HOW DID YOU GET INTO ARCHITECTURE? Since I was a child I was always making and building things and I loved both the intimacy of generating the ideas and the sketches plus the physicality and scale of architecture. Still do.

WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL? I grew up in the Beaches in Toronto and completed my architecture degree at the UBC School of Architecture in Vancouver.

DO YOU HAVE A PROFESSIONAL MENTOR? Arthur Erickson. I worked in his Vancouver office for twelve years, and we have had a continued
association on various projects, including this new addition to the Museum of Anthropology.

WHAT TYPE OF DESIGNS DO YOU FOCUS ON? Cultural projects and airports.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR APPROACH TO DESIGN. First we need to understand the program, the site and the client’s aspirations and then find the congruency with our particular interests as architects.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REAL PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS? The first of major scale was the Vancouver Art Gallery. It was the conversion of the neo-classical courthouse into a contemporary civic gallery. I was the Project Architect with Arthur Erickson Architects.

WHAT WERE YOUR VISIONS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY PROJECT AND HOW DID YOU PROCEED TO ACCOMPLISH
THEM? My goal was to bring the style, quality and focus of the museum architecture into the gallery shop, while still maximizing the retail opportunity.

WHAT WAS YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE IN THE MUSEUM DESIGN? This was an existing space, top lit by skylights with an open view to the forest. Retail facilities are generally lit with artificial light. The challenge was to provide the focus and sparkle for the retail objects, while celebrating the natural backdrop.

WHICH OF YOUR PROJECTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I am always enthusiastic about my latest projects—Noam Gagnon’s Wellness Centre
and the Museum of Anthropology Renewal.

YOU ARE ACTIVE WITH SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS. Yes, I am involved in a number of industry associations and am on the Board of Directors with Emily Carr University of Art and Design and the YVR (Vancouver International Airport) Art Foundation.

YOU HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED NUMEROUS TIMES FOR YOUR ARCHITECTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS; WHAT WERE THE LATEST AWARDS YOU RECEIVED?

• International IESNA award for the Noam Gagnon Wellness Centre
• Lieutenant Governor’s award for the Liu Institute at the University of British Columbia (UBC); featured in this years’ Venice Biennale
• Lieutenant Governor’s award for the Contemporary Art Gallery

WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED IN THE INDUSTRY IN THE LAST 10 YEARS? Sustainable architecture is being taken seriously by both clients and architects, and the result is the production of some very elegant buildings.

HOW DO YOU SEE ARCHITECTURE IN 5 YEARS? I believe sustainable architecture will come fully into the mainstream.

IN PURSUIT OF AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT white light source, there have been many options presented to the marketplace. The compact fluorescent lamp has received
much attention, and recently the Light Emitting Diode (LED) has been oft touted
as the next big thing. But a worthy contender for the true beacon of energy-efficient white light sources is already challenging for the crown—Ceramic Metal Halide.

Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) sources have been in the market for well over a decade and are available in all popular wattages and lamping formats. They provide high efficacy—a 20-watt CMH provides 1700 lumens, equal to that of a 100-watt
incandescent lamp. They are available in colour temperatures of 3000K and 4000K,
provide high Colour Rendering Index (CRI) from 80 up to 96, and a long life—between 7,500 to 20,000 hours. One concern with CMH, however, is the startup
and restart time. As with all high intensity discharge sources, there is a delay before
a CMH lamp reaches full light output, therefore it is not recommended for frequent
switching applications.

In a time where sustainable design has become an important philosophy and
allowable lighting power densities are becoming more stringent, it is imperative that
the correct lamp/lighting fixture combination is chosen for the application. Retail has
adopted the CMH technology as an integral part of their lighting systems by changing from traditional halogen PAR lighting fixtures to Ceramic Metal Halide. By comparison, CMH far outshines the halogen in efficacy over 4 times more lumens per watt, and provides consistent colour temperature and CRI (when Electronic Ballast is used) over its lamp life. In highlighting applications, a 90PAR38FL halogen provides a light intensity of 3500 Centre Beam Candle Power (CBCP), while a 39watt PAR30 Ceramic Metal Halide provides 5000 CBCP. At five feet, the halogen will provide 140 footcandles, whereas the CMH boasts an impressive 200 footcandles for less
than half the overall energy—more than six times more light for the same energy. In addition, the halogen has a rated life of 2,500 hours, far less than the 12,000 hours rated life of its Ceramic Metal Halide counterpart.

Though PAR lamps have been a popular choice for ease of relamping, the smaller T4, T4.5 and T6 CMH sources can also ensure consistent beam spread when doing maintenance due to the reflector assemblies that are integral to the lighting fixture rather than the lamp itself. Occasionally, a PAR lamp with an incorrect beam spread—a flood rather than a spot—can be placed within a lighting fixture potentially changing the impact of the initial lighting design. These reflectors can provide superior optical control and are offered in a variety of beam spreads including 10° Spot, 25° Narrow Flood, and 40° Flood. Ceramic Metal Halide sources have also made their way into downlighting, which allows, once again, the opportunity to take advantage of this incredible source to provide general lighting.

As technology continues to advance, we will look forward as to what new opportunities will come to the fore, but we should not be blinded and not see what we already have. The Ceramic Metal Halide lamp is the lamp
of the future, now.

By Harold Hartmann

AROUND THE WORLD, HISTORIC AND influential buildings are highlighted and celebrated with intelligent outdoor lighting design—extending their impact and dramatizing their uniqueness. Lighting a building correctly can create visual interest and dimension, and make that structure a nighttime landmark.

The challenge in any design is to synthesize the natural and artificial into a unified aesthetic theme that supports safe operation, mobility and functionality. The aesthetic aim is to invoke the “wow” effect from persons passing by. The objectives in outdoor lighting is not to view the property from a whole new light, but to unify multiple elements into a well-balanced field of relationships, consisting of complementary points of view and frames of reference. Officials in Paris, France, deemthis to be such an important
element of a city’s make-up that they employ François Jousse, a highly-regarded lighting designer, who is responsible for 300 of Paris’ most significant structures.

There are several lighting techniques to be considered when illuminating a structure—area lighting, wall washing, façade lighting, flood lighting, silhouetting and cove lighting the architectural features. There are also new sources we are seeing in outdoor lighting application such as Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). With their powerful ability to change colour, we are now starting to see this technology being specified
in North America (Europe has been utilizing this technology in lighting application formany years).

A few good tips when illuminating a building or structure are as follows:

• It is imperative to examine all the viewing angles.
• Take an inventory of architectural elements that will invoke excitement and interest—the architecture of the structure or the elements of the landscape. It is important to remember however, that highlighting everything emphasizes nothing.
• Always be cautious of the surrounding neighbours—glare and an excessive amount of light is poor lighting application. Choose the right amount of light to be added to the right space, at the right time. Choose your lighting level based on the recommendations from the Illuminated Engineering Society (IES) RP-33-99 Lighting for Exterior Environments.
• Incorporating light control is a nice feature to consider in our environmentally-focused society. Perhaps consider reducing the amount of light past 11pm. This can easily be achieved through an Electronic Dimming Ballast, high-low control or even by simply switching some luminaires off using a time clock.
• Pay attention to the materials of the actual structure. For instance, rough stone type
  structures look beautiful with High-Pressure Sodium light sources. A delicate touch of colour using LEDs is also a nice element to consider.

You can achieve beautiful designs by manipulating the textures, shadows and colours. Consider every option at the conceptual stage of the design. Sometimes the least obvious option creates themost impactful statement. Above all, make safety, maintenance factors and energy conservation strategies top considerations in
any lighting initiative. Land marking a building or structure can be a difficult task—it is important that the architect or designer work in conjunction with their lighting designer or engineer to ensure the best quality result

By Janine Mighton