Prize(s) Honorable Mentions
Lighting Design/Product Company Smithgroup
Lead Designers Paige Donnell
Other Designer's names Apoorva Jalindre
Architecture Company SmithGroup
Interior Design Company SmithGroup
Client Yale University
Photo Credits Anton Grassl
Completion Date 12/8/2023
Project Location New Haven, Connecticut
Entry DescriptionThis Institute’s mission is to understand human cognition and explore human potential by sparking interdisciplinary inquiry. The project’s lighting concept seeks to Empower Discovery for neuroscience, psychology, and data science students, faculty, and researchers alike. Lighting design solutions effectively balance serenity and technology to create comfortable, yet engaging environments.
Occupants are greeted by an immersive RGBW backlit, dynamic art installation comprised of custom perforated motifs that visualize neuron research. As participants embark on an ‘odyssey of self-revelation’ through a series of cognitive tests, colorful interventions - illuminated vertical fins and an interactive multi-shadow wall - empower occupants and introduce a sense of wonder.
Control rooms reinforce branding colors to transform traditionally anxiety-inducing experiences into relaxing healthcare environments. Within the MRI spaces, non-traditional vaulted ceilings with DMX controlled coves, allow users to easily change their environment, selecting dynamic scenes that captivate and calm.
Project challenges include existing building constraints, converging various departments within a single design vision, a condensed design schedule, atypical but thoughtful maintenance strategies for a standardized university campus, and coordinating complex control programming into a simple user interface.
Sustainability ApproachThe lighting controls are designed to both meet project budget requirements and satisfy overarching energy goals. Network functionality is utilized alongside astronomical time scheduling, photosensors, and occupancy sensors, to optimize and reduce daily energy usage. In evening hours, all public realm lighting dims down to a max output to calibrate for darker environments, mitigate glare, and further reduce baseline wattage consumption.
All lighting integrations, while engaging and immersive, are thoughtful and designed with sustainability in mind. For example, the seemingly backlit perforated panels are designed with minimal, concealed cove lighting within accessible architectural cavities to reduce material and power supply and still achieve a similar effect.
This project achieved an LPD 20% below ASHRAE 90.1 2019 standards and is in the process of pursuing a LEED Gold certification.
