Logan Verplancke - Lighting Design Portfolio

LIGH TING DESIGN PORTFOLIO

L ogan V erplancke S e l e c t e d Wo r k s - 2 0 2 3

TABLE OF CON T EN TS

01

INTERIOR LIGHTING

02

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

03

LIGHTING A VERTICAL PLANE

04

SINGLE-DAY DELIVERABLE

05

ADDITIONAL SKETCHES

01 INTERIOR LIGHTING FINANCIAL OFFICE

This project was located near the coast of Florida and was to undergo renovation. Part of the renovation’s scope was the addition of new lighting throughout the building. The design of the new interior revolved around an ocean theme, and the artwork and materials of the building were to reflect this. My work primarily consisted of accentuating the vertical surfaces that had artwork.

I helped design lighting studies for three locations in this office: the first-floor reception, the upper-floor common areas, the elevator lobbies, and the open workspaces.

SmithGroup

This render shows a possible view that an occupant would take when oriented toward the elevator lobby from the commons area.

An ocean-themed artwork that spanned the entirety of the north wall included bright and high-contrast colors. The perimeter lighting aimed to visually guide the viewer toward this artwork while simultaneously providing appropriate elevator lobby light levels, specifically at the elevator thresholds.

The artwork in the rendering above was located on the wall of a conference room, if you imagine going through the artwork and the corresponding conference room, this rendering shows the artwork on the opposing side.

Adjacent to this artwork are individual multipurpose rooms that have sliding glass doors. With glare in mind, the goal was to illuminate the corridor via the reflected light from the artwork and the recessed wall wash luminaire.

The same perimeter lighting approach for the previous elevator lobby was used here for consistency, but the location of the artwork differed.

Pendant cylinders were chosen with a seagrass color since they matched the elevator lobby artwork and they had a non-diffuse housing that provided general horizontal illumination. My strategy for the vertical surfaces that had no artwork was to make their illuminance minimal, as this provided the artwork with a stronger perceived contrast.

One challenge was lighting the reception artwork.

Based on the room geometry, the lights were constrained to two locations. Either above or below the wood slat ceiling. I studied both scenarios, with the hope that the lights being located above the wood slats would be the best solution.

However, after multiple iterations with different optics, aiming angles, and setback distances from the wall, it was determined that no variation above the wood slats would effectively light the wall.

The owner elected to keep the existing ceiling grid, and multiple lighting layouts were studied with this in mind.

A major challenge was that the permanent workstations were offset from each other at an odd distance that did not match with the 2x2 ceiling grid. This resulted in one workstation, and one side of the desk partitions having lower light levels than the others due to the vertical spine.

Additional downlights located near the west wall were discussed as an option to aid the new lighting solution, as the downlights would provide more uniform light levels to the region of the room that was the dimmest.

02 EXTERIOR LIGHTING JOE LOUIS GREENWAY - MURAL

The Joe Louis Greenway (JLG) is a 27.5-mile multi-use pathway that connects neighborhoods throughout Detroit, Michigan.

My work involved: evaluating existing lighting conditions for a developed section of the pathway, validating a number of lighting layouts prior to implementation, conducting lighting studies for future murals, and creating a schematic design draft for lighting a desired structure.

SmithGroup

Site Plan

Previous Proposed Lighting

New Proposed Lighting

A total of five murals that were in various locations were studied. Two of which are shown in red on the site plan. Criteria was developed based on the existing sites’ light levels at nighttime, location of murals, mounting and setback allowance, and surface dimensions. Gradient studies were conducted using the desired floodlight but with different optics, and this revealed what optic provided the best uniformity, and the spacing allowance to do so. Four of the murals used the same lighting solution, and one mural required a different optic to allow more light to shoot upwards since the mural was at a high vertical offset from the ground.

JOE LOUIS GREENWAY - STRUCTURE

This existing structure was located just off of the JLG, and the hope was to create a unique landmark to the location by lighting it, as plans for a future park was also to be within view of this structure.

The preliminary design solution was to light the structure with color. As this would provide the old structure with a sense of new life at night, especially when viewed from the pathway.

Site Diagram

Private

Project

Mounting Options

JOE LOUIS GREENWAY - PATHWAY

One worry was that parts of the JLG pathway would feel too dark for pedestrians to feel safe and reassured when traveling in lower light conditions.

This was of specific concern when the walking and bike pathways were separated far apart from one another, as this could potentially create a dark middle space.

The lighting plan was studied and evaluated for all locations of concern to determine if additional lights, different optics, or landscape changes were needed in order to provide more uniform light levels.

Appropriate Light Levels

Poor Light Levels

Light Level Conflicts:

Scale

Solution:

Rearrange Landscape Architecture

Blockage

Overgrowth

03 LIGHTING A VERTICAL PLANE ABSTRACT ART MUSEUM

The project scope was to design four lighting solutions of four different techniques for a vertical surface, an interior wall in particular. Existing dimensions and reflectance values of all surfaces within the space were given. I developed an application for the space to enable an overall concept to lead the lighting design. The vertical surface was to be located within a space that separates two art exhibitions within an abstract art museum.

Oregon State University

Both exhibitions architecturally and artistically would reflect modern abstract art with an underlying futuristic theme. The lighting design of the corridor was iterated for four different lighting techniques, all of which aimed to impose a concept of asymmetric wayfinding.

Layout:

Illuminance Contrast:

Exhibition 1

Exhibition 2

Study

By directly lighting the wall of interest, the opposing corridor wall and floor would be illuminated with reflected light as well. Picking a specific luminaire and orientation that allowed the perceived difference in illuminance to be between a 3:1 and 5:1 ratio for the wall of interest and opposing wall respectively was the strategy that I used.

As a viewer started in Exhibition 1, and began to walk down the corridor, their attention would be strongly directed toward the wall on the right, and as they continued walking, their attention would then be directed toward the glowing corner where Exhibition 2 started.

The goal was to use light and perceived brightness to evoke curiosity as to what was beyond the corridor, thereby exciting viewers to continue through the art museum's exhibitions.

04 SINGLE-DAY DELIVERABLE INTERN DESIGN DAY

Present

Past For this project, all of the interns were separated into two teams and we were tasked with completing a schematic design pin-up of a hypothetical project within one day. Each intern had different roles that corresponded to their position that summer, and I was the lighting designer for my team. The project was to be located in downtown Detroit and was a museum space that contained a variety of galleries.

My role involved creating a lighting design concept for the entry lobby of the museum. For context, our team elected for our primary concept to be “past to present,” where the museum galleries followed the timeline of Detroit as the floors increased.

The idea for the entry facade was to use a fritted glass curtain wall that spanned the entirety of the facade, with the exception of the entry vestibule. It was intended that the contrast of transparency and non-transparency would evoke the traveling pedestrians with a feeling of curiosity as they walked by. And when someone walked through the front entrance, an artwork unique to the culture of Detroit would be the first thing that they would be greeted by, and would be the focal point of the reception desk.

SmithGroup

INTERIOR LIGHTING FINANCIAL OFFICE

The project scope was to design a front entrance space that emphasized the artwork located behind the reception desk and on both sides of the elevator lobby walls. This project was located near the coastline of Florida, and the architectural intent was to resemble the elements and colors of the local The front entrance artwork was to resemble the most used map that ocean. A special sea green pendant was picked to match the color of the Detroiters use, their hand. As I quickly learned, the five fingers resemble artwork and the design intent; in addition to providing the space with minimal one of the main roads or spokes, the palm is the riverfront, and your other hand points to a location in the city.

This design was inspired by the spokes of Detroit, with a reference point as to where the specific museum was located. The light rays that extend outward of each road symbolize the past, present, and the future of the beautiful city.

05 ADDITIONAL SKETCHES LIGHT AFTER DUSK

LAYERS OF LIGHT FOR AN EXHIBIT

THE CITY

FORMS OF LIGHT

At t h i s m o m e n t , my e y e s w e r e i n a s t a t e o f w o n d e r, a n d my h e a r t w a s f u l l o f j o y. A s a l i g h t i n g d e s i g n e r, o n e o f my h o p e s i s t o e l i c i t m e a n i n g f u l e m o t i o n s i n p e o p l e a n d create everlasting memories that they can recall for a lifetime.

T h a n k y o u f o r t a k i n g t h e t i m e t o v i e w my w o r k .

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L ogan V erplancke