Master of Professional Studies in Lighting Design

Architectural lighting design for Quest Diagnostics headquarter in Clifton, NJ.

Quest Labs is a leader in medical testing and promotion for general population health by way of advanced data collection to identify patterns for preventative care techniques.   Labs function is dependent on organic processes and living organisms in nature [society]  processed into computational data.  This naturally occurring process creates a delicate symbiotic relationship that is not easily perceived.    

This unseen connectivity led me to the concept of The Secret Life of Trees, the idea there is a subterranean network within forests in which trees communication through their roots by way of fungi to create an invisible connection between every living plant on earth.   In this project the lab is the forest and the lighting/lighting controls serve as the interconnected communication web.

The lab facility is a two story glazed faced structure with two organic forms: 1. Atrium 2. Central Light Well.   The Atrium has a sculptural ceiling system that uses a 2 way communication that uses collected data from turnstiles to control % fixtures in operation.  The pattern in which the nodes within the ceiling activate is forever changing.  At the Central Light Well a fabric tensile structure has been added to create a connection between the two floors, to diffuse the natural light, and to sever as a create beacon for the building occupants.  This is a smart hub that collects information for distribution throughout the building. Central light well collects data on time of day / ambient exterior color temp to tunable white fixtures in work / public areas as well as collecting data on current weather conditions to direct areas with RGBW fixtures to change together.

Light levels were crucial to the functionality within the lab spaces.Study on the proper optical distribution, output, and detailing was of the upmost importance to the lighting selections and layouts.Lighting controls are a Bluetooth mesh system with unique configurations to support the complex communication patterns in the facility.