Click here to view article references below: 

Mercury in Fluorescent Lighting

I chose to discuss this article because it mentions why mercury is in Fluorescent lighting and why it is important to know what lights contain this element. 

"Mercury is the most essential ingredient for most energy efficient lamps." It is in fluorescent lamps, HID lamps, and others. This article lets you know that for these lamps to be efficient and have a long life, they have to contain mercury. This means we have to make sure that the proper disposal of these lamps is taken place. Although this is a huge issue, because not all people know this and they just send more mercury to the landfill, manufacturers are constantly trying to reduce the amount of mercury in the bulb. "The average four-foot lamp today contains over 75% less mercury than the same lamp would have contained in 1985. 

Click here to see the article referenced below:

Light & Color

Building Block of Quality Lighting

light & color. by Craig DiLouie & Eric Strandberg

This article discusses light and color and provides some guidelines to follow to help your design with good quality lighting. In order to have the required lighting you should first establish the desired color temperature. Knowing the psychological impact of various light sources is one of the most important factors. Another step to follow is to decide the importance of Color rendering. This could be different for recreational or work applications. After that, daylight should be considered. One needs to know how much daylight is available and how it will effect the space. There are many more steps to lighting your space but this article briefly covers some thoughts to have.

An interesting thing that occurs with lighting in photos is that it can pick up on different colors of the light. Although this alleyway in Asila, Morocco was not lit so intensely yellow, it appeared to be that way. The hanging lanterns down the alley create a mysterious appeal. As the path curves, one can only wonder what is beyond. At night, these negative spaces are just as intriguing as the positive spaces beyond. 

As the sun sets, the sky illuminates with soft colors. It brings a sense of calmness as we start to wind down the day and transition to our time of rest. The reflection of the sun on the water strengthens the feeling of light and the objects in the foreground become  silhouetted making the scene dynamic. Something that is so interesting to me about the light when the sun sets is how quick it happens. I walked across this bridge in Rome and just happened to turn around and for just a few moments the sun created this beautiful view. The colors in nature heighten and become intensified at this point in time, and create some of the most gorgeous hues and values. 

Sketch Series 4

Kitchen Space

Incandescent lamps in this space provide ambient light. There are incandescent bulbs in the ceiling mounted fixture and in the hanging chandelier. In an incandescent lamp, there is an electric current that passes through a thin filament that heats up and produces light. This type of lighting produces a warm soft color. This is ideal for most spaces within a home. 

Warehouse 

This is a commercial space that needs bright light for safety. It would be used at all hours of the night and needs to be as intensely bright as possible. 

High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting replaces the filament of the light bulb with a capsule of gas. The amount of light produced is greater than a standard halogen bulb, while consuming less power, and more closely to the color temperature of natural daylight. HID bulbs are appropriate for utility spaces that  need extremely high intense lighting. HID lamps are often used in street lamps and car headlights. The downside to these lamps is that they take some time to start up and need to be in a place that would not need to be immediately relit. It makes the colors within the space most accurate since it is a very white light. This type of lighting might not be needed in many interior spaces because it gets hot and can be too intense but is appropriate for a warehouse. 

Office Space

Ambient Fluorescent strip lights and fluorescent ceiling tiles. 

They provide an even wash of light throughout the whole space. The cool lighting makes the entire space appear bluer. The warm colors in the space still seem warm but the cooler colors seem even cooler. Fluorescent lighting is appropriate for office spaces. It is bright and affordable. It is good in commercial settings. Having warmer lighting closer to the desks with incandescent lamps or halogen sconces might soften the space some and relieve the eyes a bit.