The School of Forest Resources Building
University Park, Pennsylvania
Chris Hoyman
Penn State Architectural Engineering
Lighting Electrical Design
Dr. Richard Mistrick, Faculty Advisor
The School of Forest Resources Building
Building Overview
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Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
Site: The Forest Resources Building along with the new
Smeal Business Building work to create an architectural
border for campus along Park Avenue.
Occupancy: Multi-use facility
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classrooms
offices
administration
laboratories
auditorium
The School of Forest Resources Building
Building Overview
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Size: 92,000 gross square feet
Levels:
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Four usable stories above ground
One basement
One equipment penthouse
Six levels total
Cost: $27,000,000
The School of Forest Resources Building
Building Overview
Architect’s Site Plan
Architect’s Rendering, Park Avenue Side
The School of Forest Resources Building
Spaces for Redesign
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Atrium
Video Conference Room
Aquaculture Laboratory
Front Façade Main Entrance
The School of Forest Resources Building
Design Goals
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Harmony with nature:
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Daylight Integration
Energy Efficiency
Natural Atmosphere
Functionality:
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Adequate Light Levels
Flexible Control Systems
The School of Forest Resources Building
Inspirations- “Light in the Forest”
The School of Forest Resources Building
Schematic Designs
The School of Forest Resources Building
Schematic Design: Atrium
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The Atrium rises four floors starting at ground
level and serves as the primary architectural
feature of the building.
Entry and vertical circulation space, with
corridors branching off to the two building
wings.
The “trunk” of the building.
The School of Forest Resources Building
Atrium Plans
Atrium First Floor (typical with all floors
above)
Atrium Ground Floor
The School of Forest Resources Building
Atrium Existing Conditions Photos
View up from left side of entry
doors
View up from right side of entry
doors
The School of Forest Resources Building
Atrium Design Goals
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Create a sense of awe- a “trunk” rising up four floors
Utilize fixtures to create forest effect- light shining
through a canopy of trees
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Accentuate natural hardwood finishes
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Combine effects of direct downlight and diffuse ambient
light
Display natural beauty in building materials
Flexible controls- integrate daylight from large areas of
glazing
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Maintain sense of harmony with nature
Target Illuminance: 10 footcandles horizontal
3 footcandles vertical
The School of Forest Resources Building
Atrium Design Implementation
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Use metal halide fixtures to provide downlighting:
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Achieve effect of light shining down through a forest canopy
Punch to reach floor-adequate light levels
Long life, high efficiency, low maintenance
Provide flexible switching for daylight integration
Use wall mounted accent lights:
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Highlight natural wood panels between each floor
Provide additional ambient light inside
The School of Forest Resources Building
Atrium Concept Drawings
Metal Halide downlights provide
the general lighting in this space.
Compact fluorescent wall
mounted fixtures will be include
on the wood paneling sections
between floors to provide
additional light as well as
accentuate the natural wood.
The School of Forest Resources Building
Atrium Concept Fixtures
400W Metal Halide downlightProvides punch to reach floor
Wall accent with compact
fluorescent bulb, circular
distribution- highlights
wood paneling
The School of Forest Resources Building
Schematic Design: Video Conference Room
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The video conference room sits on the southern
side of the building’s first floor
A U-shaped table sits at the center of the room
Walls are primarily white painted gypsum with
wood panel highlights
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South facing wall of glazing
North wall entirely wood paneling
The School of Forest Resources Building
Video Conference Room Plan
The School of Forest Resources Building
Video Conference Room Existing Photos
Glazing sits behind U-shaped table (in view of camera)
The School of Forest Resources Building
Video Conference Room Existing Photos
Open end of U-shaped table faces hardwood wall
The School of Forest Resources Building
Video Conference Room Design Goals
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Design lighting schemes for conference settings based
on needs of the camera
Provide uniform task lighting on the table
Address issue of natural light penetration during video
conferences
Illuminate background to reduce contrast
Avoid uncomfortable glare
Provide flexible control systems for multiple scenes
Target Illuminance: 50 footcandles horizontal
30 footcandles vertical
The School of Forest Resources Building
Camera Requirements and Luminance Ratios
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Avoid strong colors and high color saturations
Avoid colors close to skin tone to enhance separation
from the background
Provide ambient illumination between 500 and 700 lux
on the participant faces to achieve good depth of field
Object to background luminance ratios between 3 to 1
and 5 to 1 to stay in contrast range of camera
The School of Forest Resources Building
Video Conference Design Approach
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Provide evenly distributed light on the table
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Wash walls to eliminate high contrast
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500-700 lux
Table surface should reflect some light up to fill shadowy
areas on participants’ faces
Keep object to background luminance ratios between 3 to 1
and 5 to 1
Use shade system to block of windows during video
conferences
The School of Forest Resources Building
Video Conference Concept Drawings
Hardwood
panel covered
area lowered (8
ft. high) from
normal ceiling
(9 ft. high) with
outside
perimeter cove
lights
The School of Forest Resources Building
Video Conference Design Approach
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Recessed directional fluorescent fixture provide even
table and facial illuminance while keeping glare low for
the users
Outside perimeter cove provides ambient light and
helps wash the shades on the south side of the room
Wall washers eliminate high contrast during video
conferences as well as highlighting wood paneling
during regular conferences or other functions
Downlights help eliminate dark corners
The School of Forest Resources Building
Video Conference Design Approach
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Controls- use flexible dimming control system
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Allow for quick changes between scenes
Allow for modification of preset scenes for a range
of options
The School of Forest Resources Building
Video Conference Concept Fixtures
Low profile downlight for
background illumination
Recessed directional video conference
fixture- Provides even table lighting, good
facial rendering, and eliminates glare
Combined lighting
and shade control
option creates flexible
and easy to operate
system
The School of Forest Resources Building
Video Conference Concept Fixtures
Recessed wallwasher highlights wood
panels and helps reduce contrast between
the users and the background
Adjustable fluorescent cove light to
illuminate ceiling and provide indirect light
The School of Forest Resources Building
Schematic Design: Aquaculture Lab
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The aquaculture lab is located in the basement
of the building
The lab contains rows of aquariums used for
research purposes
The School of Forest Resources Building
Aquaculture Lab Plan
The School of Forest Resources Building
Aquaculture Lab Existing Photo
Piping to remain exposed in original design
The School of Forest Resources Building
Aquaculture Lab Design Goals
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Provide uniform lighting in the lab area
Provide good color rendering for lab
experiments
Avoid uncomfortable glare
Maintain professional lab environment
Provide flexible control system for a natural
lighting cycle
Target Illuminance: 50 footcandles horizontal
30 footcandles vertical
The School of Forest Resources Building
Aquaculture Lab Concept Drawing
General room lighting shown here. Individual fluorescent aquarium lights are required
to run on a day-night cycle. Dimming ballasts and a centralized control system will be
used.
The School of Forest Resources Building
Aquaculture Lab Concept Fixture
Suspended mounting
linear fluorescent
moisture-proof
downlight fixture
The School of Forest Resources Building
Schematic Design: Main Building Entrance
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The main building entrance on the front façade
leads into the atrium
Two walkways serve as a pathway to the “trunk”
of the building
Serves as the primary architectural highlight on
the exterior of the building
Also functions as the main view of the building
from off-campus: an “image” of the school
The School of Forest Resources Building
Main Building Entrance Plan
The School of Forest Resources Building
Main Building Entrance Existing Photo
The School of Forest Resources Building
Main Building Entrance Design Goals
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Highlight the primary architectural feature
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Provide adequate sidewalk lighting for paths leading to
the building
Blend with styles used in existing Smeal Building façade
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Attract attention to the entrance for students
Highlight view of building from Park Avenue
Maintain balance across the meadow framed by the two
buildings
Provide a flexible control system to address changing
light requirements based on time of day and season
Target Illuminance: 5 footcandles horizontal
3 footcandles vertical
The School of Forest Resources Building
Main Building Entrance Concept
New polemounted
fixtures to
highlight
sidewalk area
closest to the
building as
well as the
area outside
the main
entrance
Existing polemounted
fixtures on
meadow
sidewalk
replaced with
bollards similar
in style to the
new polemounted
fixtures
The School of Forest Resources Building
Main Building Entrance Concept
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Three Layers of Light
 Low bollards for meadow sidewalk
 Higher posts for entrance areas and building sidewalk
 Light from the atrium shining through the glass
The School of Forest Resources Building
Main Building Entrance Concept Fixture
Sidewalk/entrance pole
mounted fixture similar to
other campus styles
Matching bollard for
meadow sidewalk
Thank You for Your Time!
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Questions?
Comments?
Suggestions?