AWARDS

2024 AIA California Honor Award

2024 Excellence in Whole Building/Holistic Design, Lab Design News

The Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science is the largest research facility in Rice University’s historic core campus. As a center of interdisciplinary collaboration, it includes laboratories, classrooms, offices, a multipurpose event space, a cafe, and multiple gathering spaces. Loisos + Ubbelohde provided electric lighting design for the public areas, and daylighting design of workspaces and circulation.

SERVICES

We provide full-service lighting design for building interiors, exteriors and landscape as well as specialized lighting for art. We work with the architect to reflect the aesthetic of the design and support the spatial experience with high performance and visually comfortable lighting. • Specify luminaires, sources and layouts for electrical lighting • Provide accurate renderings of lighting for evaluation • Provide illumination levels for design evaluation as well as code requirements • Provide lighting controls narrative and diagrams • Arrange desk-top, lighting lab and/or in-situ mockups as appropriate to the project • Provide aiming and lighting control observation • Design custom fixtures • Provide LEED credit documentation for lighting credits
Daylighting improves the quality of visual comfort while reducing energy use. We use scale physical models and calibrated simulations with RADIANCE software and proprietary scripts to: • Predict and evaluate illumination levels and light distribution • Predict and analyze luminance gradients and glare potential • Analyze thermal and energy use implications of daylighting design • Design and evaluate daylighting to exhibition and curatorial performance criteria • Predict energy savings from daylight harvesting • Coordinate daylighting and electrical lighting design • Post-occupancy HDRI analysis of luminance and visual comfort
Effective shading reduces glare and minimizes solar heat gain without impeding the use of daylight for visual tasks. We assist the architect to design shading appropriate to the program, the climate and context of the project. We use scale physical models and calibrated models with RADIANCE software to: • Analyze site conditions for solar access and shade potential • Design sun control and glare control alternatives for local skies and climate conditions • Evaluate shade alternatives for visual and thermal comfort

At dusk, the ground floor arcade and the stair tower provide an inviting glow.

With sun on the southwest facing facade, the butterfly shades cast shadows on the sunlit stair.

The cascading four story atrium includes double height collaboration areas and views into glazed conference rooms. Layers of light include perimeter circulation downlights, grazers at coves highlighting wood ceilings, and perimeter track lights highlighting seating areas from 2 stories above.

Daylighting design includes canted ceilings at perimeter office space to maximize daylight penetration , to allow for daylight contribution and exterior views for interior lab areas, and to control glare and increase visual comfort.

For electric lighting, daylighting and shading analysis we use RADIANCE software, a research grade light simulation software based on the physics of light and material properties.  During the design phase, we work with the architects to develop design options for shading, strategies of daylight delivery, and lighting design options.  We develop performance analysis and accurately predictive renderings for the various alternatives, which helps to inform the development of the architectural design.

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An early design simulation of the exterior of the stair tower (on the left), and photograph of completed project (on the right).

Simulations of the lighting at the stair (two left images), and photograph of the completed project (right) Linear fixtures at the curtainwall uplight the outside surfaces of the stair and a handrail integrated bendable linear illuminates the treads and inside surfaces of the stair. The stair becomes a lantern at dusk.

Still from walk-through simulation of daylit stair (left) and photograph of completed project (right).

Daylight simulation of arcade – focused on a single bay, simplifying the foreground and background (left) and photograph of completed project (right).

Lighting simulation of arcade – focused on a single bay, simplifying the foreground and background (left) and concept diagram (right).