Discover how a custom lighting supports installation supports collaboration, precision and scientific discovery at the University of Philadelphia’s Vagelos Lab.
Lighting plays an active role in defining space and advancing science at the University of Pennsylvania’s Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology. Working closely with the design team, Lumenwerx developed a lighting solution to address both open collaboration areas and research laboratories where glare-controlled lighting supports detailed research. Along with effective illumination, the lighting offers a cohesive design scheme that responds to the function required in each environment, while fitting naturally with the site’s architectural vision.
Throughout the laboratory’s expansive public spaces, Squero Combinations pendants with integrated AAM downlights are suspended in a geometric grid across an exposed ceiling. Installed above open seating areas, circulation spaces, and the building’s dramatic central staircase, Squero provides focused downlighting while reinforcing the architecture with a clean, organized ceiling plane. The system’s slim profile and flexible combination of optics allow for ambient and accent lighting to be integrated within a single luminaire, delivering visual comfort while preserving the open feel of the space.
Within the working laboratories themselves, lighting becomes more focused. Here, Via 4 wall luminaires provide consistent, low glare downlighting to illuminate intricate lab work, while Via 5 pendants, suspended above workstations, deliver the precise illumination needed for detailed scientific work.
By aligning luminaires with the unique needs of each space within the building, our work helped the design team create an overall lighting scheme that supports the collaboration, concentration, and flexibility needed within a scientific workplace. The result is a lighting solution that enhances the building’s architectural character and provides researchers with the visual comfort and precision their work demands.
