A Cluster of Light was designed for the Starbucks located in the ERB Memorial Union. After investigating the space, our group found that the electrical lighting within the space was harsh and created glare. Our luminaire was built with cloth and ribbon materials to minimize reflectivity and act as a diminishing factor for the electrical light itself. The Starbucks is a place of gathering and although we aimed to minimize glare, the luminaire was still intended to provide adequate illumination for the entire space.

The inspiration for ‘A Cluster of Light’ was the ocean and coral reefs. We designed our luminaire with the intent to produce an organic look while still maintaining a specified shape. The use of soft materials (ribbon and cloth) allowed us to manipulate them into desired shapes that provided the luminaire with an overall feel of organic connectivity. The luminaire stays true to its oceanic inspiration when unlit, It maintains its detailed presence during the day when the luminaires will be turned off or dimmed due to the glazing of the EMU letting in daylight. When the sun sets and the luminaires are turned on, the luminaire transforms into a glowing cluster of light with a mood that resembles bioluminescent algae.

• Lumens - 800

• CCT - 2700K

• CRI - 80%

• Watts - 9W

• Beam Angle - 270°

• Linen Fabric

• Satin Ribbon

• Wood Frame

• Wire Supports

Obtaining the RCR for the Fishbowl in The ERB Memorial Union…

RCR = 5(Hrc)(L+W)/(LxW)

• Height of Room Cavity: 14 ft

• Length: 87.5 ft

• Width: 40 ft

RCR = 5(14) (87.5+40) / (87.5x40) = 0.0564

• We assume our RCR is small due to the large size of the space we are studying.

• We round our room cavity ratio to 1.

From this we can determine the Coefficeint of Utilization using the MEEB Table 16.1.

• Ceiling and Wall Reflectance Values: 50%

• Floor Reflectance Value: 10%

• RCR: 1

CU: 0.32

Average Maintained Footcandles = [(Lumens)(#LUM)(CU)(LLF)] / Area of Space

• Average Maintained Footcandles: 15

• Lumens: 800

• Number of Luminaires: ?

• Coefficient of Utilization: 0.32

• Light Loss Factor: 0.55

• Area of the Space: 3500

15 = [800(# of LUM)(0.32)(0.55)] / 3500

Number of Luminaires = 372.86

Based on these calculations we would need 373 luminaires in order to reach the minimum average maintained footcandles in the space. This is an absurd number of luminaires but based on the brightness of our singular lightbulb in each luminaire, the calculations are accurate. To reduce the number of luminaires needed in our space we re-calculated the AMF equation above when imagining our luminaire with five bulbs instead of one. With five bulbs, the luminaire goes from 800 lumens to 4000 lumens.

AMF Calculation (with adjusted # of lumens)…

15 = [4000(# of LUM)(0.32)(0.55)] / 3500 = 74.57

Number of Luminaires = 75

A minimum of 75 luminaires with five bulbs each, are needed to reach the average maintained footcandle value of 15fc in our space. This is still a high number of luminaires, but our space has a high square footage.