Prize(s) Honorable Mentions
Lighting Design/Product Company The Lighting Practice
Lead Designers David Seok
Other Designer's names Xingying Peng, Helen Diemer, Emad Hasan
Architecture Company Ballinger, Ennead Architects
Client Inova
Photo Credits Albert Vecerka/Esto
Completion Date December 14, 2024
Project Location Alexandria, VA, U.S.A.
Entry DescriptionInova Health Center - Oakville establishes a new institutional identity, design standards, and patient experience for the health system. This outpatient facility includes an emergency room, primary care center with ambulatory surgery, and medical offices.
The lighting design reinforces the architectural vision by enhancing wood elements and softening the building’s mass. The exterior lighted brow and interior monumental core elevate the building's mass, balancing heaviness with lightness, creating a bold, iconic architectural presence. The illuminated interior vertical surfaces of the monumental core provide a sense of weightlessness, pairing well with the double-height ceiling. The integration of wood elements creates a hospitality-like feel for the patients and visitors, offering tranquility.
Differentiating lighting supports the facility’s programmatically segmented service areas. The lower-level waiting and amenity areas have a hospitality-like feel, while upper levels prioritize privacy, with lighting tailored to the different functional spaces. The emergency department utilizes 3000k, an atypical choice for healthcare settings, offering comfort, instead of a more typical sterile feel common in these spaces.
Low-glare luminaires and thoughtful controls limit light output seamlessly integrating this facility into the surrounding residential neighborhood.
Sustainability ApproachThe lighting control strategy thoughtfully integrates code compliance, daylight harvesting, and energy efficiency while supporting the unique functions of each space. The design exceeds ASHRAE 2016 standards by 44%, significantly reducing energy consumption. All linear slot light fixtures specified on the project are made from extruded aluminum with up to 90% recycled content, which covers over 50% of the square footage. All lighting fixtures specified were by manufacturers based in the U.S. and Canada, and primarily in the Northeast, reducing the construction and shipping carbon footprint.
