The goal of the lighting scheme at Our Lady of Victory Medical Center in Stanley, Wisconsin, was to provide doctors with cutting-edge, high-tech illumination in which to work, while imbuing the spaces with a sense of warmth and tranquility for patients. Architecture and engineering firm Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA) designed both the lighting and the building in its entirety for their longtime client, Ministry Healthcare.

'Functionally, the most important thing was to provide task lighting for the staff, while maintaining patient comfort,' says lighting designer Jill Cody, with HGA's lighting design group. To increase the comfort factor, light sources that are visible to patients are shielded to reduce glare, and in areas such as corridors and diagnostic spaces, recessed direct and indirect basketed fixtures supply illumination. 'In patient rooms, flexibility is key,' Cody relates. Accordingly, different programmatic zones are delineated by lighting schemes that fit each function. At the head of the bed, a wall-mounted fixture supplies either ambient light or directed reading light, with separate user controls for both types of illumination. A recessed fixture above the bed, controlled by the healthcare professional, provides both diffuse and direct light for examinations, with minimal glare directed at the patient. In the charting area, dimmable low-voltage downlights allow for visibility without glare or light leakage into the patient zone. The family area is lit with a downlight and decorative sconce that are separately controlled.

Decorative fixtures add a touch of design throughout: Cylinder-shaped custom pendants hang in the galleria; glass-trimmed downlights illuminate the nurses' stations; and elliptical sconces in the inpatient corridor echo the forms of furniture and floor patterns throughout the building. In the galleria, additional light sources include downlights to illuminate the waiting and circulation spaces below, and accent downlights for the walls; both use ceramic metal halide sources. Ceiling clouds-horizontally hung acoustical panels-are distinguished by fluorescent strips that supply uplighting. In fact, fluorescent sources illuminate most of the facility, with T8 lamps in the bulk of the fixtures. A 42W compact fluorescent is the campus standard, while incandescent sources are used sparingly in the diagnostic suites, charting areas in patient rooms, and the chapel.

In the chapel, a wooden cross is hallowed by strategically placed low-voltage downlights, creating a peaceful atmosphere for quiet contemplation. As a symbol to the outside world of the facility's Catholic identity, another cross, accented by ceramic metal halide PAR lamps, shines like a beacon through the glass wall of the building's atrium to the adjacent highway. Paired with the cutting-edge lighting strategies in the clinic's examination rooms, the mood lighting in areas such as the chapel helps to achieve the clinic's goal of 'striking a balance between 'high-tech' and 'high touch,'' asserts Cody. A|L

Details

Project Our Lady of Victory Medical Center, Stanley, Wisconsin

Lighting design Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Milwaukee

Architecture Hammel, Green and Abrahamson

Project size 71,500 square feet

Watts per square foot 1.97

Installation costs Approximately $8.50 / SF

Photographer John Korom

Manufacturers Alkco, ALS, Belfer, Capri, Daltor, Elliptipar, Eureka, Focal Point, Hydrel, Kirlin, LBL, Litecontrol, Lithonia, Lutron, Starfire, Synergy, USA Architectural, Visa Custom, WattStopper, Winona, Zumtobel

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