Dieter Rams - 10 Principles of Good Design

Dieter Rams, an inventor for Braun appliances, defined his 10 principles of good design as follows:

Good design is:
- innovative
- makes a product useful
- is aesthetic
- makes a product understandable
- is unobtrusive
- is honest
- is long lasting
- is thorough down to the last detail
- is environmentally friendly
- is as little design as possible

These 10 principles are inspiration to all including many of Apple's new designs.  How can you apply these principles to your design?

Good lighting design doesn't have to be expensive...

Does having a lighting designer on a project mean an expensive fixture package?  My response to this is that lighting design doesn't necessarily have to mean expensive. There are many ways in which inexpensive fixtures can be used in creative ways to light a space well.

One of my favorite sources to do this with is a bare fluorescent tube costing around $100/fixture (very inexpensive!).

At Michigan State's Owen Hall, fluorescent tubes were used creatively as pendants in the main dining hall (image 1 and 2). The exterior tree lined view creates an intriguing back drop for the students. The random array of fluorescent vertical tubes relates to the natural pattern of the trees, giving the appearance that the trees continue into the space.

Another example of fluorescent fixtures used creatively is at Taylor Place at Arizona State University. A main component to the lighting concept was to illuminate the vertical tower elements.  Much of this was achieved with inexpensive fluorescent fixtures. The exterior brightness of the two main stair towers was achieved with T5 acrylic wrap around fixtures mounted above each interior stair door.

The connecting bridge or "Pod" tower brightness was also achieved using fluorescent tubes. The lighting concept for the bridge was to unify the main towers with a fabric of brightness. The red box elements, or "Pods", serve as a stage-like platform at night. The outside audience observes student interaction within as if watching a “play”. Linear fluorescents mounted under each "Pod" create the luminous tower illusion.

These are two project examples of high design with low budget. How have you utilized inexpensive materials creatively? It doesn't have to be lighting or architecturally related, inspiration can come from anywhere.

Welcome!

Welcome to my lighting blog. Lighting is a huge part of my life and daily activities. This blog is meant to share concepts that I have I learned, through experience and research, with clients, architects, designers, friends, lighting colleagues, etc. Simple lighting concepts can transform a good building into a great building. Unfortunately, there are a lot more buildings that are poorly lit than ones that are well lit. Let's change this as a design community and create an environment in which lighting is valued. Too often, lighting is an afterthought. I challenge everyone to start thinking about lighting at the beginning stages of design with some of these concepts. I hope that you find my tips useful and can start to incorporate some of these principles into your design. I welcome any comments, feedback, disagreements. My goal is to post a few times a week. Enjoy!


enliven your work with light, Abbey