Katie Kailus, Author at Language of Light — The Intersection of Lighting, Efficiency and Architecture

Chicago: New Energy Regulations Effective June 1, 2019

By Alcon Lighting / July 12, 2019

The Chicago Department of Buildings recently announced that energy design requirements for building projects in Chicago have been updated as part of the city's multi-phase code modernization process. For permit applications started on or after June 1, 2019, the Chicago Energy Conservation Code (Title 14N of the Municipal Code), based on the 2018 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code, published by International Code Council, Inc., will now apply.

Stealing the Show: Cats in Architectural Photography

May 31, 2018 by Katie Kailus

Contrary to their domesticated canine counterparts, cats don’t need constant attention. They generally lie low by lounging in the sun or trying to cram their bodies into small undersized cardboard boxes. In fact, most of the time, their humans are in the way. As proof, here’s a collection of architectural photographs where the photographers were inconveniently in the way.

Mood Changers: Lighting Design 101 – Why Lighting is The Most Im...

April 10, 2018 by Katie Kailus

It’s widely known that lighting can affect one’s mood — hence the common term mood lighting. But the degree at which your mood is affected by lighting might surprise you. In 2014, the Journal of Consumer Psychology published a study that found the more intense the lighting, the more affected and the more intense the participants’ emotions were — both positive and negative.

Growing Green: How Amazon has Become Seattle’s Green Giant

March 12, 2018 by Katie Kailus

After outgrowing its headquarters several years ago, Amazon invested in its hometown — building some 40 buildings in downtown Seattle while keeping a focus sustainability. Six of the buildings on Amazon’s Seattle campus have been awarded with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold certification for sustainable design and construction methods, while 20 of the buildings were built using LEED standards.

Retail Lighting: Best Practices

March 11, 2018 by Katie Kailus

Products can demand attention with the help of proper lighting. This means an open floor plan with tactical attention to lighting fixture placement, brightness, color temperature, and CRI. The ability of LED Lighting to meet these technical requirements is what makes it the #1 choice of lighting designers and architects.

Understanding Lumens-as-a-Service — Why Commercial Lighting is a Per...

October 26, 2017 by Katie Kailus

When it comes to office lighting, most workplaces are faced with outdated systems that are wasting both money and energy. It’s a disappointing fact as extensive research has shown that office lighting plays a major role in the productivity of office workers. It’s been proven that LED lighting that mimics or compliments natural light leads to greater productivity amongst workers as well as having a significant affect on an individual’s happiness and circadian rhythm.

First Looks: Candace Wong of cwA+D – The Sterling Cooper Remodel...

August 14, 2017 by Katie Kailus

Dubbed Sterling Cooper after the ad agency in AMC’s Mad Men — due to its vibe that “makes you want to pour yourself a cocktail and sit back and enjoy the house” — the home featured a unique late ’70s feel to it that Wong wanted to be sure to maintain during the remodel. As a residential architect and designer for three years in LA, Wong had worked on the design of many homes, but working on her own home turned out to be a bit of a challenge.

Retail Lighting: The 5 Don’ts You Must Avoid

April 20, 2017 by Katie Kailus

When designing lighting for a retail space, it’s easy to get carried away. While lighting helps draw the customer’s eye to the products on display, the design and layout of your store’s lighting must follow certain guidelines in order to be successful.

The Health Benefits of Sunlight — And How LED Lighting Compares

April 5, 2017 by Katie Kailus

It’s a fact — everyone loves to get out into the sun every once and a while. And as the weather continues to warm, we find staying inside harder than ever. But what if you could make the lighting in your office possess some of the health and feel-good benefits of sunlight? You can, with high-CRI LED Lighting and by designing a floor plan to include several sunroofs.

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