High Performing Buildings - Spring 2008 - (Page 67) Lighting Throughout the building, lighting enhances the architectural forms and materials while meeting functional needs. Lighting addresses specific tasks in individual spaces. It also allows the building to read as a cohesive whole through the extensively glazed south façade. At the entry level, indirect lighting was applied to accent the beauty of the wood decking that covers the walls and ceilings. The multipurpose room’s layers of light coupled with a multiscene lighting control give flexibility to event settings. In the classrooms, fluorescent pendants on daylight sensors provide energy-efficient light and reduce glare. Halogen indirect fixtures accent the warmth of the wood ceiling and provide dimmable ambient light with extended life. Clusters of energy-efficient compact fluorescent pendants symbolize bubbles, creating a connection to the adjacent pond. To minimize visual clutter within the open architecture, these fixtures, customized with integral battery backup ballasts, double as emergency lighting. At the pond level, lighting design enhances the underwater level expe- © Justin Maconochie Photography, Courtesy of SmithGroup places students within the wetland environment to observe activities below the water. This observation room is in a wetland environment with unfiltered water. To maintain a continuous flow of water through the pond, staff regularly separates the iron minerals from the groundwater by adding an air bubbler to inject air into the water, causing the iron within the water to oxidize and sink to the bottom of the pond. The environmental studio provides a place to study information gathered on-site. rience. Grazing light from efficient metal halide sources accentuates the texture of the lobby’s stone wall. The pond viewing corridor is illuminated to reinforce the notion of being under water. Simple halogen downlights were modified with a metal mesh trim and blue color filter to immerse the visitor in colored light. This costeffective and maintenance-friendly solution also gives the effect of water rippling above the surface. In the pond room, a neon cove at floor level washes colored light across the floor to create the feeling of standing under water in the middle of the pond. The lighting illuminates the pond room, making it visible from above the water and creating a connection to those viewing it from the building’s public spaces. Water Stewardship A theme of the Discovery Center is water stewardship and the relation of water to natural systems. During the Spring 2008 project design, the mechanical engineers worked closely with aquatic biologists, ecologists, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, landscape architects and civil engineers to gain maximum use of the well water. The man-made kettle pond and associated wetland areas require a nearly continuous water flow at a minimum of 50 gallons per minute to support the aquatic organisms, fish and plants. In addition, an adjacent children’s water sprayground requires 75 gallons per minute during summer operating hours for automated water spray toys and ground sprays. Water used at the sprayground is recaptured for irrigation and pumped to the metropark’s nearby golf course irrigation system. Ultimately, water is directed to adjacent wetlands or seepage beds, returning to the ground and the aquifer from which the water originated. Additionally, the mechanical system PERFORMING BUILDINGS 67 HIGH
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