Michael Moran Photography
The building's new facade features large windows to let natural light into the interiors.
Michael Moran Photography
The facility was once a warehouse. (Before image)
Architecture and light play a transformative role for Planned Parenthood’s new Diane L. Max Health Center in Queens, N.Y. Housed in a former storage warehouse, the building has been reconfigured to fit into the surrounding urban context.
Michael Moran Photography
The waiting room. Ceiling pop-ups are lit with linear LEDs and help define the seating areas below.
Michael Moran Photography
The waiting area on the second floor.
Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design (CBBLD) was asked by Stephen Yablon Architecture to create a modern lighting scheme that would have a “bright and welcoming” feel. CBBLD devised a plan that uses natural light as a primary source coupled with electric light—both in terms of finishes and color temperature.
Michael Moran Photography
Surfaces painted blue help to define the circulation areas.
Michael Moran Photography
The front desk area. Colored coves provide a contrast to the white interiors.
For reception and the waiting areas, 26W 3500K downlights complement the natural light that enters the building from the new windows. Free-form ceiling pop-ups with neutral-white linear LED sources define the seating areas below. The same 3500K downlights are used in the corridors, where the walls and stairs are painted blue to define vertical circulation.
Michael Moran Photography
Neutral white light sources illuminate the corridor walls and floor, allowing the fixed-color LED coves to assist with wayfinding.
Fixed-color—magenta, orange, and amber—covelighting serves as wayfinding, aiding visitors in their transition from public to private spaces. Skylights in the windowless patient recovery area, along with a decorative wall sconce, provide a residential feel. Overall, the color selection and composition was carefully chosen to have a calming effect creating a comfortable and friendly environment for patients and staff.
Michael Moran Photography
Skylights provide ambient light in the patient recovery area and a wall-mounted reading light adds a residential touch.
Jury Comments
The simplicity is beautiful. • The lighting design is done skillfully and thoughtfully. • There is a creative humbleness to this design that is refreshing.
Michael Moran Photography
The offices use a 24 x 24 recessed linear fluorescent 24W 3500K fixture. The combination of fluorescent and LED sources allowed the project to achieve a 5 percent energy savings beyond the stringent limit of 0.90 watts per square foot.
Details
Project: Diane L. Max Health Center, Planned Parenthood, Queens, N.Y. • Client: Planned Parenthood New York City • Architect: Stephen Yablon Architecture, New York • Lighting Designer: Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design, New York • Lighting Team Members: Francesca Bettridge, Marty Salzberg, Renata Gallo • Photographer: Michael Moran Photography • Project Size: 14,400 square feet • Project Cost: $9 million • Lighting Cost: Withheld • Watts per Square Foot/Code Compliance: ASHRAE 90.1 • Manufacturers: Acuity Brands/Lithonia Lighting, Artemide, iLight Technologies, Lucifer Lighting, Lutron, Philips Lightolier
