Artificial lighting - Luminous flux and color temperature

  Continuing the posts about artificial lighting, we'll talk about two important concepts for the choice of a lamp: luminous flux and color temperature.

Luminous flux

  Luminous flux is the amount of radiant energy emitted for a time and evaluated according to the sensation of that light produced. The unit for luminous flux is lumen (lm).

  With the luminous flux of a lamp, you can calculate it's luminous efficiency. This efficiency is given by η= Luminous flux/Radient flux. In general, we extend the concept of luminous flux to electrical power absorbed by the source.

Color temperature

  Another important concept to lighting is color temperature. The color temperature defines the predominant color emitted by a lamp. For calculation, a lamp can be compared to a blackbody. It's color temperature is the same temperature that emanates from a blackbody that emits the same luminous flux in the same intensity.

  A high temperature light would be white. For matters of comparison, a color temperature of 5800K is equivalent to sunlight of midday, in summer with open air. While an incadescent light has 2700 K and a yellow color.

NASA sustainability base - Willian McDonough + Partners

  The NASA sustainability base is an important project made to NASA that is under construction in Monffett Field, California. With this project, NASA want the LEED Platinum™ sustainability design certification and an approach to net-zero consumption. To make a sustainable project, Willian's company use a lot of autodesk program, one of them is my object of study: Revit.

A Challenge

  To acquire the LEED Platinum™, this project needed a numerous of eco-friendly features, such as geothermal wells, natural ventilation,  high-performance wastewater treatment, and a photovoltaic roof, which  will provide 30 percent of the building’s power. 

  Another challenge to the architects was an structural exoskeleton. The exoskeleton offers increased structural performance during seismic events, provides an armature for daylighting and shading strategies, and creates a column-free interior that facilitates workplace flexibility, creating a free interior.

The software sollution

  To make this project, Willian McDonough make the initial model and  perform preliminary structural and mechanical studies using Revit Architecture. With this fist model, they passed it to AECOM, enabling the engineers to move  forward, while they continued the design work on the exterior skin ( AECOM uses Revit Structure, to link with McDonough project).

  During the construction, they used Navisworks Manage Software to detect futher clashs.  "Our mechanical, electrical, and plumbing; fire protection; and sprinkler system subcontractors created models using AutoCAD MEP and other CAD tools," says Daniel Gonzales, LEED AP, corporate manager of virtual design and construction at Swinerton Builders. "Twice a month, we imported all of these models into Navisworks Manage and performed clash detection, using the Revit Architecture model as background." 

  To finish this article, I leave a video about the project to you:

 

Artificial lighting - light spectrum

  We begin a new series of posts, the first is about BIM, the area of study in my introduction to scientific research, and this, about artificial lighting. To initiate the study of lighting, we first need to understand the basics of optics.

  Our study of light will be about a small part of the light spectrum. This part of the spectrum is called visible light. It contains the electromagnetic radiantion between 380 to 760 nm.

  Each type of lighting source will work the spectrum with his particularies. The warm bodies will create a continuous spectrum, while rarefied gases create a spectrum of rays and gases at high pressures create a spectrum of bands.

  The first image represents  the spectrum made by a warm body, such as an incandescent lamp, the second image represents the spectrum of a rarefied gas, and the last represents a spectrum of bands.

  The concept of lighting spectrum is an important idea to understant an important factor for choosing the type of lamp, the CRI. CRI ( Color Reprodution Index) is the amount of color that the lamp can reproduce, in other words, the ability of the lamp to create the visible spectrum. Lamps tha operates by heating has an CRI of 100%, because their spectrum are continuous. Lamps made of rarefied gas has a lower CRI, because there are lacks of colors in his spectrum, like lamps made of high-pressure gases.

Conceptual analysis of BIM (introduction)

BIM (Building information modeling) is a model of a process of interaction process between the architect and the building being designed. This model brings a 2D-3D representation of the building working with the information linked to it, creating a 4D project.
According Michael A.Ambrose, BIM is making the architects use a new method of production, one focused on information, not on the draw. BIM is the logical evolution from CAD.
One of the most important softwares that uses BIM ideia is Revit. Revit, revise instantly, was created in 1998 to replace CAD system. It's a program based on BIM technology, consisted on parametric objects. Since it's conception until now,Revit underwent several modifications, adding and modifying their interactions with the user.
This software has many advantages for architectural offices. It saves time on the design stage. It's a important program for green projects. Is makes connection with BPM ( Building performance model), making possible to use a lot of programs that makes ecological studies.
Despite the clear advantages, this new process of interaction also brings conceptual questions to the user. Your ideas are based on the end of abstraction in the projects, a method used by many architects of the twentieth century, like deconstructives. Thus, BIM creates many conceptual questions.

Kajen chair

Kajen is a chair projected by the Swedish designer Thomas Bernstrand. This chair seeks the total confort for the user of urban spaces. Its distinguishing are its high back reclining and his forms, that follow the ergonomics of an office chair.In addition, it's come with a structure that allows the feet to rest. The materials used in their manufacture are steel painted black and wood.

House project in Santos

This is a volumetric study for a house in Santos. That's the result:



What is important about this project isn't his volume, but my inspirations when i was drawing it.
The first inspiration is this residential building, by Vazio arquitetura.





I take from this project is the grated balcony and the glass around the coverage. Nevertheless, this project is more complex than that. His floorplans are flexible. All the building was inspired in Vila Madalena, an artist's neighborhood, with high level flats.Seeking the comfort of the users, the project provides mobile brises, made of perforated metal screen.
My second inspiration is the House of Music, by Coop Himmelb(l)au.




For monetary reasons, i can word on a volume like the House of music. However, i manage to create a project with this rhythmic side vents. A side all "stuck" for a large set of windows and glass.