Colors, 

Vertical Scotopic Illuminance 

Predicts Pupil Size.” J. Illum. Eng. 

Soc. 1997; 26(2): 59-68. 

38. Alpern, M.G. & Campbell, 

F.W. “The spectral sensitivity of the 

consensual light reflex.” J. Physiol. 

1962; 164: 478-507. 

39. ten Doesschate, J. & Alpern, 

M.G. “Response of the pupil to 

steady state retinal illumination.” 

Science. 1965; 149: 989-991. 

40. Thornton, W.A. “Toward a 

More Accurate and Extensible 

Colorimetry, Part II. Discussion.” 


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Colorimetry, Part I. Introduction. 

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(continued).” Color Research and 

Application. 1992; 17(4): 240- 

262. 

43. Thornton, W. A. “Toward a 


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with Bright Fields and 

Both 10° and 1.3° Field Sizes.” 


1997; 22(3): 189-198. 

44. Thornton, W. A. & Fairman, 

H. S. “Toward a More Accurate and 

Extensible Colorimetry, Part V. 

Testing Visually Matching Pairs of 

Lights for Possible Rod Participation 

on the Aguilar-Stiles Model.” 


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233. 


Do we need a conference and 

does it need to be an annual 

event Should it appeal to a 

select few or to a large audience 

How can we get more paper submissions 

Does the conference 

have to be in August, or perhaps 

can we find a hotter month 

Our current Bylaws state: “An 

Annual Conference shall be held 

once each year on a date and at a 

place approved by the Board of 

PRESIDENT'S 

POINTS 

Randy Reid 

Directors, for the presentation and 

discussion of technical, research, 

design and application papers and 

reports of interest to the Society.” 

While we have made several cosmetic 

improvements in the IESNA 

Annual Conference over the past 

few years, your Board of Directors 

created a taskforce in August and 

directed it to reengineer your conference. 

The group was headed by 

past president, Pam Horner, and 

focused on four areas: purpose, 

duration, time of year, and content. 

Part of the problem in changing 

the conference is that a society as 

old as ours is deeply rooted in tradition—and 

that’s usually a good 

thing. However, sometimes tradition 

interferes with progress and we 

are committed to strengthening 

your conference while preserving 

key aspects of our nearly 100 years 

of tradition. 

Purpose. Should the goal be to 

grow the Conference and increase 

attendance Do we dumb down the 

content to appeal to the beginners 

Instead of reducing the content to 

the lowest common denominator, 

the Board agreed with the task 

force that improving attendance by 

trying to appeal to everyone is not 

necessarily the goal. We currently 

have little or no beginner level material 

at the Annual Conference, and 

we should keep it that way. The 

task force agreed that the conference 

should focus on intermediate 

and advanced/masters level information. 

However, that does not necessarily 

imply that the material 

should be impossibly difficult to 

understand; the Conference should 

offer new and interesting important 

topics. We must clearly differentiate 

our offerings from those found 

at LIGHTFAIR. We should do what 

LIGHTFAIR does not. Also, we 

should keep certain elements that 

have always set the Annual Conference 

apart, i.e., a place for committees 

to do their work, a place to 

conduct our annual business, and a 

place for some of the traditional ceremonies. 

Duration. While the actual conference 

is usually held Monday 

through Wednesday, several committees 

have their meetings the 

weekend before—some as early as 

the Friday before, which means 

committee members have to arrive 

on Thursday evening. Spending a 

calendar week at the Annual Conference 

(especially when most 

attendees have already spent a 

week at LIGHTFAIR two months earlier) 

is a lot to ask. The task force 

recommended a two-day conference 

with two days of committee 

meetings preceding the conference 

for a maximum of four days. The 

Board of Directors approved this 

recommendation and it will take 

effect after the Society’s Centennial 

Celebration in 2006. 

Time of year. The Conference 

has been held in August for as far 

back as anyone can remember. One 

reason was to accommodate students. 

Another was to encourage 

members to bring their families and 

incorporate a vacation into the conference. 

As the conference has 

evolved, very few students attend. 

With many two-income families, we 

see far fewer members bringing 

spouses or children. Therefore, 

August is no longer sacred. And 

how does one get excited planning 

a trip to San Antonio with 100+ 

temperatures 

The taskforce recommended and 

the board agreed to move the conference 

from August to January/ 

Visit our 

February. A January/February meeting 

will give sufficient time to recuperate 

from the past LIGHTFAIR 

and ample time to prepare for the 

following LIGHTFAIR. This improvement 

will take place in 2006 as we 

are already locked into Chicago in 

August of 2003, and Tampa in 

August of 2004. 

Content: The opening session 

will be kept, but it will be shorter. 

The keynote speaker will remain so 

long as we find a suitable speaker 

with something important to say. 

No longer will we have a warm body 

for the sake of tradition. There was 

no conclusion on whether we want 

lighting or non-lighting keynote 

speakers. The papers are the cornerstone 

of the conference and 

make no mistake, the Board will do 

whatever is needed to improve their 

quality and their quantity. Seminars 

must continue to improve and we 

will appoint an Annual Conference 

chairperson to coordinate all 

aspects of the conference program. 

The Honors luncheon will continue, 

but may be combined with IIDA as 

both are intended to honor our 

finest. The luncheon will be reformatted 

and perhaps made more formal. 

The President’s banquet will 

likely move to Monday evening and 

there will be a focus on increased 

networking opportunities during 

and after the meal. We will revisit 

the timing of both the progress 

report and the tabletop exhibits. 

The Board of Directors’ question 

and answer is an important time to 

hear from our membership and that 

session will remain unchanged. 

Bottom line. In 2006 and 

beyond, you’ll find a shorter, more 

productive conference with increased 

networking opportunities. I 

want to hear from you. Let me know 

what you think of our planned 

improvements and whether you prefer 

a keynote speaker from the 

industry or outside the industry. 

Send your comments to: randyreid 

@comcast.net 

online bookstore 

at www.iesna.org 


Here it is February and I find my term as Southwestern 

Region RVP more than half over. My 

term is for three years (the new standard) and 

I find this first half has passed by quickly. I wish to 

thank all those that have made it such a pleasure. I 

look forward to the second half. 

For those of you contemplating being an RVP as 

well as those assisting the RVP as a member of the 

Regional Executive Council or as a Section President 

please note that self-motivation is a must. During the 

years that I served on the REC under several RVP’s I 

always wondered why I did not receive more input 

from the RVP on what I should be doing. Now as an 

RVP I know. The workload of the RVP is large considering 

the fact that it is an unpaid, voluntary addition 

to their already full employment, personal and 

other professional requirements. 

For those of you 

contemplating being 

an RVP... 

please note that 

self-motivation 

is a must. 

a few, then proceed to others. Because of the help of 

many in this region’s REC we have met several of our 

goals. 

The newly reactivated Mexico Section is now a 

REGIONAL 

VOICES 

legal entity in Mexico and has a very active membership. 

They have recently hosted their latest 

Jornada Internacional de Iluminacion, bringing in 

speakers from as far away as Italy. We have, through 

the efforts of the San Jacinto Section, a new student 

chapter at the University of Houston. The Student 

Lighting Design program has been revamped and is 

active. 

The job of the RVP and members of the REC can be 

demanding. It can also be very rewarding, both from 

a personal side and in helping the profession. I heartily 

suggest that all consider assisting the society by 

serving in such a capacity. I know it has been and 

still is very rewarding for me. 

Thomas 

Duncan, PE, LC 

Southwestern 

Region RVP 

Having personnel who are self-motivated and who 

understand what is necessary to achieve the goals of 

the REC is imperative. The RVP simply does not have 

the time to personally dictate what each person 

needs to accomplish, and having two or three REC 

meetings a year (versus the typical monthly Section 

Board of Managers meeting) simply does not allow 

time to discuss in detail what needs to be done. REC 

committee chairs, please review your responsibilities 

and determine how you will achieve them. Afterward, 

discuss them with your RVP and after a plan has been 

agreed upon, proceed without delay. While a year 

seems a long time to achieve your goals, it passes by 

before you know it. Also, it frequently takes longer 

than planned for actions to take place. Section presidents, 

it is imperative that you keep your RVP 

apprised of your Section’s status. The most obvious 

way of doing this is circulating copies of your meeting 

reports and minutes of your board of managers 

meetings. 

Don’t put too much on your plate. When I became 

the RVP, I had many lofty goals for the Region to 

achieve—an active student chapter in each Section, 

getting inactive sections operating, and revival of the 

region’s Student Lighting Design Awards program. I 

have since learned that having many goals means 

few will be accomplished. Concentrate on achieving 

www.iesna.org 


When we are presented with 

a bright source that is 

located straight ahead of 

us, we experience glare. If the 

source is excessively bright we will 

experience disability glare. That is, 

the intensity of the source is so 

harsh that it prevents us from being 

able to see well. A good example of 

this will be the high beam from an 

LIGHTING FOR 

QUALITY 

Peter Ngai 

approaching car. In interior lighting 

environments, it is unusual that we 

will experience this type of disability 

glare. But rather, we may be subjected 

to a high enough source 

brightness that will make us feel 

uncomfortable. Hence we term it 

discomfort glare. 

Discomfort glare has been investigated 

for over half a century. We 

know quite well the factors that 

influence discomfort glare—namely, 

the size of the glare sources, the 

luminance of the sources, the overall 

luminance of the environment, 

the angle of deviation of the 

sources from the horizontal line of 

sight and the number of glare 

sources within the field of view. In 

North America, we use the Visual 

Comfort Probability (VCP) System 

to estimate the glare potential of a 

luminaire under predetermined conditions. 

At the present time, there 

are some questions among lighting 

specialists as to whether VCP is the 

best predictor of discomfort glare or 

not. However, the overall underlying 

concept is sound. 

Our glare sensation is very 

much affected by the location of 

glare source from our horizontal 

line of sight. If it is straight ahead 

in front of us, we will experience 

much greater visual discomfort 

than if it is away from our line of 

sight. Conversely, the farther away 

it is from our line of sight, the less 

we will be affected by the brightness 

of the source. One fundamental 

assumption of this system is 

that discomfort glare exists if the 

source of glare is within 53 

degrees above our line of sight. 

This implies that a glare source 

located above 53 degrees from 

horizontal (when we are looking 

straight ahead) is unlikely to cause 

any discomfort glare. 

Or is it 

All of us, at one time or another, 

have had the experience of sitting in 

an office directly under a two-by-four 

type parabolic luminaire with either 

three or four T8 fluorescent lamps. 

Do we feel very comfortable Does 

the brightness of the luminaire bother 

us I believe there are just as 

many people who would say that it 

Overhead 

Glare 

is uncomfortable, as there are people 

saying it is comfortable. The 

luminaire undoubtedly is beyond 53 

degrees from our horizontal line of 

sight. Our traditional belief is that it 

should not cause any visual discomfort 

because we cannot see the 

bright object. But it does, at least 

to some. The reason for this is simple: 

our sensation to brightness 

does not fall off the cliff right 

beyond 53 degrees. We are still 

sensitive to glare at 55 degrees and 

higher but at a continually reduced 

level. If source luminance is high 

enough, we will experience discomfort. 

The discomfort glare that is 

associated with a glare source 

located higher than 53 degrees 

from our horizontal line of sight is 

termed “Overhead Glare. “ 

The subject of glare is well investigated, 

from Luckiesh and Guth to 

Hopkinson to Fry to Kanaya just to 

name a few. Kanaya showed that as 

the angle of deviation from horizontal 

line of sight increased from 60 to 

75 degrees, discomfort was also 

reduced accordingly. However, the 

first research that solely focused on 

glare from overhead sources was 

done by Sheedy and Bailey of the 

University of California School of 

Photometry in 1995. They studied 

the effect of overhead glare on visual 

discomfort produced by a glare 

source located directly overhead 

the subject. The intensity of the 

glare source was held constant. But 

the amount of glare sensation felt 

by the subject was varied by means 

of a cap with a visor of different 

transmissions. In this way, all the 

photometric quantities associated 

with the experimental set-up were 

held constant except the amount of 

overhead glare impacting the subject. 

The researchers’ conclusion 

was that the higher the luminaire 

luminance, the higher the subject’s 

discomfort. This study definitely 

showed the effect of visual discomfort 

produced by glare source above 

53 degrees, proving the existence 

of overhead glare. 

Another study on overhead glare 

was done at an IESNA and IALD joint 

committee QVE/MOQ workshop in 

1999. In this study, a series of four 

experiments was performed to 

understand the phenomenon of overhead 

glare. Subjects experienced in 

lighting provided assessment of the 

degree of discomfort caused by a 

glare source positioned at five different 

positions corresponding to 

55, 65, 75, 85 and 95 degrees 

above a horizontal line of sight in a 

simulated office space. The glare 

source was set to high, medium and 

low values and so was the ambient 

illuminance. The results showed 

that people do experience discomfort 

from overhead glare source if 

the luminance of the glare source is 

high enough. Specifically, the study 

found that there is an increase in 

discomfort with increasing source 

luminance and size of the glare 

source. The discomfort is reduced 

by increasing the light levels in the 

room. And as expected, there is a 

decrease of discomfort with an 

increase in deviation from horizontal 

line of sight. The results showed 

that the median BCD (boundary 

between comfort and discomfort) 

luminance for deviations up to 85 

degrees is around 9000 cd/m 2 . 

That is, a glare source with luminance 

of 9000 cd/m 2 will cause discomfort 

to 50 percent of the people 

even when it occurs 85 degrees 

above a horizontal line of sight. 

In 2000, another study complementary 

to the above mentioned 

research using similar method but 

with naïve subjects was conducted 

at the Lighting Research Center at 

Rensselaer. The findings from this 

study were similar to those of the 

previous study. The only difference 


was in the level of luminance value 

beyond which subjects felt discomfort 

for all angles. The 1999 study 

with lighting professionals reported 

a value of 9000 cd/m 2 while the 

2000 study showed a 16,000 

cd/m 2 value for the naïve subjects. 

This suggests that lighting designers 

are more sensitive to discomfort 

glare than naïve subjects. While 

there may be technical debate on 

this discrepancy, this much is clear: 

for practical applications in longterm 

work environments, we need to 

consider a level of overhead source 

luminance that is much lower than 

the BCD values determined in the 

studies. This is because we do not 

want to design a lighting system in 

which only 50 percent of the people 

are satisfied. Moreover, this BCD 

level is for luminance of the glare 

source at 85 degrees. For angles 

below 85 degrees, say 55 and 65 

degrees, the lamp luminance values 

should be much lower. 

There was another interesting 

finding from this research: the pattern 

of the results are exactly what 

would be expected from the fundamental 

formulae on which the conventional 

discomfort glare prediction 

systems, such as VCP, Glare 

index and the UGR system are 

based. As a matter of fact, the 

2000 study shows that the approximate 

level of discomfort produced 

by a glare source between 55 

degrees from line of sight and the 

edge of the visual field of view can 

be predicted using the Unified Glare 

Rating system. 

Is overhead glare a different kind 

of glare No. The research results 

imply that overhead glare is simply 

an extension of discomfort glare and 

not an entirely separate phenomenon. 

It confirmed that discomfort 

glare does not cease at 55 degrees 

from line of sight, but continues until 

the glare source passes well outside 

the field of view. The data does show 

that the luminance required to produce 

discomfort glare at very high 

angles, i.e., when the it is overhead, 

is much higher than is required at 

lower angles i.e., when it is closer to 

the line of sight. There is no doubt 

such luminances are well within the 

range of our present day light 

sources and luminaires. 

When is overhead glare a concern 

for lighting designers and engineers 

Well, the short answer is 

that whenever visual comfort is an 

important issue. Take for example, 

lighting for school classrooms. 

Most of the time, students’ attention 

will be on the teachers or the 

the pattern 

of the results 

are exactly what 

would be 

expected from 

the fundamental 

formulae on which 

the conventional 

discomfort glare 

prediction systems 

are based 

chalkboards. If the luminaires on 

the ceiling direct most of the light 

downward, it can create overhead 

glare and can create a very uncomfortable 

visual condition for the 

occupants of the classrooms. This 

is especially true for luminaires with 

high lumen and high brightness 

sources such as HID, compact fluorescent 

or the linear T5 and T5HO 

lamps where the bare lamps are visible. 

One can experience similar 

overhead glare in offices, conference 

rooms, libraries, hospitals, and 

courtrooms just to name a few. An 

adverse by-product of overhead 

glare is veiling reflection. When 

most of the intense brightness of 

the luminaire is directly overhead, 

veiling reflection is most prominent. 

As we stated earlier, in long-term 

work environments, we need to consider 

a level of overhead source 

luminance that is much lower than 

the BCD (9000 - 16,000 cd/m 2 ) 

level. There are still some aspects of 

overhead glare that need further 

explorations, such as the relationship 

between glare source size and 

visual comfort. However, at this 

time we recommend the maximum 

luminance of the luminaires should 

be no more than 10,000 cd/m 2 . 

Those who feel “more comfortable” 

with a lower value should feel free to 

reduce the luminance. After all, 

9000 cd/m 2 represents only a 50 

percent satisfaction level for lighting 

professional. 

References: 

Illuminating Engineering Society 

of North America, IESNA Lighting 

Handbook, 9th Edition, 2000. 

Commission Internationale de I” 

Eclairage, CIE Publication 117, 

Discomfort Glare in Interior 

Lighting, 1995. 

Lukiesh, M., and Guth, S.K. 

Brightness in Visual Field at 

Borderline between Comfort and 

Discomfort (BCD). Illuminating 

Engineering. pp. 650-670. 1949. 

Hopkinson, R.G., Architectual 

Physics: Lighting, Her Majesty’s 

Stationary Office, London, 1963. 

Fry, G.A., A Simplified Formula for 

Discomfort Glare, JIES, 8, pp 10- 

20, 1976. 

Akashi, Y., Muramatsu, R., and 

Kanaya, S., Unified Glare Ratings 

(UGR) and Subjective Appraisal of 

Discomfort Glare, Lighting Research 

and Technology,28, pp 199- 

206, 1996. 

Mistrick, R.G., and Choi, A., A 

comparison of the Visual Comfort 

Probability and Unified Glare Rating 

Systems, JIES, 28, pp 94-101, 

1999. 

Sheedy, J. E., and Bailey, I.L., 

Symptoms and Reading Performance 

with Peripheral Glare 

Sources, Work with Display Units 

94, Eds. A Grieco, G. Molteni, B. 

Piccoli, and E. Occhipinti, Elsevier 

Science, Amsterdam, 1995. 

Ngai, P., and Boyce, P.R., The 

Effect of Overhead Glare on Visual 

Discomfort, JIES, 29, 29 – 38, 

2000. 

Boyce, P.R., Hunter, C.M., and 

Inclan, C., Overhead Glare and Visual 

Discomfort, Conference Proceedings, 

The Illuminating Engineering 

Society of North America, 

pp. 43 – 64, 2002. 

Peter Ngai, LC, PE, FIESNA, is 

vice-president, engineering, Peerless 

Lighting, Berkeley, CA. 


VIEWS ON THE 

VISUAL 

ENVIRONMENT 

Louis 

Erhardt 

Every space has two sets of 

requirements for vision: those 

that are external, properties 

of the scene; and those that are 

internal, the viewer’s reaction. The 

external stimulus is the product of 

illuminance and reflectance. The 

internal response is retinal adaptation 

with a perceptive message 

conveyed by the retinal image to 

the brain. 

One begins with the message “a 

study in visual communication.” In 

a brief exposition of interior spaces, 

the concept of what-you-want-tosee 

is reduced to identifications of 

the space and of activities to be performed 

therein. Examples might be 

a studio to design automobiles, a 

factory to assemble them, or any of 

a myriad of spaces and activities 

that make up our environment. 

The stimulus is computed by 

means of a simple set of factors. 

Our eyes, when we open them, 

immediately respond to the prevailing 

brightness. This response is 

approximately the logarithm of the 

stimulus. Almost all visual sensitivities—to 

brightness, color, size, and 

contrast—are expressed in the 

same log units as the adaptation. 

This compendium of visual abilities 

is instantly available when an adaptation 

level is selected. 

Following are the steps of a procedure: 

Adaptation – Match the adaptation 

to fit the requirements of the 

space and task. The selection 

should present no problem: 1 

cd/m 2 for simple tasks, 10 cd/m 2 

for average everyday activities, 100 

cd/m 2 for the most severe challenges. 

Reflectance – Average reflectance 

for the total of all interior surfaces 

should be determined. Sometimes 

such information is not readily 

available. Since lighting design 

is as much an art as a science, it is 

not numerically critical. Therefore, 

the following averages may be 

used: 0.16 for dark interiors, 0.32 

for average mid-range lightness, 

0.64 for light reflectances. The 

selection should also be easy 

(Table I). Visual adaptation is set 

by the average weighted (luminance 

x area) luminance of the 

visual field. 

Illuminance – Is quantified indirectly 

by selection of an adaptation 

that quantifies an extensive list of 

visual sensitivities. 

Adaptation – Two kinds: the 

unfocused general adaptation, such 

as the first appearance of an unfamiliar 

room; second, the focused 

attention on a task or other detail. 

General adaptation is measured by 

the weighted average of the entire 

field of view; focused, by the foveal 

area plus about a 10 degree surround. 

Vision moves smoothly between 

the two—possibly a neural 

transition if the change is momentary, 

chemical if sustained. Both 

foveal and peripheral vision seem to 

be adapted simultaneously at night 

when attention is focused on the 

road or a sign, and a side-glance 

reveals a pedestrian moving to step 

into the street. 

Fudge Factor – All of the retinal 

sensitivities, recorded at different 

adaptations, are threshold values 

agreed upon by professional 

observers. Regrettably, my own recording 

of those values were the 

result of a personal test, my observations 

after reviewing public data. 

Threshold values are minimal. The 

amount of increase to fulfill visual 

requirements and overcome the 

multitude of deleterious factors has 

been the subject of great discussion. 

These factors include: viewer’s 

age, subnormal vision, moving targets, 

distance, need for accuracy, 

and many more. Parry Moon has 

suggested a safety factor of at least 

ten. For many years, IESNA has 

used eight—the visibility reference 

function—as the safety or “fudge” 

factor. To compare our Adaptation- 

Reflectance computations with 

IESNA findings, we will therefore 

use eight as the safety factor, but 

only when making a comparison 

with calculations requiring a numerical 

end result. 

To compare and discover the 

potential of the several approaches, 

consider the political phrase that 

has decisive significance in the 

comparison of different lighting systems: 

“What did he know and 

when” 

In 1970, Foster Sampson visited 

schools throughout California, measuring 

significant lighting details 

and recording them. He drew conclusions 

as to their degree of meeting 

pre-design goals. (Once 

designed, there was a mandated 

illuminance on desk surfaces, a 

desire for freedom from glare, and a 

general sense of comfort.) Glare 

and comfort are mental perceptions 

without numerical measure, although 

efforts continue to write 

equations for them. What was 

known were the dimensions of the 

space and the finishes of the surfaces. 

Added to these was the specific 

illuminance level, in compli- 

Table I 

Visual Abilities of the Eye’s Sensitivities at Individual 

Adaptations 

Adaptation Reflectance Illuminance Applications 

1 cd/m 2 Light .64 1.8 lx Circulation, 

Med. .32 6.6 Conversation, 

Dark .16 16.5 Storage. 

10 cd/m 2 Light .64 18 lx Reading, 

Med. .32 66 Coarse Assembly, 

Dark .16 165 Conference. 

100 cd/m 2 Light .64 175 lx Tool-making, 

Med. .32 660 Fine Assembly, 

Dark .16 1650 Surgery. 

(To convert lux to footcandles, multiply by 0.093) 


ance with the recommendations of 

the IESNA. 

In Sampson’s school #4, the task 

area was 708 sq ft; the wall colors, 

brown and yellow-green; the average 

reflectance, 0.30; and the 

IESNA illuminance, 30 fc. 

Sampson’s comments on the 

lighting after the school was in service: 

1. The perimeter lighting system 

provides an unusually uniform 

distribution. 

2. The general level of illumination 

(57 fc) is on the low side. 

3. Ceiling brightness is exceptionally 

low (17 cd/m 2 ). 

4. Contrast is excellent. (Contrast 

by equation) 

5. Wall colors were much darker 

than is suggested. 

Design using Adaptation-Reflectance 

method, same space: 

Selecting the adaptation: For a 

school classroom, 10 cd/m 2 

Reflectance: 0.32 

Average illuminance, all surfaces, 

6 fc (Table I) 

Safety factor, 8 X 6= 48 fc (for 

comparison purposes only) 

Adapted Visual Abilities are 

known immediately when an adaptation 

level is selected. The knowledge 

and benefits are so extensive 

that any attempt to summarize is 

apt to leave out more than it 

includes. 

Brightness – This perception is 

relative, subject to the effects of 

adaptation. The moon is bright on a 

clear night when the eye is adapted 

to darkness, but differs in color 

only—white against the blue sky in 

daytime, having nearly the same 

brightness. Brightness allows one 

to say that a scene looks bright or 

dim, but brightness contrast introduces 

a host of other visual sensitivities 

with respect to size, color, 

texture, lines and forms. Brightness 

plays a part in some way with most 

visual properties in a scene. 

Contrast –The illuminating engineer 

defines contrast by an equation 

that gives answers substantially 

different from those obtained by a 

visual appraisal. The equation yields 

a single number as the contrast. 

Contrast sensitivity is expressed by 

the Fechner fraction, the ratio of differential 

luminance threshold to 

luminance. This becomes the engineer’s 

equation for contrast. 

Luminance of an object (the spot) 

minus the luminance of the background, 

divided by the luminance of 

the background, equals the contrast. 

However, current usage does 

not require that the difference be 

minimal, or that the background be 

Every space 

has two sets of 

requirements 

for vision: 

those that are 

external, 

properties 

of the scene; 

and those that are 

internal, 

the viewer’s 

reaction. 

the adaptation. These later changes 

provoke the question, “What has 

contrast become” It is certainly 

not contrast in the normal sense of 

the word. 

The psychologist’s contrast, and 

that of the layman as well, is the 

perceived difference in the quantity 

or quality of two objects or areas— 

a difference that may be observed 

simultaneously or sequentially. This 

contrast is best expressed in 

artist’s terms. A painter has three 

dimensions for any spot of color on 

his canvas. They are, using Albert 

Munsell’s notation, Hue, Value, and 

Chroma—capitalized to designate 

Munsell’s terms. Value is made up 

of ten visually, uniformly spaced 

steps from White (10) to Black (0). 

Uniform illumination is assumed. 

Because we are concerned with 

light, we must add a fourth dimenwww.iesna.org

sion, Brightness. If reflectance is 

uniform, any variation in the field 

must arise from differences in 

brightness. Although the steps are 

visually equal, they are nowhere 

near equal in their reflectances, 

that have been recognized as valid 

ordered pairs by both artists and 

engineers. This Munsell Scale of 

Values is a characteristic of the 

human retina, not merely an artist’s 

concept. Failure to recognize this 

departure from the expected has 

lead to many spurious brightness 

ratios, as is the failure to realize the 

equally important benefits of adaptation. 

The engineer has taken numbers 

derived from light as radiant 

energy instead of addressing light 

as a stimulus for vision. 

Color – James A. Worthey provides 

the basic concept: 

“The study of color rendering is 

concerned primarily with the chromaticity 

shifts that occur when one 

illuminant is exchanged for another.” 

Deane Judd adds: 

“The visual mechanism of the 

normal observer is so constructed 

that objects keep nearly their daylight 

colors even when the illuminant 

departs markedly from average 

daylight.” 

Charles P. Steinmetz recognized 

that: 

“The sensitivity of the eye to radiation 

obviously changes with the 

frequency, as it is zero in the ultrared, 

and in the ultraviolet, where the 

radiation is not visible, and thus 

gradually decreases from zero at 

the red end of the spectrum to a 

maximum near the middle of the 

spectrum and then decreases again 

to zero at the violet end of the spectrum.” 

Steinmetz also found that sensitivity 

to color varied with the intensity 

as well, and gave a set of 

curves: far red (ultra red), 65.0 

microcentimeters; orange-yellow, 

59.0 microcentimeters; bluish 

green, 50.5 microcentimeters; and 

violet, 45.0 microcentimeters. We 

have also touched upon Munsell 

Values, not often recognized as a 

biological condition of the retinal 

perception of lightness or brightness. 

Size – One minute of arc is perhaps 

the best introduction to visual 

size. It is, of course, one sixtieth of 

a degree, its tangent is 0.000261, 

or 1/3834. In visual terms, one 

minute of arc is the “minimum visible” 

or “minimum separable” detail 

of the “normal” eye. 

The reciprocal of minutes of arc 

is visual acuity. Visual size is the 

angular measure of an object at a 

specific distance, and visual acuity 

is the reciprocal of visual size. 

Visual size is extremely important 

when viewing a scene, though its 

importance is often unrecognized. 

Consider, for example, a chair three 

feet in height. On a clear day, it 

would be just visible at a bit over 

two miles distant with a visual angle 

of 1 minute of arc—just a dot in 

space. As you approach, several of 

its small components, measuring 2 

inches, become separately visible 

at a little over 600 feet as it is perceived 

to be a chair. At six feet, the 

composition of the chair is quite evident: 

the carved wood, the grain of 

the wood, and the colors of both the 

wood frame and the velvet upholstery. 

At even closer viewing, textures 

are revealed. In all successful 

views, light reveals by its intensity, 

size of source, and direction, a 

series of changing appearances. All 

of this abundant detail is the result 

of the visual size of the object and 

its distance from the eye of the 

viewer. The IESNA defines three 

types of acuity: that which enables 

one to separate two stimuli, a form 

of detection called its resolution 

acuity; one that allows the viewer to 

recognize letters at a specified distance, 

known as recognition acuity; 

and finally vernier acuity, the ability 

to detect misalignment of two lines. 

William Lam, in Perception and 

Lighting, captured the importance 

of the size-distance relationship: 

“When a chalkboard is to be 

viewed, a 25-percent decrease in 

viewing distance produces an 

improvement in visual acuity equal 

to increasing the amount of light 

100 times, from 10 to 1000 footcandles.” 

Gary Yonemura, in Criteria for 

Recommending Lighting Levels, 

U.S. Bureau of Standards, 1981, 

divides visibility into three categories: 

detection, recognition, and 

identification. 

Simon Shaler, in The Relation 

between Visual Acuity and 

Illumination, Library of Biophysics, 

Columbia University, 1937, uses 

the terms recognition and resolution, 

as does The IESNA Handbook, 

Ninth Edition. Although 

there is no strict adherence to definitions, 

they are all associated with 

the concept of acuity—the ability to 

see, detect, and recognize fine 

details. 

Flicker – “To eliminate the perception 

of flicker, it is necessary to 

increase the frequency of oscillation 

above the critical flicker frequency 

or to reduce the percentage 

modulation of the oscillation, the 

area of the visual field over which 

the oscillation occurs, or the adaptation 

luminance.”—The IESNA 

Handbook, Ninth Edition. The peripheral 

retina is far more sensitive to 

flicker than is the fovea. The ends of 

early fluorescent lamps appeared to 

flicker if you did not view the ends 

directly. 

Again, Yonemura comes to our 

rescue with an invitation to summarize 

the possibilities of retinal adaptation: 

“More generally, we need a measure 

that covers the gamut of visual 

sensitivity (sensation) from barely 

detectable to highly legible.” 

Perhaps the Adaptation-Reflectance 

method of design with its 

complete recognition of adaptation 

(Table 1) is the answer Yonemura 

was seeking. 

Adaptation-Reflectance by virtue 

of two simple selections has made 

available an extensive list of visual 

abilities: Illuminance, Brightness, 

Color Sensitivity, Contrast (modified 

by the Munsell Value Scale), 

Resolution and Recognition Acuity, 

and Flicker. In this month’s column, 

we have been exposed to a single 

adaptation, 10 cd/m 2 . In the 

future, we will examine other adaptations. 

e-mail a 

letter to 

the 

editor: 

cbeardsley@iesna.org 


For many years, we may not 

have been looking under all of 

the “right rocks” when trying 

to link lighting to human performance 

and well-being or when trying 

to characterize lighting quality. The 

lighting quality matrix in Chapter 10 

of the IESNA Lighting Handbook 

covers a wide range of visual criteria 

(performance, glare, color, etc.), but 

We may not 

have been 

looking under 

all of the 

“right rocks” 

when trying to 

link lighting to 

human 

performance 

and well-being 

is that all there is to lighting quality 

Based on the rapidly emerging 

science of circadian photobiology, 

the simple answer must be, no, because 

light is not just for vision. 

www.iesna.org 

Why isn’t light just for vision 

In 1980, Al Lewy showed that 

bright white light (2500 lux for two 

hours during the night between 

02:00 and 04:00 hours) suppressed 

human melatonin to daytime levels 

(Lewy et al., 1980) and later 

showed that bright white light 

relieved symptoms of seasonal 

affective disorder (SAD). These discoveries 

were very important 

because they stimulated other clinical 

research. Eus van Someren (van 

Someren et al., 1997) has shown 

that exposing Alzheimer’s patients 

to bright light during the day and 

darkness at night consolidated their 

rest/activity patterns, Miller et al. 

(1995) showed that cycled light, 

instead of continuous light, improved 

growth rate of premature infants. 

Lewy’s work was also the 

stimulus for more basic research. 

Badia et al. (1991), Boyce et al. 

(1997), and Figueiro et al. (2001) 

showed that bright light exposure at 

night increased brain activity, 

improved cognitive performance, 

and subjective alertness, respectively. 

Also, epidemiologists are 

hypothesizing that light at night may 

be associated with increased risk of 

certain types of cancer (Davis et al., 

2001; Hansen, 2001; Schernhammer 

et al., 2001). In summary, I 

have been lecturing about light and 

health for a few years now, and it 

continues to surprise me how I must 

continuously update my lectures to 

reflect new and exciting research. It 

is now impossible to ignore the fact 

that light is not just for vision. 

What do we know about circadian 

photobiology 

Biological rhythms that repeat at 

approximately every 24 hours are 

called circadian rhythms. These 

include cycles such as sleep/wake, 

body temperature, hormone production 

and alertness (Arendt, 1995). 

The human circadian timing is controlled 

by the circadian pacemaker, 

the biological clock located in the 

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of 

the brain. Light is the main input to 

synchronize the biological clock to 

the solar (24-hour) day (Brainard et 

al., 1997). If we are not exposed to 

sufficient amount of light of the 

right spectrum, for a sufficient 

amount of time, and at the right timing, 

our biological clock becomes 

desynchronized with the solar day 

and decrements in physiological 

functions, neurobehavioral performance 

and sleep usually occur. (It 

is important to note, however, that 

light is the main, but not the only 

synchronizer of the biological clock. 

Exercise, social activities, and 

scheduled meals have also been 

shown to synchronize the clock, 

although their impact on circadian 

rhythmicity is weaker than light). 

It is now widely known that melatonin 

is a hormone produced by the 

pineal gland at night and under conditions 

of darkness. Generally, melatonin 

is used as a marker of the circadian 

clock. Melatonin is believed 

to be the hormone of darkness, the 

one that tells the body it is nighttime. 

Nocturnal animals, such as 

mice will interpret this as being 

time to be active; humans, on the 

other hand, will interpret as being 

time to go to bed. 

RESEARCH 

RECAP 

Why propose a new framework 

for lighting practice 

There are five basic characteristics 

of light: quantity, spectrum, distribution, 

timing and duration. The 

characteristics that are ideal for 

vision are quite different than those 

that are maximally effective for the 

circadian system. Certainly, we are 

years away from a complete understanding 

of the impact of light on 

circadian regulation, but an initial 

framework for the effects of light on 

vision and on the circadian system 

can be helpful in paving the way to 

FPO 

Mariana G. 

Figueiro, 


Research 

Center

practical applications where the circadian 

system as well as the visual 

system are considered in achieving 

good “lighting quality.” 

1. Quantity: Typical light levels 

found in an office environment 

(500 lux from white light on the 

workplane) are more than sufficient 

for the visual system to 

process information. One hour 

exposure to this same white 

light, however, is barely sufficient 

to stimulate the circadian photobiological 

system. 

2. Spectrum: The visual system is 

most sensitive to the middle 

wavelength portion of the spectrum, 

while the photobiological 

system is responsive to the short 

wavelength portion. For example, 

at 500 lux on the workplane, 

a 7500 kelvin (K) fluorescent 

lamp is almost 2.5 times more 

effective in suppressing melatonin 

(1 hour exposure) than a 

3000 K fluorescent lamp. In 

terms of visual performance, 

they are the same (even though 

the 7500 K lamp would probably 

appear brighter). 

3. Timing: Operation of the visual 

system does not depend on timing 

of light exposure; it responds 

to a light stimulus at any time of 

the day or night. Depending on 

the timing of light exposure, however, 

light can phase advance or 

phase delay the biological clock, 

or it can have no effect at all. 

Phase advance resets the clock 

to an earlier time and phase 

delay resets the clock to a later 

time. Because our clock’s natural 

rhythm is a bit longer than 24 

hours, we need to advance it 

every morning in order to be synchronized 

to the solar day. 

4. Duration: The visual system 

responds to a light stimulus very 

fast (less than 1 second). The 

duration of light exposure needed 

to suppress melatonin is longer 

than the duration of light exposure 

needed to activate the visual 

system; suppression of melatonin 

content in the bloodstream 

starts at approximately 10 minutes 

after bright light exposure 

was initiated. 

5. Spatial Distribution: For the visual 

system, light distribution is 

critical to visual performance. 

For example, the accurate rendition 

of the patterns of light and 

dark on this page are necessary 

to identify the words I have written 

- the circadian system does 

not respond to these patterns, 

only the overall amount of light 

reaching the retina. 

Table 1 summarizes a framework 

for visual and circadian functioning, 

based on what we know today. 

Much is still unknown about circadian 

photobiology and its interaction 

with lighting, but one thing cannot 

be denied: light is not just for 

vision. 


Application 

characteristics circadian - day shift circadian - night 

(broad-band vision work shift work 

light) 

quantity low high high 

(300-500 lux on task (~1000 lux at eye) (~1000 lux at eye) 

~100 lux at eye) 

spectrum photopic (peak sensitivity short-wavelength short-wavelength 

555 nm) (peak sensitivity (peak sensitivity 

420-480 nm) 420-480 nm) 

spatial distribution important independent of independent of 

distribution (task luminance, contrast distribution distribution 

and size determine (illuminance at eye) (illuminance at eye) 

visibility) 

timing any time subjective morning periodically 

throughout shift 

duration very short (less than 1 s) long (1-2 hr) short (15 min 

pulses 

Table 1—A proposed framework for lighting practice. For cells that are shaded, evidence is less 

certain, and the results of future research will be needed to refine and corroborate these preliminary 

guidelines (Rea et al., 2002). 

What can be recommended 

This initial framework clearly illustrates 

how light affects the two systems 

so differently. Unfortunately, 

we have limited understanding of 

the interactions between these 

lighting characteristics in affecting 

the circadian system. Until a more 

comprehensive framework is developed 

for the circadian system (in 

terms of light quantity, spectrum, 

timing, duration, and distribution) 

the various experiments reviewed 

above will remain isolated findings 

with limited implications for practice. 

For example, we know that 

exposure to light during the day 

affects the relative importance of 

light exposure at night (Lynch et al., 

1985 and Hebert et al., 2002). 

Therefore, it is premature to recommend, 

as some have suggested, 

that people should not read books 

or watch television at night or that 

people should use red LEDs as 

night-lights. Until we better understand 

the significance of light exposure 

(quantity, spectrum, distribution, 

timing, and duration) during 

the preceding 24 hours, we cannot 

predict the impact of light exposure 

on a given night. 

In effect, we can presently say 

very little about “lighting quality” 

for the circadian system, but it is 

absolutely necessary to begin to 

educate ourselves about this rapidly 

emerging area of science 

because it will dramatically affect 

lighting practice in the coming 

years. Hopefully, the framework in 

Table 1 is a helpful step in this direction. 

References: 

Arendt J. 1995. Melatonin and 

the Mammalian Pineal Gland. 

Published Chapman & Hall, 2-6 

Boundary Row, London, SE1 8HN, 

UK. 

Badia P, Myers B, Boecker M, 

Culpepper, J. 1991. Bright light 

effects on body temperature, alertness, 

EEG and Behavior. Physiol 

Behav 50(3): 583-588. 

Boyce P, Beckstead JW, Eklund 

NH, Strobel RW, Rea MS. 1997. 

Lighting the graveyard shift: The 

influence of a daylight-simulating 

skylight on the task performance 

and mood of nightshift workers. 

Light Res Technol 29(3): 105-134. 

Brainard GC, Rollag MD, Hanifin 


JP. 1997. Photic Regulation of 

Melatonin in Humans: Ocular and 

neural Signal Transduction. J Biol 

Rhythms, 12(6): 537 - 546 

Davis S, Mirick DK, Stevens RG. 

2001. Night shift work, light at 

night, and risk of breast cancer. J 

Natl Cancer Inst 93(20): 1557- 

1562. 

Figueiro MG, Rea MS, Boyce P, 

White R, Kolberg K. 2001. The 

effects of bright light on day and 

night shift nurses’ performance and 

well-being in the NICU. Neonatal 

Intens. Care 14(1): 29-32. 

Hansen J. 2001. Light at night, 

shiftwork, and breast cancer risk. J 

Natl Cancer Inst 93(20): 1513- 

1515. 

Herbert M, Martin SK, Lee C, 

Eastman CI. 2002. The effects of 

prior light history on the suppression 

of melatonin by light in 

humans. J Pineal Res 33: 198-203. 

Lewy AJ, Wehr TA, Goowin FK, et 

al. 1980. Light suppresses melatonin 

secretion in humans. Science, 

210: 1267-1269. 

Lynch HJ, Deng MH, Wurtman 

RJ. 1985. Indirect Effects of Light: 

Ecological and Ethological Considerations. 

The Medical and Biological 

Effects of Light. Annals of 

the New York Academy of Sciences 

453: 231 – 241. 

Miller CL, White R, Whitman TL, 

O’Callaghan MF, Maxwell SE. 1995. 

The effects of cycled versus noncycled 

lighting on growth and development 

in preterm infants. Infant 

Behav Develop 18(1): 87-95. 

Rea MS, Figueiro MG, Bullough 

JD. 2002. Circadian photobiology: 

An emerging framework for lighting 

practice and research. Light. Res. 

Technol. 34(3): 177-190. 

Schernhammer ES, Laden F, 

Speizer FE, Willett WC, Hunter DJ, 

Kawachi I, Colditz GA. 2001. 

Rotating night shifts and risk of 

breast cancer in women participating 

in the nurses’ health study. J Natl 

Cancer Inst 93(20): 1563-1568. 

Van Someren EJW, Kessler A, 

Mirmirann M, Swaab DF. 1997. 

Indirect bright light improves circadian 

rest-activity rhythm disturbances 

in demented patients. Biol. 

Psychiatry 1997; 41: 955-963. 

www.iesna.org 

Before a stage show comes to 

Broadway it opens “on the 

road” to get the kinks out of 

it. Often the producers hire a “show 

doctor” to make changes that will 

help insure the play’s success in 

New York. 

Something similar happens with 

a developer’s speculative office 

building. A construction cost of 

$200/sq ft for a million square foot 

office building makes for a risky investment, 

even with a major tenant 

lined up before breaking ground. 

Since you can’t try out an office 

building on the road, many developers 

engage an architect’s architect 

Energy 

conservationists 

recommend that 

available daylight 

be used to 

reduce the 

electric load, 

which can easily 

be done in an 

office only 15 ft 

deep 

to configure the building so that 

when it is built in New York, or in 

any major US city, it gets the maximum 

yield in the form of rental to 

insure its success. 

The best known of these building 

gurus is Der Scutt, who is a 

Fellow of the AIA as well as the 

IESNA. I turned to him for help in 

preparing a talk for the Master 

Class in Lighting for Architects and 

Designers, produced each year in 

New York by Sonny Sonnenfeld, in 

association with Paul Gregory and 

Jonathan Speirs. Scutt pointed out 

that the size of the plot and the 

zoning of the site determines the 

footprint and size of the building 

and the spacing of the structural 

steel. The most economical module 

for a developer’s building is five 

feet, which dictates the spacing of 

the columns and the size of the 

various offices. 

Some tenants are large corporations 

with office buildings throughout 

the country. They have their 

own formula for space allocation. A 

large communication company has 

seven different sized private 

ENERGY 

CONCERNS 

offices, one for each of its executive 

levels, and has rules for how 

many persons have to share a “private” 

office, and how many square 

feet to allow for each occupant in 

an open plan area. 

Der Scutt told me that, in general, 

for a building to reach its maximum 

rental potential, it should have 

a 15 ft deep perimeter zone for private 

offices, each one a multiple of 

5 ft, with the smallest office 10 ft 

wide along the window wall by 15 ft 

deep, and wider spaces for executives 

and conference rooms. Then, 

proceeding inward toward the core, 

the floor plan should allow 5 ft for a 

corridor and 10 feet for secretarial 

offices and records. If the perimeter 

offices have glass partitions onto 

the corridor, then everyone in that 

30-ft-deep exterior zone has a visual 

connection to the outdoors, 

which we know from the Light Right 

Consortium study is highly valued 

by employees. Then Scutt recommends 

another 5-ft-wide corridor for 

passage and past that, interior 

offices and conference rooms, the 

employee cafeteria and utility areas 

and finally, the reception area and 

elevator lobby. 

The glazing in the windowed 

perimeter offices will have coatings 

to reduce the sun load, which is 

highest in the winter when the sun 

is at its lowest, and to retain the 

heating or cooling on the inside— 

depending on the season. Energy 

conservationists recommend that 

available daylight be used to reduce 

Willard L. 

Warren, 

PE, LC, 

FIESNA 


the electric load, which can easily 

be done in an office only 15 ft deep, 

depending on the transmissive density 

of the coated glazing. 

For an entire office building to 

meet ASHRAE/ IESNA 90.1-1999, 

the allowable Lighting Power Density 

(LPD) is 1.3 watts per square 

foot. If the new or renovated office 

space is part of a substantial alteration 

to an existing building and it 

constitutes more than 50 percent 

of the electrical subsystem of the 

building, then the allowable LPD is 

1.5 w/sq ft. 

How much illuminance can you 

provide if limited to 1.5 w/sq ft 

That depends on the luminous efficacy 

of the lamp/ballast combination, 

the shape of the room and the 

reflection factors of its ceiling, walls 

and floor, the coefficient of utilization 

(CU) of the luminaire in that 

room, and that is for a calculation 

of the expected average initial footcandle 

level. 

Let’s take that exterior private 

office in our developer’s building 

that is 10 ft wide by 15 ft long, with 

an area of 150 sq ft limited to 1.5 

w/sq ft You will probably want to 

provide 50 fc average maintained at 

a .85 maintenance factor (MF), 

with hopefully, a way to switch it 

down to 35 fc when the occupant is 

working only on the computer, and 

an occupancy sensor to switch the 

lights off, or way down, when the 

person is out of the office, which is 

generally a third of the time. 

Two luminaires with CU’s of .55, 

and three 32-W T-8 lamps in each 

will provide: 6 lamps x 2850 

lumens/lamp x .55 (CUs) x .85 

MF/150 sq ft = 53 fc average maintained. 

And you’ve used 3 x 58 

watts/luminaire = 174 watts, only 

1.2 w/sq ft, way under the 1.5 

Lighting Power Density (LPD) 

watts/sq ft allowed. 

I would prefer to use a direct/ 

indirect unit with premium T-8 

lamps and low power electronic ballasts 

with 3200 lumen lamps and a 

ballast factor ( BF) of .77 to give: 6 

lamps x 3200-lumens/lamp x .77 

BF x .55 cu x .85 MF/150 sq ft = 

54 fc average maintained with only 

144 watts, which is less than one 

watt/sq ft. 

Or you could use an efficient indirect 

luminaire with two- T-5 HO 

lamps. 

Or you could provide 35 fc average 

maintained using only .7 w/sq 

ft and an under cabinet task light to 

provide the extra illumination needed 

when working on a more difficult 

visual task, and still be under .8 

watt/sq. ft. 

In a larger office, the CU goes up, 

and the spacing of the luminaires 

can be greater, (unless you’re lining 

them up with the windows) and the 

energy load can be reduced even 

more. 

California, which has been first in 

everything lately, is cutting the 

allowable LPDs to below ASHRAE/ 

IESNA 90.1-1999 levels, and 

accounting for plug loads. In the 

future, California is considering giving 

Power Adjustment Factors, 

which are credits, for the use of bilevel 

lighting in various occupancies 

like classrooms, warehouses, 

corridors, library stacks and 

offices. 

There’s a lot of controversy about 

giving power credits for daylight harvesting, 

but that will happen when 

sensors are incorporated within the 

luminaires and can be more easily 

calibrated and the energy savings 

more reliably realized. 

As pointed out in last month’s 

column, a number of lighting manufacturers 

are incorporating combination 

daylight harvesting and 

occupancy sensors in their luminaires, 

along with dimming ballasts, 

to automatically reduce the 

electric load. 

I know I repeat myself in my 

columns regarding bi-level lighting, 

but it is becoming an important 

energy saving measure that’s finally 

being given the “credits” it’s due. 

Willard L. Warren, PE, LC, FIES- 

NA is the founder of Willard L. 

Warren Assoc. a consulting firm 

specializing in lighting and energy 

conservation. He has consulted 

for many governmental agencies 

and corporations and is chairperson 

of the panel that rewrote the 

lighting sections of the new, New 

York City Electric Code of 2003. 

He welcomes all comments on 

your experiences with energy 

conservation in lighting at wlwlighting@att.net 


notes on lighting design • 

Latin Nights 

From Noche’s first floor bar to the top floor private dining 

room, the spirit and excitement of 21st century Latin America 

are captured at this innovative five-story restaurant/cabaret in 

the heart of Times Square, where diners are enveloped by vividly 

illuminated brightly colored surfaces. Located on Broadway at 

49th Street, Noche Restaurant is owned by David Emil, former 

owner of Windows on the World. 

Diners enter the restaurant through the intimate first-floor bar, 

which is illuminated by tall custom rattan pendants, backlit multicolored 

collages and wall surfaces washed with amber light. 

From the bar, a short trip in an elevator cab, lined with 

brushed stainless steel walls and washed by a color changing 

ceiling cove, takes one to the second level where diners enter 

the main room. 

The multiple levels of the soaring dining room glow from 40-ft 

high walls covered with blonde wooden slats hung like Venetian 

blinds, washed in deep amber from hidden light strips at the top 

and bottom of the wall and front-lit from above with a blue dappled 

light effect. The elevator 

enclosure is covered with colorful, 

backlit floating glass panels 

and surrounded by a spiral stairway 

illuminated with decorative 

blue glass pendants. 

The long bar is suffused with 

deep orange and red light from 

ceiling coves and custom pendants. 

Behind the bar, floating 

glass bottle shelving backed with 

murals of Caribbean jungle 

scenes are backlit in the same 

orange/red, vibrate with blue and 

green front light. 

The stage, which will showcase 

Latin bands, is covered by a 

dark blue curtain, and streaked 

in various hues of blue light and 

front-lit in subtle patterns of aqua 

from above. 

The centerpiece of the space is 

a 30-ft diameter translucent skylight 

supported by five massive 

curving columns. In 15-minute 

cycles, the expanse of back-lit 

skylight is programmed to slowly 

shift through a spectrum of color, 

each color lending a different 

mood to the dining room. Tables 

below are spotlighted in peach 

tones from a catwalk surrounding 

the skylight. 

The multitude of distinct and different views throughout the 

restaurant makes the Latin dining experience a memorable one. 

Lighting design by Focus Lighting; Paul Gregory, principal; Jeff 

Nathan, senior designer; Brett Anderson, designer; Gwen 

Grossman, assistant designer; and Jaie Bosse, assistant designer. 

Design architect: The Rockwell Group. Photographers: Anne 

Hall and J.R. Krauza. 

www.iesna.org 

LD+A/February 2003 21 

PHOTOS: ANNE HALL & J. R. KRAUZA

• notes on lighting design 

Saratoga Showcase 

From the outside looking in, the soft, warm-toned interior of this elegant 4000-sq-ft home in Saratoga 

Springs, NY, suggests incandescent when, in fact, the lighting in the home is predominantly fluorescent. 

In the past, homeowners have relegated fluorescent luminaires mostly to basements and garages. 

Things are changing, though, and the Lighting Research Center (LRC) in Troy, NY, is helping the United 

States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) bring those changes about. 

The LRC, in conjunction with the US EPA, is implementing a market transformation effort to increase 

the penetration of energy-efficient lighting in residential new construction. LRC lighting designers have 

recently completed a pilot project in the Saratoga home to test 

reactions to high-quality fluorescent lighting. 

The home’s kitchen contrasts rich woods, polished granite countertops, and wheatcolored 

walls. Soffit heights allow continuous mounting of 11 W, T2 luminaires above 

and below the cabinets, providing even illumination. These subminiature fluorescents 

are mounted toward the front of the cabinets and are slim enough to be invisible from 

any viewing angle. Lensed compact fluorescent luminaires containing 26 W lamps supplement 

the ambient lighting. 

In the dining room, a cove conceals the same T2 luminaires used in the kitchen but 

runs only along one wall, adding an interesting asymmetrical element. The cove is 

mounted only twelve inches below the ceiling line to better integrate it into the capitols 

of the decorative columns. Throughout the house, each cove and valance fascia replicates 

the millwork of columns and built-in cabinet units, creating continuity between furnishings 

and lighting. A chandelier, fitted with 14 W mini-twist compact fluorescent 

lamps (CFLs) in alabaster glass cups, provides indirect light and adds to the tranquil 

ambience. 

In the adjacent two-story foyer (not shown), a larger version of the same chandelier 

houses candelabra-based incandescents in case the view of mini-twist CFLs is undesirable to someone descending the curved 

staircase. Viewers cannot tell the difference between the lighting in the two chandeliers, demonstrating how far energy-efficient 

luminaires have come. 

In the living room, along the expanse of the long wall, a glass lens diffuses light from 

a valance that is mounted twenty-four inches below the ceiling. Contiguous 32 W, T8s 

are side-mounted behind the valance to cast light up and down the walls and fill the 

large room with soft, glare-free light. 

The designers used the same technique to add a touch of elegance to the master 

bedroom. Alabaster wall sconces in hallways contain low-wattage lamps. The alabaster 

glass often used in Energy Star luminaires conceals the CFLs. 

The 2700K to 3000K lamps used throughout the home blend well with halogen 

accent lights and complement warm surface colors and rich fabrics. Illuminance levels 

meet IESNA recommendations for areas such as kitchen work counters, passageways, 

and dining areas. Occupancy sensors and dimming controls further reduce energy consumption. 

Education is the key to widespread acceptance of any initiative. Belmonte Builders 

of Clifton Park, NY, who provided the demonstration site, was excited to learn about 

the differing characteristics among T2s, T5s, T8s, and the myriad of CFLs that exist. 

US EPA has recently introduced a residential Energy Star “house-pack,” a wholehouse 

lighting package or lighting upgrade that builders can offer their clients. It 

includes Energy Star light fixtures and ceiling fans. One of the main drawbacks to more 

frequent use of Energy Star fixtures has been the small selection of high-quality fixtures 

and the higher cost of the lamp/ballast combination. Manufacturers have responded 

by designing more—and more attractive—improved-performance fixtures. Some are 

including CFLs with their packages. The much-maligned fluorescent is ready to come 

up out of the basement and make its appearance in even the most upscale of living 

rooms. 

Designers are Patricia Rizzo, Design Project Manager, LRC, and Jean Paul 

Freyssinier-Nova, Lighting Design Specialist, LRC. 

—Patricia Rizzo 

PHOTOS: MICHAEL KALLA 


notes on lighting design • 

bars was achieved with 

recessed, adjustable 

gang lights. 

Both the front bars 

and all the backs of 

booths located in Steel 

are lighted by low temperature, 

inexpensive 

linear lighting to softly dress-up and add texture throughout the restaurant. 

“In the bar, the track over the counter provides beams of light on the glassware. 

Reflections on the white sheer drapes offer diffuse light. Diners love 

the beautiful surroundings and setting,” says Johnson. 

—John-Michael Kobes 

Steel Meals 

The challenge: designing light for a contemporary and architecturally 

designed 4000-sq-ft restaurant with exposed ceilings. Natural materials 

like stone, mahogany, and cherry wood bring out warmth and texture, 

creating a dramatic Zen atmosphere and space. The Steel restaurant in 

Dallas focuses on an Indo-Chinese menu that merges French, Chinese, 

and Vietnamese cuisines. 

“The name steel made it very simple to select more industrial-like 

material for the construction and also lighting,” says lighting designer 

Hatsumi K. Johnston. “Pendant lighting over the three booths uses track 

heads with barns and louvers for an industrial look.” 

Upon stepping down from the street level, patrons view the iron entry 

doors. First impression of the interior is a wall of white, sheer curtain 

hanging from a polished steel column, which acts as a focal point, creating 

mystery from ceiling to floor. The sheer drapes divide the sushi bar 

and main dining rooms from the back bar. This is lighted by a low voltage 

monorail system of 50-W MR16’s that emphasize texture and shade, creating 

a large, but soft and elegant element. 

The same monorail system was also used in the wine room, highlighting 

wine bottle necks with long beams and creating random light and 

shadows, as well as providing necessary light in the space. 

Mini ellipse theater projectors with barndoor’s and 35-W MR16’s dramatically 

light the glassware and small bowls of bamboo on tabletops. 

For flexibility, the projectors were clamped onto suspended plumbing pipe 

with a 75-W Fresnel projector offering fill light throughout the restaurant. 

“The beam of light is perfectly centered in the table to illuminate the 

beautiful Asian cuisine,” says Johnson. “Ambient lighting is very important 

to me. Supplementary illumination is offered by candles and the rope 

lighting along the wall 

in the cove.” 

At the sushi bar and 

the lounge bar, a 

curved monorail system 

creates contrasts 

on the grid wood walls. 

To avoid multiple penetrations 

into the wood 

ceiling, task lighting in 

www.iesna.org 


Myron Kahn, 

Developed Polarized 

Ceiling Panels, 

1916-2002 

Myron Kahn, inventor 

of polarized ceiling 

light panels has died. 

He was 85. Kahn, 

founder of what became 

Polarized Corp. 

of America, died November 

19 in St. John 

Hospital in Santa Monica, CA of heart 

failure, said his son attorney Robert A. 

Kahn. 

An IESNA member for 18 years, the 

native New Yorker went to work in his 

teens, earned a high school diploma 

in night school and enlisted in the 

Army Air Corps during World War II, 

Kahn came to Southern California 

after the war. 

Inspired by a relative who had created 

an early version of the polarized 

lenses used in sunglasses, Kahn developed 

(and in the 1960s patented) lightpolarized 

plastic ceiling panels to cut 

glare from fluorescent lamps. 

In 1947 he established Polarized 

Illumination, Inc., which later used the 

names Polarized Lighting International 

and Polarized Corp. or America 

Kahn is survived by his wife, Bea; his 

son, Robert; his daughter, Fran Rice; 

and four grandchildren. 

ILLUMINATING 

ENGINEERING 

SOCIETY 

NEWS 

VOLUME 33, NUMBER 2 

FEBRUARY 2003 

User’s Manual 

Simplifies 90.1 

Energy-Efficient Design 

Encouraging users to apply the principles 

of energy conservation when 

designing buildings and systems is the 

intent of a new user’s manual for the 

90.1 energy standard. 

The 90.1 User’s Manual provides 

detailed instruction for the design of 

commercial and high-rise buildings to 

ensure their compliance with 

ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1- 

2001, Energy Standard for Buildings 

Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. 

“The manual illuminates the standard 

through the use of numerous sample 

calculations and examples,” Charles 

Eley of Eley Associates, which wrote 

the manual, said. “It also streamlines 

the compliance process, making it as 

easy as possible for users to create 

effective energy-efficient designs.” 

To ensure consistency with the standard, 

content has been updated 

throughout the manual, which was partially 

funded through a grant from the 

U.S. Department of Energy. Significant 

changes include: 

Member News 

Leviton, Little Neck, NY, appointed David Buerer to the position of associate 

product manager for the company’s rapidly-growing lighting control division. The 

lighting control division designs, develops, and brings to market state-of-the-art 

theatrical and architectural dimming systems and advanced box-mounted controls 

that include digital dimmers, scene control devices, occupancy sessions, 

rotary and electronic timers, relay controls, home automation devices and fluorescent 

energy management systems. 

Interface Engineering, Inc., has appointed Craig Oty LC, PE, as new senior 

lighting designer to its lighting design team. Oty comes to Interface with 12 

years of experience in Portland and San Francisco working with local, regional 

and national architects. 

IESNA 

Calendar of Events 

May 6-8, 2003 

LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL 

New York, NY 

Contact: AMC, Inc. 

404-220-2221/2215 

www.lightfair.com 

August 3-6, 2003 

2003 IESNA Annual Conference 

Chicago, IL 

Contact: Val Landers 

212-248-5000, ext. 117 

www.iesna.org 

September 29-October 1, 2003 

2003 IESNA 

Street & Area Lighting Conference 

Baltimore, MD 

Contact: Val Landers 

212-248-5000, ext. 117 

www.iesna.org 

• Chapter 4, “Administration & 

Enforcement:” revisions to the alterations 

section. 

• Chapter 5, “Building Envelope:” 

new examples for determining fenestration 

performance and gross 

wall area. 

• Chapter 6, “HVAC:” reorganization 

to reflect the corresponding section 

in the standard, including updates to 

the chiller reference standards and 

the energy recovery sections. 

• Chapter 7, “Service Water 

Heating:” updates to the equipment 

efficiency discussion as well as the 

distribution losses information. 

• Chapter 9, “Lighting:” streamlined 

lighting compliance documentation 

forms. 

• Chapter 11, “Energy Cost 

Budget Method:” updates to the 

continued on following page 

www.iesna.org 


User’s Manual 

continued from previous page 

considerations for the adopting 

authority section. 

The manual’s accompanying CD contains 

electronic versions of the compliance 

forms and the EnvStd software, 

which is used in conjunction with the 

building envelope trade-off compliance 

method. The manual also includes 

information on energy simulation computer 

programs used in the energy cost 

budget method of compliance. 

The IESNA member cost of the 90.1 

User’s Manual is $75, plus shipping 

and handling. 

To order, call 212-248-5000, ext 

112, or order online at www.iesna.org 

“Smart” Windows 

That Don’t 

Need Blinds 

To improve energy efficiency in buildings 

and in manufacturing, the Department 

of Energy (DOE) announced 

awards today totaling $4.4 million to 

advance energy efficient, environmentally 

clean production and building 

technologies. 

“Twenty-five percent of the energy 

used to heat and cool buildings goes 

right out the window,” Secretary of 

Energy Spencer Abraham said. “The 

innovative technologies receiving funding 

today will improve the U.S. industrial 

competitiveness while reducing 

energy use, helping to make our nation 

more secure.” 

The Energy Department selected 

19 organizations out of 2002 proposals 

to receive funding as part of two 

DOE programs: Inventions and Innovations 

(I&I), and the National Industrial 

Competitiveness through Energy, 

Environment and Economics (NICE3) 

initiative. 

Share your 

news with us! 

IES News 

120 Wall St., 17th Floor 

New York, NY 10005 

Fax: (212) 248-5018 

SUSTAINING 

MEMBERS 

The following companies have elected 

to support the Society as Sustaining 

Members which allows the IESNA to fund 

programs that benefit all segments of the 

membership and pursue new endeavors, 

including education projects, lighting 

research and recommended practices. 

The level of support is classified 

by the amount of annual dues, based 

on a company’s annual lighting revenues: 

Copper: $500 annual dues 

Lighting revenues to $4 million 

(Copper Sustaining Members are listed in 

the March issue of LD+A, as well as in the 

IESNA Annual Report. There are currently 233 

Copper Sustaining Members). 

Silver: $1,000 annual dues 


Gold: $2,500 annual dues 


Platinum: $5,000 annual dues 


Emerald: $10,000 annual dues 


Diamond: $15,000 annual dues 

Lighting revenues over $500 million 

DIAMOND 

Cooper Lighting 

General Electric Co. 

Lithonia Lighting 

OSRAM SYLVANIA Products, Inc. 

Philips Lighting Co. 

EMERALD 

Holophane Corporation 

PLATINUM 

Day-Brite Capri Omega 

Lightolier 

Lutron Electronics Co, Inc. 

GOLD 

ALP Lighting Components Co. 

Barth Electric Co., Inc. 

BLV Licht und Vakuumtechnik GmbH 

The Bodine Company 

Daeyang Electric Co., Ltd. 

Edison Price Lighting, Inc. 

Finelite, Inc. 

Florida Power Lighting Solutions 

Gardco Lighting 

Indy Lighting, Inc. 

The Kirlin Company 

Kurt Versen Co. 

LexaLite Int’l Corp 

Lighting Services, Inc. 

LiteTouch, Inc. 

Louis Poulsen Lighting 

LSI Industries, Inc. 

Martin Professional, Inc. 

Musco Sports Lighting, Inc. 

Niagara Mohawk Power Corp 

Prudential Lighting Corp 

San Diego Gas & Electric 

SPI Lighting 

United Illuminating Co. 

Vista Professional Outdoor Lighting 

Zumtobel Staff Lighting, Inc. 

SILVER 

Ardron-Mackie Limited 

Associated Lighting 

Atofina Chemicals, Inc. 

Axis Lighting, Inc. 

Bartco Lighting, Inc. 

Beta Lighting, Inc. 

BJB Electric Corporation 

Canlyte Inc. 

Con Edison Co. of New York 

Con-Tech Lighting 

Custom Lighting Services LLC 

Custom Lights, Inc. 

Day Lite Maintenance Co. 

Defense Supply Center Philadelphia 

Delta Power Supply, Inc. 

EEMA Industries 

Elko Ltd 

Elliptipar 

ENMAX 

Enterprise Lighting Sales 

ETC Architectural 

Eye Lighting Industries 

Factory Sales Agency 

Fiberstars 

Focal Point 

Gammalux Systems 

H E Williams, Inc. 

HAWA Incorporated 

High End Systems, Inc. 

Hubbell Lighting, Inc. 

Illuminating Technologies, Inc. 

InfraSource 

Kenall Mfg Co. 

Kramer Lighting 

Lee Filters 

Legion Lighting Co. 

Leviton Mfg Co, Inc. 

Linear Lighting 

Litecontrol Corp 

Litelab Corp 

Lowel Light Manufacturing 

Lucifer Lighting Co. 

Metalumen Manufacturing, Inc. 

Northern Illumination Co., Inc. 

Optical Research Associates 

Optima Engineering PA 

Paramount Industries, Inc. 

Portland General Electric 

Prescolite, Inc. 

PSE & G 

R A Manning Co, Inc. 

Reflex Lighting Group, Inc. 

Richard McDonald & Associates, Ltd. - Calgary 

Richard McDonald & Associates, Ltd. - Edmonton 

Sentry Electric Corporation 

Shakespeare Composites & Electronics Division 

Southern California Edison 

Stage Front Presentation Sys. 

Stebnicki Robertson & Associates 

Sternberg Vintage Lighting 

Sterner Lighting Systems. Inc. 

Strand Lighting, Inc. 

StressCrete King Luminaire Co. 

Sun Industries 

TXU Electric & Gas 

Universal Electric Ltd. 

US Architectural Lighting/Sun Valley Lighting 

Utility Metals 

W J Whatley, Inc. 

WAC Lighting, Co. 

Winnipeg Hydro 

Wisconsin Public Service Corp 

Xenon Light, Inc. 

IES SUSTAINING 

MEMBERS 

As of January 2002 


Lighting Controls Association Publishes White Paper Series 

On Lighting And Energy Management Issues 

The Lighting Controls Association (LCA), administered by 

the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), 

has published a series of white papers at its web site, www. 

AboutLightingControls.org, addressing a range of lighting 

and energy management issues. 

These white papers are available for free to building owners 

and managers, specifiers, contractors, distributors and 

other building professionals interested in energy efficiency 

and green design. To access them, the user should visit the 

above web site, click “Education,” then scroll down to “Key 

Issues.” Topics include: 

New Tax Deduction Will Reward Energy Efficiency. 

Language in both the Senate and House versions of the 

Energy Policy Act of 2002 (recently tabled until January 

2003) includes a provision that rewards exceeding the 

requirements of the ASHRAE/IES 90.1-1999 energy code 

with a tax deduction of up to $2.25/sq ft—with special provisions 

for energy-efficient lighting. 

Green Design. Energy and environmental concerns have 

refocused U.S. corporations and the design communities on 

sustainability issues in construction, renovation and existing 

buildings. A new program, backed by more than 1,400 

organizations comprising the U.S. Green Building Council, 

has formed to provide a standard for adoption of green 

design practices. 

Energy Efficiency in Commercial Lease Properties. With 

an average building age of 30.5 years and annual energy 

cost of about $16.4 billion or $1.06/sq.ft., commercial 

lease buildings are a prime opportunity for upgrade to energy-efficient 

building technologies—although traditionally, in 

general, they have been slow to embrace energy efficiency. 

What are the financial benefits to the building owner 

State of Utility Lighting Rebate Programs. More than 

$1.5 billion in rebates were available last year for energy 

efficiency upgrades. However, while many states require 

public funding of energy efficiency programs as part of their 

deregulation laws, utilities are reinventing the traditional 

rebate as demand response programs, which offer strong 

incentives for curtailing load on demand. 

New Members 

Membership Committee 

Chair Jean Black announced 

the IESNA gained one Sustaining 

Member and 72 

Members (M), associate 

members and student members 

in January. 

SUSTAINING MEMBERS 

Tennessee Valley Authority, 

Chattanooga, TN 

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS 

Canadian Region 

Robert Cormier (M), Eastcan 

Consultants, Inc. Moncton, NB 

Nysret Dedinca, Supply and 

Services Fredericton, NB 

Gavin Fuerst, Winnipeg Hydro, 

Winnipeg, MB 

Karine Masse, Peerless Electric 

Company, Ltd, LaSalle, QC 

Ryerson University 

Ardith Dyche 

Carleton University, Ottawa, ON 

Darryl K. Boyce 

East Central Region 

Robert D. Jerson (M), 

Wilkes-Barre, PA 

Daniel C. McCorry, Jr., SRS 

Technologies, Inc., Arlington, VA 

Aron D. Sexton, JM Electric, Inc. 

Conshohocken, PA 

George W. Williams, Lawrence Perry 

and Associates, Roanoke, VA 

Great Lakes Region 

Mihaley Kotrebai, General Electric 

Consumer Products Lighting, 

Euclid, OH 

Laurence E. Pankau (M), 

Holophane, Mason, OH 

James Prosch (M), DLZ Indiana, 

Indianapolis, IN 

Rachael L. Boydston, The Daylite 

Company, Ventura, CA 

South Pacific Coast Region 

James Himonas, Novitas, Inc, 

Torrance, CA 

Corey M. Hiratsuka, California 

Department of Water Resources, 

Sacramento, CA 

Kenneth H. Kimball, KHK, Inc., 

Boulder City, NV 

Robert E. Lutz (M), Lutz 

Engineering, Temple, AZ 

Robert C. McQuade, Advanced 

Lighting, San Luis Obispo, CA 

Ken S. Moss (M), Power Logic, San 

Diego, CA 

Ronald Reed (M), Reed Corp 

Engineering, Irving, CA 

Thomas E. Ross (M), Crestwood 

Electric, Inc., Draper, UT 

Christopher Verone, W.A.C. Lighting, 

City of Industry, CA 

Sacramento City College 

Kasem Nincharoen 

Northern Arizona University 

Margo Saenz 

University of Utah 

Stephen A. Zank III 

Midwest Region 

Julie Allongue, SPI Lighting, Inc. 

Mequon, WI 

Scott J. Denney, Foley Group, Inc., 

Kansas City, KS 

Mark J. Edmonds, Gripple, Inc. 

Batavia, IL 

Gregg M. Garner, Foley Group, Inc., 

Kansas City, KS 

Glenn P. Horstmann, Bright Electric 

Supply, Chicago, IL 

Andy D. Matlock, Acoustical Design 

Group, Mission, KS 

Jerry J. Perkowski, Phoenix Products 

Company, Milwaukee, WI 

Ann Marie Reo (M), io Lighting, 

Skokie, IL 

University of Kansas 

Bret A. Boleski 

Kansas State University 

Kezia Holden, Jacob Nelson 

MSOE 

Ben Janik 

Milwaukee School of Engineering 

Laura Vogel, Kari Ward 

Southeastern Region 

Reggie Barnett, Tennessee Valley 

Authority, Jackson, TN 

Kevin D. Gammons, Gresham, Smith 

and Partners, Nashville, TN 

Ernest F. Mallard (M), Forensic 

Engineering Inc., Raleigh, NC 

Denny Nelson, Holophane 

Corporation, Raleigh, NC 

O. Wade Parker (M), CRS 

Engineering, Birmingham, AL 

Deborah Roberts, Lithonia Lighting, 

Conyers, GA 

Crystal Ray Self, Gene Johnson 

Company, Birmingham, AL 

Northeastern Region 

Philip T. Acone (M), Cooper 

Lighting, Cranbury, NJ 

William M. Bale (M), Holophane, 

Manasquan, NJ 

Robert P. Freud (M), Bohler 

Engineering PC, Watchung, NJ 

Holly Gold, Ele Electric Supply Corp, 

Hicksville, NY 

Joseph T. Hultquist (M), Sterling 

Engineering, Sturbridge, MA 

James S. Morier (M), NYS 

Department of Environmental 

Conservation, Albany, NY 

Mike S. Paynotta, Icon Architectural 

Lighting Systems, North 

Kingstown, RI 

Kalyan Pisupati, Lightolier, 

Wilmington, MA 

Todd Roughgarden, AWM 

Engineering, Gorham, ME 

Parsons 

Donalee Katz 

Northwest Region 

Romela Alexandrina Bocancea (M), 

A.D. Williams Engineering, 

Edmonton, AB 

Roger T. Dupuis (M), Applied 

Engineering Solutions, Ltd. 

Victoria, BC 

Randy Meier, Con’eer Engineering, 

Inc., Billings, MT 

Southwestern Region 

Raul Garcia, WideLite Corporation, 

San Marcos, TX 

Patrick J. Garey, ME&E Engineering, 

Durango, CO 

Colby Henslee, WideLite 

Corporation, San Marcos, TX 

Jeremy L. Jurica, Laymance, Inc. 

Houston, TX 

University of Houston 

David Hopper, Mayur Patel 

Foreign 

Pedro Ek Lopes, Megarim – 

Iluminacão S.A., Lisbon, Portugal 

Jayasiri Amaradasa Muramudalige, 

Sr. (M), Electrolight Engineers, 

Pvt. Ltd, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka 

Robert Puto, IMQ S.p.A. – Italian 

Certification Institute, Milan, 

Italy 

Daniel A. Rosell (M), DRS 

Engineering, PSC, San Juan, 

Puerto Rico 

Yigal Yanai, Metrolight, Ltd, 

Netanya, Israel 

Kyung Hee University 

Taeyon Hwang 

www.iesna.org 


Entry is illuminated by shielded lights in the 

courtyard trees and under the eaves for controlled 

focal and moonlighting effects. Compact fluorescents 

uplight the oak tree. Miniature recessed lights 

offer safety lighting on adjacent steps. 

A high-end residence 

in a sensitive environment 

demands careful attention 

to the interrelationship of 

architectural materials, colors, 

textures, and lighting 

“UNDER 

STARRY SKIES ABOVE...” 

All lighting is 

circuited by zone, 

and pre-set scenes 

are controlled 

on a “whole-house” 

dimming system. 


The water feature 

is accented with 

a concealed spot, 

highlighting texture 

and giving the 

water sparkle. 

The primary challenge for this 8,550 sq ft residence 

evolved around its location in an environmentally sensitive 

and serene valley site in Northern California. 

Neighbors were concerned that the structure, new landscaping 

and lighting might be too visible from adjacent hilltop homes 

and potentially disturb the harmony and natural beauty of the 

valley. 

Legal challenges related to various environmental issues, 

including the potential effects on a native salamander habitat 

and the general impact on the valley topography. As a result, a 

comprehensive environmental impact study and report was 

undertaken. As a compromise, some restrictions were applied 

to the architectural design, landscape design and the private 

access road. Also, a local “dark sky” ordinance restricted the 

landscape lighting design. This ordinance required that no 

lighting be directed upwards and that any source over 20 watts 

be shielded from view. 

With the direction and cooperation of the client, the design 

team worked closely with the regulating agencies and the concerned 

community members to successfully address their concerns. 

To help everyone visualize the impact of the design, a 

geographically accurate scaled site model was developed, complete 

with proposed landscaping. To help understand the exterior 

lighting, a nighttime mockup/presentation of the various 

landscape lighting fixture types and lamps was also presented 

for review, complete with proper lamping and shielding. 

Eventually, after nearly two years of design collaboration, 

www.iesna.org 

review and refinement, a building permit was finally approved. 

Once construction was finally started, the project demanded 

constant attention to the interrelationship of architectural 

materials, colors, textures, plant life, lighting equipment, and 

lighting effects, with the natural surroundings. Optimizing the 

indoor/outdoor relationship was paramount to the design’s 

success. The five-year planning/design/construction process 

continued to require meticulous coordination among the architect, 

interior designer, contractor, city review board, client and 

lighting designer to keep things on track. Successful planning 

resulted in a harmonious integration of environment, architecture, 

and award winning lighting design. 

Exterior Lighting 

Lighting at the front gate had to be subtle but still clearly 

identify the entrance for visitors and emergency vehicles. An 

adjacent oak tree provided a convenient mounting position for 

a small shielded downlight directed towards the gate and call 

box for the surveillance camera. The address is clearly illuminated 

on the stone gate column with a concealed graze light, 

which also enhances the stone details in light and shadow. As 

you continue up the winding and secluded private drive, a 

series of small recessed 90-degree hooded luminaires with 20- 

W MR16 lamps delineate the way. They are mounted in a 12- 

inch-high curb detail facing away from any off site viewing 

angles on 40-ft centers and are activated by drive-over pressure 

switches. The lights automatically turn off after you pass to 


The five-year building process required meticulous coordination 

among the design team, contractor, city review board, and 

client. All lighting required precise shielding to obscure 

off-site viewing and to satisfy environmental concerns 

and strict zoning codes. 

minimize the “runway” lighting effect for hilltop observers, 

save energy and maximize lamp life. 

Once you arrive at the house, you enter a walled-in octagonal 

shaped courtyard constructed of stone. After dark, the 

courtyard is illuminated by three small and well-shielded 12-V 

luminaires with 20-W MR16FL lamps mounted high in the 

center oak tree. These downlights provide ample illumination 

while projecting “moonlight” patterns of branches and leaves 

on the ground. In addition, six custom cast bronze luminaires 

were recessed into the courtyard walls and fitted with 13-W 

CFL lamps to provide a visual cue to motorists with a subtle 

indirect glow. 

The pathway to the front door is also illuminated from above 

by another inconspicuous shielded luminaire with a 20-W 

MR16 lamp located in an adjacent oak tree. This concept was 

carried around the perimeter of the house for all pathways, 

decks and water features. Additional luminaires of the same 

type and lamping were discretely mounted under the eaves 

around the perimeter of the house to fill in. All of these lights 

are circuited in small groups and are switched from inside the 

house by a “whole house” microprocessor-based lighting control 

system. This system allows the flexibility of the exterior 

lighting to be controlled as a whole for security and safety reasons 

from various key points within the house. It also allows 

for local control of landscaping areas directly outside of individual 

windows to become part of the interior scene for that 

room, without turning on the whole yard. All of the lighting is 

concealed from view and directed downward. For ease of 

maintenance, all tree-mounted downlights are group relamped 

each year when the trees are trimmed. 

Interior Lighting 

The lighting for the interior is a pleasant mix of decorative 

fixtures combined with recessed architectural luminaires. They 

are all switched by the same central lighting control system 

used for the exterior. Each room has a keypad that controls var- 

Narrow spots 

over the 

headboards 

provide 

individually 

controlled 

reading lights. 

Mirror trims 

allow flexible 

artwork lighting. 


Interchangeable 

IC-rated pinhole and 

mirror trims 

minimize appearance 

and maximize 

flexibility for focal 

accent lighting. 

ious pre-programmed scenes for mood and function depending 

on the client’s preference. Switching circuits are broken into 

groups for ambient lighting, focal lighting and task lighting for 

maximum flexibility, convenience and lighting balance. There 

are four primary types of recessed luminaires used throughout 

the house. For general lighting, we selected a haze baffle luminaire 

fitted with a 75-W A19 lamp. In the kitchen and bathrooms 

where California energy code restrictions required fluorescent 

lighting, similar downlights with a haze baffle were 

used with 3000K, 32-W CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps). 

They all blend well together on the ceiling because of the same 

appearance, aperture size and baffle color. 

For adjustable focal lighting, we used a 1-3/4 in. pinhole 

luminaire with 50-W MR16 lamps for most areas. In areas 

where the adjustment angle needs to be above 45 degrees, a 

mirror trim was used. This allowed an adjustment up to 90 

degrees. The beam spreads vary between 8 and 40 degrees. 

Also, different spread lenses were used to shape the beams of 

light beyond the available beam spreads. Hex cell louvers were 

also used where appropriate for additional glare control and to 

minimize possible source images in the windows. 

Living Room 

Decorative floor and table lamps provide the general illumination 

in the living room. IC rated recessed pinhole and mirror 

trim luminaires were selected to minimize appearance and to 

provide maximum flexibility for illumination of artwork and 

focal accents. Their locations were restricted by the coffered 

architectural ceiling detail. 

Family Room 

In the family room, IC rated recessed luminaires with 75-W 

A-19 lamps were used to provide a layer of general illumination. 

Pinhole trims with 50-W MR16 lamps with various beam 

spreads were selected for focal lighting on art, walls, and 

www.iesna.org 

stonework and to highlight the tabletop. Eave-mounted accent 

lights directly outside windows help overcome the “black hole” 

effect while linking the interior to the exterior. The balance of 

interior/exterior brightness can be controlled from within the 

space. 

Dining Room 

Because of the panoramic view and potential reflections in 

the windows, we decided to forgo a formal decorative fixture 

over the table. The whole space is illuminated with adjustable 

recessed pinhole luminaires and lamped with 20-W MR16’s. 

They are fitted with hex cell louvers to minimize nighttime 

reflections in the windows. Circuits are grouped so the fixtures 

can be switched in various combinations to illuminate a single 

centerpiece or the whole table. Another grouping focused 

behind the diners provides a backdrop of illumination on vertical 

surfaces to minimize contrast and aid visual comfort. No 

lights are aimed directly over diner’s heads. Candles and indirect 

light from the table illuminate their faces and food, while 

providing a festive sparkle on the china and crystal. 

Wine Cellar 

Fixtures concealed within custom stone façade housings are 

mounted in the four corners of the passageway. They give a 

warm indirect “torch like” glow that enhances the architecture 

of the vaulted ceiling while providing general illumination. 

This is somewhat reminiscent of an old rathskeller and sets the 

mood for the wine cellar entrance. 

The water feature/sculpture is illuminated from two directions 

to enhance its shape and form. A concealed 20-W 

MR16FL source from behind provides a soft uplight glow to 

provide depth. Adjustable recessed pinhole fixtures from above 

fitted with 20-W MR16 spots are focused to bring out the texture 

of the sculpture and provide sparkle on the water. These 

sources are controlled separately to allow fine-tuning of the 


(right) Lighting concealed with custom stone facades 

provides pathway and architectural illumination. 

(below) Decorative fluorescent lighting offers 

general illumination for master bath and meets 

California Energy Code requirements. Wet-rated glass trims 

and small-lensed fixtures provide focal and 

general shower lighting. Accent fixtures are concealed 

in the skylight well for the tub area. 

lighting balance. Wine racks are illuminated with small 2400K 

24-V concealed strip lights that give the wine bottles sparkle. 

Master Bath 

Once again, combinations of decorative and architectural 

luminaires are used together to provide quality illumination 

that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The center 

mounted decorative pendant is actually lamped with 2700K 

compact fluorescent lamps that fulfill the California Title 24 

energy restrictions. However, neither the quality of lighting nor 

the aesthetics were compromised in this combination. Wet 

rated and lensed recessed pinhole luminaires with 50-W MR16 

NFL lamps were located over the basins, tub and shower areas 

for both general and focal lighting. Sconces mounted on the 

mirrors above the basins provide soft fill lighting from the sides 

to minimize garish facial shadows. 

Master Bedroom 

Individually controlled and dimmable recessed and shielded 

pinhole luminaires with six-degree 42-W narrow spot MR16 

lamps are located over the headboard for reading lights. They 

are adjusted to pin spot the reading area for each side of the bed 

without intruding on the other. For convenience, there is also 

a control switch for both lights on each side of the bed in case 

someone forgets to turn the light off. Additional pinhole fixtures 

with 50-W MR16 lamps are used for artwork lighting. 

General lighting and accents at the foot of the bead are from 

recessed luminaires with 75-W A19 lamps. 

The collaborative design team for this unique project included 

architect Michael Moyer, AIA, interior designer Robert 

Miller, ASID, landscape architect Tom Klope, and lighting 

designer Michael Souter—all located in the San Francisco Bay 

area. Successful planning resulted in harmonious integration of 

environment, architecture, and lighting from the inside out. 

Assisting Mr. Souter were Jackie Hui, Susan Fenske, and 

Kevin Coke. 

The designer and author: Michael Souter, IESNA, FASID, 

IALD, LC, heads Luminae Souter Associates, LLC, in San 

Francisco. The firm focuses on architectural design for 

fine residences, hospitality, high-density housing, health 

care, museums, and corporate facilities. Award winning 

projects include San Francisco Towers, The Carmel 

Highlands Inn, and the Honolulu Aloha Tower 

Marketplace. He has been an IESNA member since 1986. 


(left) The 146,000-sq-ft Life Science Technology Center is the home for 

240 biochemical researchers. The Center comprises a lab/office building, 

cafeteria, and learning center. (below, right) General laboratory lighting 

levels of 80 to 100 fc are achieved with 2-lamp recessed parabolic 

luminaires that minimize glare on experiments and data entry terminals. 

INSIDE-OUT 

SYNERGY 

A clerestory 

illuminates most of 

the building with 

an extraordinary 

amount of natural 

daylight. 

An open-office 

environment 

encourages 

interaction among 

researchers 

Sigma-Aldrich is a leading supplier 

of life science and hightechnology 

research products. 

The Sigma-Aldrich Life Science and 

High Technology Center is home to 

the company’s expanding biotechnology 

research and development 

division. Located in downtown St. 

Louis, one block from the company’s 

corporate headquarters, the 

Center provides office and lab space 

for up to 240 scientists and staff, as 

well as a corporate learning center 

and 300-seat auditorium. 

Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum 

Inc. (HOK) partnered with the St. 

Indirect/direct pendants with three-lamp 

cross sections illuminate research support 

staff areas to 40 fc. 

www.iesna.org 


(left, top) General atrium lighting uses continuous 

one-lamp fluorescent strips mounted in a cove along the 

perimeter on all floors. 

(left, bottom) PAR56 track heads, mounted to either 

side of the atrium, provide supplemental lighting 

and highlighting of seating areas. The track is 

accessible from the third floor (not visible). 

(below) Ninety-seven percent of the lamps were 

extended performance, low-mercury, high CRI T8 fluorescents 

to accommodate the client’s requirements for low 

maintenance, environmentally friendly lighting solutions. 

A budget of $4.25 per sq ft for 

lighting fixtures was met. 

Louis office of Lockwood Greene on the design of the 

$55 million facility. HOK focused on an open design to 

bring together scientists working throughout the 

building. A three-story atrium, interior glass walls and 

gathering spaces such as coffee bars on each floor contribute 

to the building’s open and interactive design. 

A clerestory at the top of the atrium and reflectors on 

the roof draw light into the heart of the building. Open 

offices and support spaces ring the atrium, with glasswalled 

labs occupying three sides of the perimeter. 

Locating most labs along the outside glass walls allows 

researchers to enjoy the daylight and views. Stairwells 

on the north and south sides of the building are glass. 


(top) Decorative pendants with 

metal-halide lamps provide general 

lighting in the cafeteria. Supplemental 

lighting for evening functions uses 

PAR56 track heads mounted to 

the trusses. A dimming system 

gives the client the flexibility 

of lighting “scenes.” 

(bottom) Decorative 42-W 

triple-tube pendants illuminate 

circulation bridges 

throughout the atrium. 

Shades on the perimeter protect from glare and direct 

radiation while reflecting daylight deep into the building. 

Labs are bathed in natural light. Room lights are 

typically off during the day. 

The client wanted a collaborative environment so 

that research teams can interact. The large open spaces 

encourage random interactions. Moreover, the design 

creates strong visual connections among occupants and 

visitors. There are few places where one cannot see outside 

in all directions. 

People meet on the stairs, moving through the floors, 

or in the coffee bars and kitchens. Corridors pass along 

open office spaces and labs. Partition heights are kept 

low to further encourage interaction. 

The extensive daylighting, heat recovery system, and 

isolation of the high-heat-load equipment conserve energy. 

Whenever possible, the design team chose healthy, 

easy-to-maintain, and recyclable materials. 

As part of the programming phase, HOK studied 

benchmarks of leaders throughout the biotech industry 

and other technology-fueled companies, toured comparable 

facilities, solicited input from user groups, and led 

brainstorming sessions with the client’s research leaders. 

The lighting enhances the client’s desire for an energy 

efficient new facility to aid retention and recruitment 

of world-class scientists. 

The designer: David Raver, IESNA, IALD, LC, is presently lighting 

group director for RDG Lighting, Des Moines, IA. During his career, 

David has designed lighting for projects ranging from high end residential 

to The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. David holds an 

MFA in Theatrical Lighting from the University of Texas-Austin and 

has also designed lighting for theater and dance productions nationwide 

including two at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

An IESNA member since 1998, he has served on several section committees 

and was the President of the St. Louis Section in 2000. David 

was formerly with the HOK Lighting Group, St. Louis, MO, prior to 

joining RDG. 

www.iesna.org 


(left) Incandescent cove uplighting, decorative 

wall sconces and table lamps, and fiber optics 

illuminating the steps, combine to allow the client 

superior flexibility within a fixed environment. 

(below) The interior street scene was layered 

with a combination of decorative lanterns, 

downlights, and PAR36s that created the 

layered lighting effects. 

(opposite, left) The dramatic technique of grazing 

the regal stone columns was achieved with 

low voltage PAR36 fixtures set to enhance rather than 

flatten the texture and nuances of the stones. 

(opposite, left) Decorative lanterns, wall sconces 

and recessed track blocked out in concrete. 

The decorative elements have an incandescent 

candle-like glow; however, the sources for the stairs, 

interior street, and accent lighting are the 

track fixtures, which can be placed where needed, 

giving the clients great flexibility. 

PEAKS OF LIGHT 

Robert Singer sets a mood, expanding and defining 

residential spaces with light 

You walk into a home and what do you see Any home, be it a 500 

sq ft studio apartment or a 40,000 sq ft mansion, will elicit comments 

about the view, the furniture, and the comfort of the surroundings. 

Ever wonder what the view or the furniture would be like 

with no thought put into the lighting design The dilemma of enhancing 

the appearance of a home is a challenge for a designer faced with the 

scale and scope of a premiere residence. With clients who own exclusive 

estates in the mountain enclaves of Aspen, the Roaring Fork Valley and 

other prime locations throughout the world, Robert Singer and 

Associates first seeks to create drama. The award-winning designer 

works closely with all of the design team—architects, interior designers 

and clients—to create layers of light for each aspect and room of a home. 

As Singer states, “Our goal is to create a warm, glowing environment, as 

welcoming to the visitor as it is to the owner.” 

Perceived brightness is created by indirect sources that throw light onto 

ceiling planes and wall surfaces. Finishing touches include augmenting 

the lighting with accent and decorative elements. 

Buttermilk Residence 

Located on the slopes near Aspen, the Buttermilk house is a classic castle 

with state-of-the-art features. Designed by A. Horacio Ravazzani y 

Arquitectos Asociados, Uruguay, the interior and exterior of the house is 

constructed of exposed board form concrete augmented with stone, wood 

and plaster. Because of the nature of the construction, there was no room 

for error in locating the light sources. 

“The client required the lighting to be functional, flexible and have a 

warm candle-like glow. In order to achieve the clients’ requirements, we 

needed to create layers of light encompassing general, accent, task, and 

decorative lighting. A state of the art control system was used to marry all 

of these elements into preset portraits of lights or scenes for the client that 


can be easily controlled throughout the house,” says Singer. 

The visitors’ eye is first drawn to the 200 ft long interior 

passage that resembles a street. Locations for the decorative 

lanterns, wall sconces and recessed track were blocked out 

in the concrete. The concept of the lighting design was to 

have the decorative elements appear to be the only light 

source producing the incandescent candle-like glow. 

However, the true light source for the stairs, interior street 

and accent lighting emanate from the hidden track fixtures, 

which can be placed where needed, giving the client great 

flexibility. 

The dramatic technique of grazing the regal stone columns 

was achieved with low voltage PAR36 fixtures set to enhance 

rather than flatten the texture and nuances of the stones. For 

the interior street scene, a combination of decorative lanterns, 

downlights and PAR36s were used to create the layered lighting 

effects. The effect of a glowing greenhouse bisecting the 

interior street of the home was created by custom designed 

Edison Price PAR36s. Custom designed board form concrete 

steplights graze light across the steps leading to a future sculpture 

location. To accommodate the location for future displays, 

a dramatic pool of light was located below a skylight to 

complement the natural light source. Beyond the pool of light 

and double doors, the visitor finds the media room and theater. 

Layers of light, including incandescent cove uplighting, 

decorative wall sconces and table lamps, and fiber optics illuminating 

the steps, combine to allow the client superior flexibility. 

In accordance with local building codes, the exterior 

lighting was kept to an unobtrusive and subtle level. Uplights 

focused on the garage and steplights throwing a warm, glowing 

light onto the stone wall accomplished this task within the 

required parameters. 

Red Mountain Residence 

Overlooking the Roaring Fork Valley with a spectacular view 

of Aspen Mountain, a majestic private estate crowns a ridge on 

Red Mountain. A 25,000 sq ft cutting edge contemporary 

home with an extensive art collection required museum quality 

lighting while maintaining a minimal intrusion of decorative 

fixtures. According to Singer, “the challenge was to maintain 

the warm glow required for a residence without the enhancement 

of decorative light sources.” 

The entry barrel vault is uplighted with an indirect incandescent 

linear source that appears to penetrate the exterior 

glass and continues into the entry vestibule. Recessed downlights 

and wall washers create a warm invitation into this 

extraordinary estate. The barrel-vaulted ceiling in the great 

room is washed by twelve 500-W quartz asymmetrical throw 

light sources mounted in the lower soffit. Complementing 

this effect is the glowing clerestory eave lighted with linear 

incandescent strip sources. The towering fireplace is highlighted 

with recessed 150-W quartz PAR38s washing the 

patinaed copper. PAR36s graze the stone columns with light. 

For the art niches and seating areas, Singer utilized AR and 

www.iesna.org 


(left) The interior offers a warm, consistent incandescent glow. 

(below, top) The client requested architectural museum quality lighting 

with a minimum of decorative fixtures. 

(below, bottom) The towering fireplace is highlighted with recessed 

150-W quartz PAR38s washing the patinaed cooper, while 

PAR 36s graze the stone columns. 

MR16 lamps to meet the criteria for museum quality 

illumination. Gallery walls were evenly washed with 

recessed quartz PAR38s, providing maximum flexibility 

for the placement of the art collection while 

producing zero scalloping. 

The technique of using layers of light showcases the 

high tech kitchen. Utilizing incandescent downlights, 

under cabinet lighting and pendants over the counter, 

the design provides more than the illumination level 

required for functionality, but also remained consistent 

in texture and theme with the rest of the home. 

Upon entering the dining room, attention is drawn to 

the beautiful yet simple pendants suspended over the 

table. Glowing bronze fused glass panels, backlit with 

MR16s, provide an additional dramatic layer of light 

enhancing the entertainment function of this architectural 

showcase. 

The interior of this Aspen estate emanates the 

warm, incandescent glow desired by the client. 

Whether viewed from the spectacular patio or from 

the road leading up the ridge to the estate, the 

roofline seems to float above the home. As Singer 

says, “perceived lighting is much more alluring to 

the curious eye.” 

Pagosa Springs Ranch 

Nestled in the San Juan Mountain Range, this 

15,000 sq ft mountain lodge serves as a private spiritual 

haven. The challenge of the lighting design for 

the multi-use lodge was to find a balance between 

showcasing the impressive Native American art collection 

and valuable Ansel Adams prints, while still 

providing the serenity required for a spiritual retreat. 

Many of the decorative lighting fixtures were custom 

designed by Robert Singer to stand out as additional 

showcase pieces. 

Upon entering, the visitor is immediately welcomed 

by the glowing environment created with 

recessed incandescent sources and adjustable low 

voltage fixtures that accent an oil painting. The enormous 

wine barrel door need not be complimented 

with lighting. The extraordinary wine room utilizes 

the balance of the material from the barrel for the 

shelving, racks and tasting tables. The entire wine 

room was illuminated by a remote fiber-optic light 

source using an amber dicro filter. Everything from 


(left) High-tech kitchen is luminated with incandescent downlights, 

under-cabinet lighting and a pendant at the counter. 

(below, top) The mud room glows from recessed 

incandescent sources and adjustable accents. 

(below, bottom) The glowing teepee pendant, lighted display cases 

with rare Indian artifacts, wall washers, picture light and 

accent light welcome one into the residence. 

the display niches to the downlights illuminating 

the wine racks was lit by this 

source, eliminating any IR, UV or heat 

radiation, major components contributing 

to the breakdown of wine. 

The entry foyer, the hall and the gallery of 

art showcase the majority of the rare art 

pieces in the lodge, including the decorative 

light fixtures. Isolated picture lights, wall 

washers and accent lighting illuminate the 

artwork. Display cases house linear incandescent 

sources set at extremely low levels 

to avoid excessive heat buildup while still 

providing adequate illumination for the 

museum quality artifacts. Singer designed 

wall sconces and chandeliers with a Native 

American theme. Surface-mount museum 

quality quartz wall washers provide an even 

distribution of illumination on the wall, 

highlighting the black-and-white Ansel 

Adams prints. 

In the library, Singer layered the lighting 

by using Native American themed decorative 

pendants, subtle truss uplights, and linear 

incandescent shelf lighting, creating a 

wall of light. 

As the dramatic, decorative centerpiece of 

the dining room, a custom designed, twocircuit 

canoe pendant floats above the family 

dining table. Glowing with an internal 

source, which illuminates the ceiling and 

general surrounding area, the canoe conceals 

accent downlights within its keel to 

illuminate the dining table. 

www.iesna.org 


(top) The library is lit with decorative 

pendants, truss uplights and linear 

incandescent shelf lighting. 

(bottom) The game room is layered 

with light and effects. The pendants are 

decorative elements with downlights 

to illuminate the seating groups. 

The ceiling glows from indirect 

linear sources on the trusses and 

cabinetry. The fireplace is grazed 

with light from above and 

hidden sources. 

In the game room, which also serves as the central meditation 

quarters for the retreat, layered lighting and theatrical effects 

showcase the distinctive architecture. The majestic fireplace is 

grazed with light from above enhancing the masonry. A hidden 

low voltage source accentuates the central boulder. In lieu of 

table and floor lamps and in keeping with the interior design 

scheme, the themed, two-circuit pendants stand out as decorative 

elements while providing functional downlight for the seating 

groups. To enhance the warmth of the space and provide 

perceived brightness, linear incandescent sources were concealed 

within the trusses and cabinetry to throw light on the 

wood ceiling. As an additional homage to the clients’ spirituality, 

hidden framing projectors in the truss silhouette the hewn 

beam in the window wall, creating a giant illuminated cross. 

Forward Movement 

With multiple projects starting up, continuing or nearing 

completion around the world, the biggest challenge according 

to Singer is to “maintain the integrity and the progressive, cutting 

edge nature of our designs without sacrificing the personal 

touch that our clients have come to expect from us.” 

The designer: Robert H. Singer, 

IESNA, IALD, has been bringing 

his expertise to high-end residential 

and commercial projects 

worldwide since 1981. With extensive 

experience in theatrical/stage 

design and lighting, Mr. 

Singer has also served as Adjunct 

Professor of Lighting Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New 

York. Projects include the Old Oaks Country Club in New York, the Tunnel 

in Manhattan, the custom-designed crystal iguana and interior for Café Iguana 

in New York, the privately-held penthouse suite at the Peaks Hotel and Spa in 

Telluride, CO, and private estates throughout the world. Winner of the 

Richard Kelly Grant for Lighting Design, Mr. Singer has also seen many of his 

projects win national and international awards. Based in Aspen, CO, since 

1994, Robert Singer & Associates also maintains satellite offices in New York 

and Denver. He has been an IESNA member since 1996. 

The author: China Kwan Clancy has been the representative for Robert Singer 

& Associates since January 2002. Some of her other published works include 

the cover feature for StageCraft magazine showcasing the Oregon Shakespeare 

Company, articles for Church Business and Child Care Business, and book 

reviews and commentary for Today’s Librarian. 


Diners deposit their trust 

in Chef Matthew Medure’s 

culinary talents and 

Larry Wilson’s lighting 

(left) Larry Wilson designed and fabricated the 

polka-dot screen, made of 1/2-inch-thick Plexiglas. On the rear 

of the panel are clear shelves forming a grid supporting 

votive candles that are seen as starbursts from 

the diner’s side of the screen. 

(bottom) An MR16 narrow spot illuminates the raven 

atop a square column at the host stand. The raven is a tribute 

to Chef Medure’s grandmother, who called him 

“little bird” during his childhood. 

BANKING ON MATTHEW’S 

In the Jacksonville, FL, historic 

San Marco district, 

quaint boutiques and eateries 

abound. Matthew’s restaurant 

offers diners a relaxed, yet 

refined dining experience in this 

upper income neighborhood. 

“The restaurant was designed 

to be hip, stylish and forward 

thinking without being intimidating 

or stuffy,” says Larry 

Wilson, chief designer of Rink 

Reynolds Diamond Fisher 

Wilson, P.A. 

Attractive and inviting; 

warm woods, moss green 

upholstery, and periodic bursts 

of auburn lure guests through 

the doors of Matthew’s. Small in 

size, the restaurant can entertain 

about 50 indoors and a seasonal 

terrace serving al fresco 

dining can be set for 24 guests 


(left) Custom banquettes are 5 feet high to give a sense 

of privacy. The heavily padded booths offer an enclosed 

and secluded feeling. Louis Poulsen “Magazin” fixtures 

provide general ceiling lighting. 

(bottom) A single narrow-spot MR16 reflects off 

artwork in each banquette. 

as needed. The menu changes nightly and is available with 

wine pairings. Diners can select from a wide variety of 

seafood cooked with Southern, Mediterranean, Asian, and 

Middle Eastern influences. The 

menu is seasonal and chef 

Matthew Medure composes a 

daily tasting menu and an 

adventure menu that offers diners 

a unique and exciting culinary 

experience. The wine list 

provides over 400 selections. 

The casual, yet romantically 

elegant Matthew’s restaurant 

originally wasn’t a restaurant at 

all. Built as a bank in the 1920’s, 

the space was transformed and 

the restaurant opened in 1998. 

Bank tellers of the past are now 

replaced with the men and women 

of chef and owner Medure’s 

serving brigade. Construction of 

the 1940 sq ft establishment 

took about seven months to 

complete. Designers kept the 

original terrazzo floor with 

inlayed bronze strips. 

Larry Wilson was involved 

www.iesna.org 

from the start. “I treated the small space as a ‘jewel box,’ making 

every detail important,” Wilson says. “The visible light fixtures 

were chosen to be very high tech and industrial in nature. 


Most are stainless steel, some also with frosted glass.” 

Lighting obviously played a key role. “We wanted to maintain 

flexibility in the seating, so we needed a lighting system 

that gave general illumination without blasting light. We also 

wanted to simulate a candlelight feel, particularly for the 

tables in the center of the room,” added Wilson. 

A privacy screen hand-sanded by Wilson shields the waiter 

station and the back of the house from diners. The 1/2 inch 

Plexiglas screen is supported by wax-polished cold-rolled 

rusted-steel columns and is backlit with votive candles set 

directly behind it on small, individually clear Plexglas shelves 

forming a grid. 

Pinlights in the ceiling were avoided and a mix of floorrecessed 

halogen uplights, recessed incandescent cove lights, 

surface-mounted incandescent MR-16 accent lights, decorative 

pendants and decorative wall sconces were installed. All 

the fixtures are controlled independently and are dimmable 

to ensure a proper illumination balance. 

Except for the cove lighting that existed in the raised ceiling 

over the entry area, all of the initial lighting was 

removed. Fluorescent lamps were replaced with an incandescent 

source for a warmer color temperature. 

Because the restaurant is a retrofit into an old branch bank 

space, designers were restricted by the locations of the 

restrooms, the ceiling heights and the original existing storefront. 

The restricted square footage helped create the open 

kitchen concept. A focal point of the establishment, the 

kitchen puts Medure and his staff on display. While patrons 

enjoy culinary creations, as many as four diners receive 

front-row seating at the chef’s table, which is actually a granite 

counter. Three Louis Poulsen pendants light the counter. 

Privileged guests get a firsthand look at the details involved 

in every step throughout Medure’s preparation and presentation 

of his dishes, created with all fresh ingredients, organically 

grown vegetables, and farm-raised meat. 

The display kitchen is illuminated by recessed downlights 

with sealed lenses, which is a code requirement. “I treated 

the lighting in the kitchen in a dramatic way and the challenge 

was that it had to be highly functional lighting,” 

Wilson says. “I had to restrict the light to the work surfaces 

and food prep areas, because I did not want any spill light to 

over illuminate the area.” 

Concerned about overpowering the entire restaurant with 

bright kitchen fixtures, Wilson used downlights lamped with 

50-W MR-16’s. In addition, there are indirect lights under 

the hood of the hot line that are simple A lamps encased in 

a jelly jar globe (again a code requirement). 

While trying to keep the intimacy level at a high, Wilson 

created a private space within the space, compensating for 

the close and sometimes claustrophobic setting a small area 

can bring out. Wilson installed high-backed, heavily padded 

booths to provide the enclosed and secluded feeling. 

Cantilevered lights highlight the artwork placed on the wall 

in each booth, which enhances the warm glow that bounces 

off the ash wood paneling. 

The most personal detail at Matthew’s is a raven-topped 

square column at the host stand. During chef Medure’s childhood, 

he was known as “little bird” by his grandmother and 

brothers. Having special meaning to chef Medure, the column’s 

three-dimensional raven is lit with a MR-16 narrowspot 

as it watches over the dining room. 

As Jacksonville emerges as an up-and-coming metropolitan 

icon, Wilson aims to design a space that competes on a 

national level. 

“It’s very rewarding to receive feedback that it feels like a 

space that could be found in cities like New York, Chicago 

and Los Angeles.”—John-Michael Kobes 

The designer: Larry Wilson received his bachelor degree 

in interior design from the College of Architecture, 

University of Florida with High Honors in 1976. Wilson 

was a Distinguished Alumnus 2002, Department of 

Interior Design, College of Architecture, University of 

Florida. He has also served on the advisory board for the 

University of North Florida, Department of Communications 

and Visual Arts. Mr. Wilson is past president, 

Florida North Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. He is the 

past chairman of ethics and appellations for ASID (1991), as well as, past chairman 

of the Florida North Chapter, ASID, Association, (1989-1991). 


Lumastrobe’s BT10-SS-RT is a low 

cost signaling and warning device 

that is achieved by combining their 

featherweight stop sign and battery 

powered LED baton into a single, 

hand-held stop sign. Although 

the baton does not illuminate the 

sign, the combination of the reflective 

tape and the lights effectively 

brings attention to the sign message. 

Operator fatigue is minimized 

utilizing this lightweight (only 1.72 

pounds with batteries), durable and 

weather proof signaling device. 

Circle 100 on Reader Service Card. 

conventional unique modular 

design for indirect/semi-indirect 

ambient lighting applications. 

Fashioned with two physically separated 

T5 high output housings, 

the fixtures “void-detail” serves to 

enrich the leading edge design 

while filling space with glare-free 

indirect illumination. The two-piece, 

die formed cold rolled steel housing 

forms an 8 5 /8 x 1 3 /4 in. architectural 

profile and is available in 4 and 

8 ft lengths for individual or continuous 

rows. 


LITETRONICS International, Inc., 

Color-Brite halogen PAR lamp was 

created for display lighting applications 

and is an ultra-white halogen 

lamp for retailers who want to 

accent their lighting displays. It filters 

the yellow portion of the lighted 

spectrum rendering colors more 

vividly, providing better contrast 

between black and white for better 

visual acuity. Manufactured with a 

rare earth additive in the glass, this 

lamp meets the needs of retailers 

for an ultrawhite display light, similar 

to sunlight, while improving the 

lamp’s life by up to 200 percent, 

reducing energy costs and eliminating 

maintenance issues from early 

lamp failure. 


LIGHT 

PRODUCTS 

Day-Brite Lighting’s FHB fluorescent 

high bay luminaire featuring 

T8 or T5/HO fluorescent lamps that 

have angled design and six linear 

fluorescent lamps. Whether used in 

open areas or warehouse aisles, the 

FHB luminaire is a good alternative 

to HID lighting. Hanging brackets 

on the luminaire provide flexible 

mounting methods and multi-level 

switching for light control. In addition, 

the FHB features a dimming 

option for energy savings. 


The Neo-Ray twin-beam architectural 

linear fluorescent energy efficient 

suspended luminaire has a non- 

www.iesna.org 

Deco series luminaires from Eclipse 

Lighting are one-piece translucent 

diffuser in white or optional colors 

with soft illumination for building 

facades, entrances, concourses 

and atriums. Variety of styles feature 

elegant square bar aluminum 

frames, perforated anti-glare panels, 

and optional up/down light for 

wall wash effects. ADA-compliant 

models, custom frame styles and 

textured finishes available. 


Precision Multiple Controls, Inc. 

has upgraded features to its line of 

Permatrol street lighting contactors. 

Using mercury, which is environmentally 

sealed in a stainless 

steel tube, as the contact material, 

the hermetically sealed switch contacts 

never wear out. Relays are 

available in N/O or N/C positioning, 

SPT and are rated at 30 amp or 60 

amp, 120/240 volt. A polycarbonate 

enclosed with gasketed, hinged 

cover is used to protect the relay 

and gives access to line fuse. 



authentic art glass and the pendent 

was created using a copperfoil 

construction method. 


The Mark X powerline dimming ballast 

from Advance Transformer Co., 

has continuous dimming capability, 

allowing users to adjust lighting levels 

to fit their needs and visual comfort. 

The ballast provides ignition at 

any light setting, including the five 

percent dim level, making it unnecessary 

to ramp up to 100 percent 

light output when starting. Another 

additional benefit is the energy cost 

savings dimmable fluorescent lighting 

makes possible. Common workplace 

applications for Mark X ballast 

include meeting rooms and 

audio/visual presentation spaces, 

computer-intensive work areas and 

private offices. 


Peerless Lighting’s Lightedge is an 

architectural luminaire featuring an 

advanced optical system for 

smooth even illumination. Its twin 

edges capture reflects light off the 

ceiling and, with the assistance of a 

contrasting deep reveal, glow with 

elegance. Lightedge’s end caps are 

also extruded and therefore are 

anodized to match perfectly with 

the fixture body, creating a singular 

aesthetic. The luminaire also offers 

dramatic sweet corners that give 

rise to a wide range of configuration 

possibilities. These sweep corners 

not only join two or more opposing 

sections at various angels, but also 

serve as feed supports and wireways. 


Kichler Landscape Lighting’s illuminated 

birdbath creates a focal point 

in any yard, day or night. The satinetched 

glass basin glows from 

below with a 35-W, PAR 36 lamp. 

Standing 28 in. tall with a 22 1/2 

in. diameter, the base of the birdbath 

is made of aluminum construction 

and is painted in a textured 

weatherstone finish. Also 

included is a 60-W transformer with 

photocell and timer, a 35-W, PAR 

36 lamp, 25 ft of cable and 14 in. 

non-corrosive stake. 


Meyda Tiffany’s Pueblo Mission 

series of decorative lighting fixtures 

has art glass shades with a 

red and yellow arrowhead motif, 

with brick-like borders designs in 

bright reds and dark blues, browns 

and greens. The shade was handcrafted 

of hundreds of pieces of 

Waldmann Lighting’s, Roma task light includes a combination of furnitureintegrated, 

freestanding, pendant, or wall mounted indirect lighting, and an 

adjustable arm for direct task lighting for the desktop. The Roma offers 

new ergonomic features including sturdy fully articulating arm(s) offered 

in single, twin vertical and twin horizontal. The single arm is ideal for smaller 

workspaces, while the twin vertical arm is designed for larger work areas 

where a broad reach of light is necessary. Use the twin horizontal arms for 

easy positioning in workstation panels. The task light also features a swivel 

joint connected to the base of the head, which allows for maximum rotation 

and positioning. One 18-W compact fluorescent lamp housed inside 

the head offers more light output and energy efficiency. The lamp, which 

provides the same light (lumen) output as a 75-W incandescent lamp, provides 

12,000 hours of lamp life, excellent 4100K color temperature, and 

an 82 CRI. A variety of color temperatures are offered. 



The Sea Wind outdoor ceiling fan from Hunter Fan Company is a nautical 

inspired globe light design and bronze finish combined with all an aluminum 

housing focuses towards outdoor living spaces. Its five 52 in. solid teak 

blades are especially designed for outdoor use and complimented by rust 

prevention features that give the ceiling fan a non-rust guarantee. Also features 

a wobble-free canopy mounting system, keeping the fan in balance, 

and a hands-free loop that temporary supports the fan during wiring. 


design, size, distribution and lamping. 

High performance and efficiencies 

provide an alternative to linear 

row lighting in many applications. 

Fixtures are constructed of spun 

steel housing in larger sizes from 

32-39 in. diameters and smaller, Jr, 

sizes from 23-29 in. diameters. 

They also include a variety of distribution, 

diffuser, and lumen output 

choices. Indirect and indirect/ 

direct versions are available, using 

compact fluorescent lamps for uplight 

and 2D lamps for down-light. 

Fixtures are installed using a simple 

stem/aircraft cable assembly. 


Celine, a new group of pendant, 

table and floor lamps is classic 

and modern. Its subtle refinement 

and clear functionality makes it 

appropriate for any number of interior 

settings and styles. The luminaire 

has a satin white cylindrical 

blown glass diffuser, its base has a 

brushed nickel finish and it uses 

incandescent lamps. 


www.iesna.org 

The mini reflector luminaire from 

Ruud Lighting is designed to light 

small industrial areas, including 

mezzanines and similar work or storage 

spaces that do not require a 

full-sized lighting fixture. The “D 

series” features a die-cast aluminum 

housing with a thermal airisolation 

chamber that separates 

the ballast from the capacitor and 

ignitor. A hydro-formed aluminum 

reflector attaches with screws 

directly to the ballast housing. 

Fixture includes a medium-base 

lamp available in metal halide, 

pulse-start metal halide or highpressure 

sodium, in wattages of 70 

through 150. 


A multi-page brochure describing 

Litecontrol’s family of individual 

pendant-mounted architectural fluorescent 

lighting fixtures offers 21 

different product choices with a 

variety of options, including fixture 

Infrared discrete LED’s from 

LEDtronics fulfill the demand for 

high-powered, high-speed emitters 

in wireless connectivity, imaging 

systems and analysis equipment. 

These LEDs use advanced semi 

conductor compounds to produce 

infrared emissions in the wavelengths 

of 850 nm, 880nm, and 

940nm. Sizes available are T1 

(3mm), T1-3/4 (5mm) and SMT 

(3.4mm x 8mm). T1 (3mm) and T1- 

3/4 (5mm) LEDs come with strong 

leads that hold up to the stress of 

wire-wrap and through-hole applications. 

The SMT model is packaged 

in a plastic housing allowing 

infrared functionality to be incorporated 

into miniature-sized electronic 

devices.

Residential Lighting - Illuminating Engineering Society

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