existing conditions report...ashrae 90.1. several of the spaces did appear to go over the allowed...

Josh Lutton Lighting/Electrical Dr. Moeck DEF Workforce Development & Technology Building Dubois, PA 10/06/04 The Existing Conditions Report

1

Executive Summary: For this assignment, we were required to thoroughly investigate the building’s lighting system, power densities, and existing conditions. To do this, I used the IES handbook extensively to help interpret what should have been done in each of the spaces I have selected. ASHRAE 90.1 was used in determining the correct power densities for each space. For each space, I have divided the evaluation into three portions: 1) Existing conditions, 2) IES recommendations (A combination of my own thoughts along with IES), and 3) Existing Conditions review. While many others have used a bulleted format for this assignment, I chose to incorporate my findings into a paragraph orientated format for easier reading. For the most part, all the spaces adhere to all warnings, suggestions, and ideals of the IES handbook. They all complied with the minimum levels of illumination as suggested by the handbook. For those spaces, I will simply try to achieve a different design over-all that showcases what I feel is important to the space, while at the same time adhering to all the regulations and recommendations of the IES handbook and ASHRAE 90.1. Several of the spaces did appear to go over the allowed watts per square footage allowed however. As noted in the report, many assumptions that I’ve made could be tweaked or adjusted to bring them within the code. At this point however, I will try to bring everything with in code using the assumptions that I’ve applied to the current space.


2

PA Career Link Space


3

EXISTING CONDITIONS: The PA career space is a rented out area used by PA Career link in helping the community in finding ways to pay for extended education and helping with job placement. The PA Career Link space is a wide open area with 10 x 9 x 6 cubicles on the left side. The space is over 3100 ft and has 10’ ceilings. Individuals will be performing a number of tasks within the room. They include, but are not limited too writing, reading, using the computer, and face to face communication. The fixtures that are currently in place are 1 x 4 troffers extended 1.5 feet from the ceiling. The lamps used are 32W T8s. There are three per fixture.

All the fixtures are controlled by a toggle switch near the entrance doors on the right hand side. Each row of fixtures is controlled by a different switch, allowing different levels of light to be used. Integrated electronic ballasts are used.

Reflectance levels were determined using the Sherman Williams swatch book. The floor is a beige colored, short rug. Its reflectance is roughly 12%. The walls are painted a much more vibrant white. Its color was best matched with a reflectance value of about 75%. The ceiling is a 2 x 4 grid drop ceiling with a reflectance match of 74%. Samples are shown below. Unfortunately I don’t have a good sample of the ceiling since I was unable to actually get into the space. These samples are taken from a small window at the entrance doors.

PA Career space carpet sample PA Career space wall sample


4

(PA Career space cont.)

IES RECOMMENDATIONS: For an open office plan with extensive VDT use, such as the PA Career Link space, the recommendation is 30fc for horizontal and roughly 5fc on the vertical surface. The background illuminance for the immediate task area should be roughly 3:1. This means that the area immediately adjacent to the work space, whether it be next to the paper work someone maybe reading or objects in the distance next to a computer screen, should be a ratio of roughly 3:1. Also direct and reflected glare can be a major problem. The designer needs to ensure that the geometry between the light source, VDT and the user doesn’t induce a white out glare on the screen that would be very disturbing to the user. This reduces the contrast dramatically. Suggested solutions include, but are not limited too, indirect lighting, lenses, or reflectors

IES suggests that an open office plan should have some identification to patterns and activity areas so that users have a sense of orientation with respect to their environment. This involves the ability to find the exits quickly, perhaps see the reception area, and locations of adjacent rooms such as the copy machine room, etc.

There is no daylight within the space to evaluate. All sides lead to other rooms or corridors.

The main theme that I would think of implementing is a higher temp (4000K) look that has a cool, serene effect. This will keep the mood alert and upbeat, not encouraging a sluggish effect that other office lighting systems often have. Existing conditions review: One of the most important things to remember when lighting any office is the psychological effect the lighting system has on its occupants. A lighting system which has a lot of shadows or too much contrast can cause a person to tire easily and become much less productive. The arraignment in which the current lighting system is set up is an example of this. The system is set up to give a uniform light level across the whole space. This is more appropriate for a private office set up. With all the cubicles in the space, shadows are more prevalent than they need to be. More of a local fixture set up to ensure less shadows and also a more economical set up may be appropriate. We also have to watch out for the number of partitions there are and their reflectance’s. The more there are the more light they will eat up and therefore the more light we need to provide.


5

(PA Career space cont.) The light loss factors are as follows: Category VI Fixture Assumed to be a clean room 12 month cleaning cycle RCR: 1.97 LDD = .86 LLD = 2900/3050 = .95 RSDD = .88 BF = .95 Total LLF = .86 x .95 x .88 x .95 = .68 I used AGI-32 to give initial calculations, both vertical and on the work plane of a desk/workspace within a cubical. The average for the workspace was 49.2

Middle of workspace


6

(PA Career space cont.)

At work station in a cubicle

The average vertical illuminance for the space was 25.71


7

(PA Career space cont.) As far as power densities go, I looked up the power density for a work space in

an office building. ASHRAE 90.1 power density allowance: 1.3w/sf Actual w/sf in the space: 5490/3132 = 1.75w/sf In this case, it appears to be well over the allowed standards for ASHRAE 90.1. This could be a fault of my own calculations. Further investigation will tell.


8

Lobby

EXISTING CONDITIONS:

The Lobby is an interesting space, one that will be very fun to re-light. The lobby is sort of twisted within the space through three flights of stairs and the elevator shaft. There are three canopy extended into the space. There is no real confined


9

(Lobby cont.) definite space or beginning or end. The highest stretch of uninterrupted space is just less than 30’ from the floor to ceiling. There are five different types of lamps within the space. Most interesting is the architectural discus luminaire by Solera. The rest include three fluorescent downlights by Spectrum and Lithonia, and a surface mounted 150w CMH by Elliptipar used to semi-showcase the duct work that runs along the walls and ceiling.

Lamp T Lamp W Lamp U, V, V1 (all very similar, different lamp types)

The most distinctive feature about the lobby is the looming 30’ curved wall

along the south side. This will make lighting the lobby at night quite a challenge as well as force myself to make some smart decisions about daytime lighting. The wall is a grid spaced, aluminum storefront 1” insulated glass. As for the day time, there is very little need to have any of the fixtures on the ceiling on, except for aesthetic issues. With


10

(Lobby cont.) so much daylight, it is very easy to see within the space even on overcast days (as when I went)

The tasks that will be done in the lobby could cover a large range. Probably the

most common would be climbing the two staircases which each have several twists and turns. People will also be reading newspapers, magazines, etc. For most of the active time the lobby is in use, it will be illuminated mostly by daylight the entire one side of the wall is all glass. During the evening when there is no daylight, there will be a smaller flow of people within the space, but it will definitely still be occupied. Reflectance values were determined using the Sherman Williams swatch book. The ceiling is a white 2 x 2 grid drop ceiling with a reflectance of approximately 74%. The walls are red brick with a reflectance of a conservative 30% (because of the texture of the material). The floor material is multi-colored mosaic tiles with a reflectance of about 20%.

Lobby Floor Lobby Wall Lobby Ceiling

There is little furniture through out the lobby. The main pieces are a few couches encircling a reading table off to the side on the ground floor next to the windows. The staircases and rails are painted blue with some wood paneling along the top. All lobby fixtures are controlled via a low voltage switch, and they are all on the same panel board.


11

(Lobby cont.) IES RECOMMENDATIONS: A Lobby is a space that should be a good transitional experience for individuals coming from the exterior to the interior of the building. A very big emphasis on quality lighting is needed for a good lobby. It is usually the first impression one has of the interior of a building. In this case the color rendering should be superb. A lot of people will be walking through this space all times of the day. There are also lots of different contrasting colors throughout the space. Many surfaces are blue and in contact with surfaces that are red. This effect would be somewhat diminished with poor color rendering. Another thing, the distribution across the area should be very well thought out. If it is dark in one place and bright in another, very rarely will people venture towards the dark, so you maybe cutting out a whole portion of that lobby. Good facial modeling is a very important feature to worry about here since there will be plenty of face to face conversations both at night and day.

IES recommends roughly 5fc on the horizontal plane, and 3 on the vertical. IES also really emphasizes daylight integration, which will be especially important here, as mentioned before

CRITIQUE OF EXISTING AREA: While I have not seen the lobby at night, I don’t believe there is anything major wrong, or anything that doesn’t make sense. Most of the fixtures are appropriate and provide sufficient light output. However I would like to redesign the space to be more efficient and use less lamp types since at this point, I don’t see the reason for using 3 different CFL downlights throughout the space.

The light loss factors are as follows:

Light Loss Factors are a bit different in this case. I’ve divided the lobby into two

sections. One in which the ceiling height is 9’ and the other in which it reaches to the top at 29.5’.


12

(Lobby cont.) For the first section which has only type V1 and V lamps:

Category IV Fixture Assumed to be a clean room 12 month cleaning cycle RCR: 4.1 LDD = .88 LLD = 1570/1825 = .86 RSDD = .97 BF = 1 Total LLF = .88 x .86 x .97 x 1 = .73 For the second section which contains three lamps: The first one is type W (A 1’ x 3” CMH): Category IV Fixture Assumed to be a clean room 12 month cleaning cycle RCR: 21.7 ((2.5 x 29.5 x 164)/558) LDD = .88 LLD = 8900/12700 = .70 RSDD = .95 BF = 1 Total LLF = .88 x .70 x .95 x 1 = .59

The second is a decorative lamp using a 175W MH: Type T Category V Fixture Assumed to be a clean room 12 month cleaning cycle RCR: 21.7 LDD = .87 LLD = 10,000/10,000 = 1 RSDD = .95 BF = 1 Total LLF = .87 x 1 x .95 x 1 = .83


13

(Lobby cont.) The third is another recessed CFL Type U

Category IV Fixture Assumed to be a clean room 12 month cleaning cycle RCR: 21.7 LDD = .88 LLD = 2720/3200 = .85 RSDD = .95 BF = .97 Total LLF = .88 x .85 x .95 x .97 = .69

After calculations in AGI, using many assumed but fairly accurate assumptions, I’ve come up with these values for different areas of the lobby. First is the bottom floor workplane of the lobby. The average was 16.93.


14

Average vertical illuminance on the lobby floor was 7.68

Average horizontal illuminance on the lower canopy was 10.13


15

(Lobby cont.) Average horizontal illuminance on the middle canopy was 29.98

Average horizontal illuminance on the upper canopy 40.20


16

(Lobby cont.) All these calculations are quite sufficient and in my opinion appropriate for the space. The space is not your typical hotel lobby, which would usually be much darker and discreet. This is a public building, in which the area can also be seen quite clearly from the road, so the space needs to stand out as a beacon to passer-byes. However, I think I would have done the design a little differently. While I understand that in reality, there were probably some constraints involved that limited the imagination, I would like to try to do it from a different perspective. ASHRAE standards allow 1.8 w/sf for a lobby area. I will be using the square footages of the entire bottom floor and the three canopies in my calculations. Existing right now as I’ve calculated it is 1.85 w/sf, according to my assumptions. This is just over the threshold for the allotted space, but very close. There could be some assumptions that could be readjusted to bring it within the correct amount.

Second Floor Entrance


17


18


19

(Second Floor entrance cont.) EXISTING CONDITIONS:

The second floor entrance is used as a backdoor entrance to the building. The doors are at the intersection of two exterior sidewalks lining the two wings of the building. Once inside, you continue to walk across the space to get to the stairs or elevator. Once you are at the stairs, you can see that you are standing on a canopy that over looks the main lobby. The second floor entrance space is similar to the lobby in appearance, but it is more of a lounge with several couches with reading tables as soon as you enter. Also restrooms are adjacent to the space, making it an easy choice to stop for a minute and take a load off.

There are two types of fixtures used here, the Q type and V type. The Q type, according to the fixture schedule, is an exact copy of the V lamp. I’m not sure why they are listed as separate lamps at this point.

Lamp V, Q

As mentioned before, this area is similar to the lobby in appearance with the

same floor, wall, and ceiling material. All reflectance values are therefore the same. The controls are essentially the same as the lobby, with all fixtures on the same

panel and controlled via a low voltage switch.


20

(Second Floor Entrance cont.) IES RECOMMENDATIONS:

The entrance foyer is a transitional space between the outdoors and interior space. So it should provide a sense of security for those entering the building, a certain sense of welcoming. The kinds of tasks that take place in here are similar to any other lounge. People eating a snack, reading a newspaper or magazine, have a conversation. That meaning the biggest things to worry about are glare problems for reading glossy paper, facial modeling for conversation, and perhaps sufficient light levels for reading. It should also be well lit so that it can be seen from the outside. There are 4 sets of double doors leading into the space that are all glass. If well lit, it will help attract people to that area of the building.

The overall recommendations for horizontal and vertical lighting are similar to the lobby (5fc horizontal, 3fc vertical). CRITIQUE OF EXISTING AREAS: As mentioned above, the IES recommends a 5fc horizontal and 3fc vertical for this type of space, but I feel that this should be over-ridden. At least 20fc should be in the space where reading may take place, in addition to using the downlights to guide the person towards the stairs and elevator shaft. We have to assume there maybe some prolonged reading going on here too. Also, as mentioned before we need to create a visual beacon to those outside that this is where to go, this is where the building starts and is the main area of circulation.

Light loss factors are as follows:

Light loss factors for the circulation space (the two fixtures are virtually identical): Category IV Fixture Assumed to be a clean room 12 month cleaning cycle RCR: 4.7 LDD = .88 LLD = 1550/1800 = .86 RSDD = .97 BF = 1 Total LLF = .88 x .86 x .97 x 1 = .73


21

(Second Floor Entrance cont.)

I came up with these values for horizontal and vertical illuminance after running calculations in AGI-32. For the horizontal component of the circulation space there was an average of 36.9 fc.


22

(Second Floor Entrance cont.) For the vertical component the average was 16.36 fc.

ASHRAE standards allow 1.4 w/sf for lounge areas, which is what I will use for

this. Some argument could be made that this space is part of the lobby, which is essentially is, but the title of the room in the documents is Lounge.

Existing at this point is (54 x 20)/847 = 1.27 w/sf. This is well in range for the allotted space.


23

Exterior Space

EXISTING CONDITION: The exterior space that I will be trying to light will be the exterior entrance paths/courtyard. Basically the space is behind the building, away from public view. You access it by either of the adjacent sidewalks that line the two wings of the building. The area in between is all grass with no landscaping apparent at this point. There is a small gazebo further back, but I think it was pre-existing and I don’t believe it is a part of this project. At this point, there is very limited lighting at all. This may be due to the fact of cost cutting or just plain lack of walking traffic to appreciate it. However, as you can see, the sidewalks are quite large, allowing for plenty of walkers. This building was


24

(Exterior space cont.) only just completed this past June, meaning students and faculty have only been really aware of its presence and purposes for a month or two. That being said, I think it will be well worth it too look into a possible intricate design that will bring out the beautiful façade the build actually has. There are portions of the building that are covered with a type of silver coated steel coping. The sidewalks also have possibilities with perhaps some bollards or something of that nature. Several pictures below to demonstrate the possibilities:


25


26

At this point, there are mostly exterior wall sconces (2-42W TRT) with a few wall mounted exterior downlights (175W MH) washing the brick walls. They are mounted directly in between pairs of windows, and at the same height as windows. While I haven’t seen them at night myself, I’m guessing they probably do not put a whole lot of light on the building or the ground. They are probably meant more for security reasons.

I am unsure exactly from where or how these fixtures are controlled. My guess is similar to other non-public access lighting. There maybe a astrological timer that turns them on at the correct time each night.


27

(Exterior space cont.) IES RECOMMENDATIONS: IES recommends that certain criteria be considered when it comes to façade lighting. Spill light is one particular thing to be wary off. Spill light is like pollution at night and takes away from the over all effect the designer was trying to achieve. When designing a façade, be sure to give special consideration to color rendering, brightness relationships, competition from other lit objects, and very importantly maintenance. One of the worst things a designer can do is design a system that is so hard to maintain, that very quickly the design is distorted unrecognizably from its intent. The other aspect of this exterior is the walkways. IES has established certain things that would be important to consider when designing a walkway like this. Color rendering is very important, since without daylight, many colors are solely determined by the type of lamp that shines on them. Some MH or HPS may not be the best options. Direct glare is also a big factor. That’s because with a walkway, you can only walk in one of two directions. Odds are you are planning to get somewhere in one direction and if there is direct glare the whole time, it can make for a very unpleasant experience and cause the walkers to just look down the whole time and miss the whole design. Other things that were listed as very important take to security issues. Things like the modeling of faces (in case of attack), and good peripheral detection. Obviously vertical illumination is also a big deal since the person would almost never be using the workplane while walking. IES doesn’t give a numerical value for vertical illumination however. CRITIQUE OF EXISTING CONDITIONS: At this point, I think my major critique is that this system doesn’t nearly provide the building with a chance to be as beautiful as it could. I would like to experiment with some extensive uplighting. I would need to check up on what the criteria are that I need to satisfy in terms of light spill into the night. Then for the sidewalk, there are a few bollard designs that I have in mind that would go perfect with the type of building this is. A certain high-tech, metallic look would be the way to go. However, I would have some concerns with the fact that this is also a college campus, and as we all know, college kids can’t contain the vandalism within them after a few drinks. But I do believe there are some vandal resistant designs out there, and this building really isn’t within the vicinity of the party area or major student housing. Also, after I light this they way I want too, they’ll be a little weary to try anything. Last, if all else fails, we have a nice little webcam catching every moment as we speak.


28

If you would like to see for yourself, just click here.

http://www.ds.psu.edu/Home/webcam.html

The design in place right now is perfectly fine for what they may have been trying to accomplish, but I would like to try something completely different.

All files, software, pictures, etc used in this report can be found on my P:drive Jdl185/thesis/existing conditions.

existing conditions report...ashrae 90.1. several of the spaces did appear to go over the allowed...

Documents