An aerial view of Milstein Hall, Cornell University’s new Arch…
An aerial view of Milstein Hall, Cornell University’s new Architecture, Art, and Planning building.
Brad Feinknopf
The second floor studio space hovers over the pedestrian plaza b…
The second floor studio space hovers over the pedestrian plaza below that connects the adjacent buildings and provides outdoor gathering space.
Iwan Baan
A grid of recessed downlights in the plaza’s pressed tin ceili…
A grid of recessed downlights in the plaza’s pressed tin ceiling illuminates the indoor-outdoor space. To increase the vertical light levels and create more visual interest at this main pedestrian thoroughfare, linear-lensed LED fixtures are integrated into the storefront mullions. Translucent seating pods on the “bump” are internally illuminated with color-changing LEDs.
Iwan Baan
The pedestrian plaza “bump” above created a domed critique s…
The pedestrian plaza “bump” above created a domed critique space inside the building. Fluorescent striplights cast into the concrete ceiling provide bright, shadow-free ambient lighting and balance with the available natural light.
Iwan Baan
A custom frosted acrylic lamp sleeve was designed to alleviate c…
A custom frosted acrylic lamp sleeve was designed to alleviate concerns about glare from the T5HO lamps. The lighting control system allows light levels to be adjusted for special events and automatically dims the lights when the space is not in use.
Matthew Carbone
The auditorium on the west side of the building is surrounded by…
The auditorium on the west side of the building is surrounded by glass on three sides. Halogen ellipsoidal downlights, with the same diameter aperture as the downlights over the pedestrian plaza were used due to the tall ceiling height.
Iwan Baan
Accent lighting for the front of the auditorium is provided by h…
Accent lighting for the front of the auditorium is provided by halogen AR111 accent lights.
Iwan Baan
The “bump” is cut at the stairs revealing each of the three …
The “bump” is cut at the stairs revealing each of the three different ceiling conditions in the building.
Iwan Baan
The studio space has an abundance of natural light from three …
The studio space has an abundance of natural light from three exposure of full height glazing and 41 skylights. Custom six-lamp indirect-direct pendants were designed to mimic the form of the chilled beams. The fixtures are controlled by photosensors.
Iwan Baan
The glow created by lighting the upper floor plate contrasts wi…
The glow created by lighting the upper floor plate contrasts with the light levels of the pedestrian plaza below.
The team of Office for Metropolitan Architecture and Tillotson Design Associates has created an inspiring place for aspiring architects, using elegantly simple fixtures to light three distinct spatial conditions within the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning’s new studio building on Cornell University’s campus. The building’s lighting design reinforces the architects’ ambition of floating a studio space above an inhabitable plaza by contrasting the brightly lit studio with low light levels for the pedestrian area below. A raised concrete bump separates an auditorium and outdoor plaza at ground level from a subgrade gallery with a pin-up space—and the school’s main studios are on the upper floor.
In the upper-level studio space, an alternating pattern of chilled beams and custom luminaires of six-lamp indirect/direct T8 pendants provides ample light for late-night model-making. Three façades of floor-to-ceiling windows and 41 skylights provide even illumination across the studio during the day, and photosensors adjust electric light output based on available daylight.
In the pedestrian plaza, Tillotson Design Associates cleverly integrate lighting elements into the architecture, embedding lensed, linear LED luminaires into the storefront glazing mullions to provide visual interest and increase vertical light levels at night. Programmable LED fixtures housed in translucent seating pods activate the space atop the bump by changing colors to indicate different events and activities during the school year. Beneath the bump, a frosted acrylic lamp sleeve helps to mitigate direct glare from the lamps as well as reflections from the gallery’s polished concrete floor.
Jury Comments: A gutsy building to which the lighting design responds in kind. • Clever detailing and integration of the lighting into the architectural structure, especially the expanses of concrete.
Details
Project: Milstein Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Architect: Office for Metropolitan Architecture, Rotterdam Lighting Designer: Tillotson Design Associates, New York Photographer: Iwan Baan Photography Project Size: 47,000 square feet Project and Lighting Costs: Not available Watts per Square Foot: 1.2 Manufacturers: Bartco Lighting, Custom Metal Craft, GE Lighting, Philip Omega
Deane Madsen, Assoc. AIA, LEED Green Associate, is the former associate design editor for ARCHITECT, and still covers architecture and design in Washington, D.C. He earned his M.Arch. at UCLA's Department of Architecture and Urban Design. Follow Deane on Twitter at @deane_madsen.
