Emily Carr University of Art and Design

Project Details

The new campus for Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver is a model of the very essence of the university’s philosophy and pedagogy. As one of Canada’s preeminent art and design institutions, its spaces provides a multitude of places both indoors and out for informal gathering, presentation, making and remaking, which is at the heart of Emily Carr’s multidisciplinary arts learning.

The design focussed on providing quality comfort lighting integrated with the architectural design and the University’s desire to maintain the usual “industrial” settings for art schools.

Interior open spaces are primarily illuminated with suspended architectural linear systems integrating LED slot-lights with track sections to highlight student’s art displays. Daylight-harvesting controls were utilized in atria and spaces subject to significant daylight.  The main art gallery lighting includes a flexible museum grade track system with high performance wall-wash and spot projectors. Each studio is illuminated with suspended DALI controlled indirect luminaires and track projectors allowing the space to be configured to suit the instructor’s teaching and AV setup. RGBW DMX theatrical luminaires and DALI controlled house lighting enhance the theatre space. Pole mounted RGBW-DMX spotlights bath the exterior plaza in dynamic coloured light.

The digital lighting control system, with its graphic user interface, allows for ongoing programming of the lighting system to suit schedules and energy savings.

This award-winning lighting design achieved a LPD of 0.68 w/sf, 40 percent below ASHRAE/IES 2010 baseline and is awaiting LEED Gold certification.

Photography:
Ed White
Ema Peters