Red Bull: New York Offices

*This article originally appeared in on November 19, 2014 on www.archdaily.com "Red Bull’s New York Offices / INABA" 19 Nov 2014. ArchDaily. Accessed 22 May 2015. <http://www.archdaily.com/?p=568579>

© Greg Irikura

Architects: INABA Location: New York, NY, USA Architects In Charge: Jeffrey Inaba, Ostap Rudakevych, Yoichiro Mizuno, Alan Kwan Area: 16800.0 ft2 Year: 2014 Photographs: Greg Irikura , Naho Kubota

Executive Architect: SLAB Architecture, Brooklyn, NY: Jill Leckner, Matthew Voss, Min Chen Lighting Design: WALD Studio, New York, NY: William Armstrong, Kelly Roberts Structural Engineer: Buro Happold, New York, NY: Jeffrey Thompson Mechanical Engineer: Kam Chiu Associates, New York, NY: Kam Chiu

© Naho Kubota

From the architect. With major companies branding their workspace and all of the talk about the new way we work, Red Bull took a different approach.

7th Floor Plan

Best known for its high-energy drink, the company wanted its New York offices to be low-key. The 16,800 SF project doesn’t celebrate the company’s values with eye-catching forms, nor is its layout inspired by recent theories of workplace productivity.

© Naho Kubota

Instead, the design is simple and without the pretense of being on the cutting edge of cool tech office design. It responds to the quick cycling of trends in workplace interiors by steering clear of large-scale gestures, playful lounge zones, or urban-inspired ad hoc décor.

© Naho Kubota

If the new standard for corporate offices is to create a physical experience that builds on the brand qualities the company has successfully established in digital media, then Red Bull’s New York space is the antithesis of this best practice. There isn’t a reliance on storytelling or graphic imagery; the space is dialed back to reset the focus of the experience on the basic architectural qualities of scale and light.

© Naho Kubota

Acknowledging that offices and technology are evolving quickly and the future functions of the work environment are unpredictable, the architects composed a layout of spaces with distinct, fixed features. The three types of spaces are large open zones, medium-sized enclosed areas, and small rooms. They are used now as open office seating, conference areas, and small meeting/workrooms, respectively. Designed to be unique in size and day lighting and not to any particular functions invites people to invent new uses for them in the future.

8th Floor Plan

To emphasize these elements of the project, INABA worked with the photographer Naho Kubota who shot the space using film. The images in this series include closely framed views that describe the sense of proportions and natural light in the spaces. Other photos by Kubota and Greg Irikura document the color of surfaces, materials, and furniture.

© Naho Kubota

Lumium Lighting

Lumium stopped by our office today to introduce us to some of their fixtures. The mounting plates are held on with magnets so there is no visible hardware. All of the suspended fixtures are suspended with aircraft cable for a clean installation.

They use Osram boards in 1' increments. Can do modifications. The fixtures that are smaller than 3" in diameter are low voltage and use remote drivers. Each fixture family comes in multiple sizes of profiles. All of the fixtures are provided with 27K, 3K, 35K, 4K or 57K boards. The fixtures can be specified with either a clear frost lens (minor lamp image) or a white frost lens (minimal to no lamp image).

Dado Lighting

Dado Lighting is a new manufacturer that we were introduced by Oblaney Rinker and Associates. They specialize in thin profile linear LED fixtures that are the thickness of 5/8" gypsum board. This opens up more possibilities in terms of installation without having to be concerned with studs running through. The fixtures are offered in 1 1/2", 2 1/2" and 3" widths. They provide the fixtures in two pieces, the extruded housing and the LED boards. The contractor can field cut the housing to the nearest mm. The LEDs are edge lighting the boards which allow for the fixture to be so slim without seeing any nodes.

Not only is the slim profile a great aspect of the fixtures, but they can provide up to 24' with a continuous lens. Dado can also do curves and corner pieces as well as rounded, angled or straight end pieces.

Dado also has a couple of deeper fixtures, the Liftline and the Hardline. The Liftline uses direct facing LEDs as opposed to the side mount like the other shallower fixtures.

Mirrorline was a fixture we were very interested in seeing. It uses the shallow profile and is intended to be mounted behind sandblasted mirrors. Since it has the slim profile, it does not require any special framing.

Sattler

Sattler specializes in rings fixtures in both small and large scales, with the largest reaching up to 20' in diameter. For the larger fixtures they can use either one LED strip or two depending on the desired light output. Each strip is 7 watts/ft. All fixtures are dimmable standard with 0-10v dimming. Other dimming is also available as a custom for lower dimming control. Color temperatures available are 27K, 3K, 4K and 5K. Their large scale fixtures can incorporate Barrisol or Newmat material at the top of the fixture to push the light down, or can be an open ring.

They also showed us their smaller fixtures which incorporate up, down, internal and external distribution.

While their bread and butter is rings, they do offer other shapes such as triangles, squares and rectangles. They are also developing a unique fixture called Luce Verde which has moss in the center of the circular surface.

Product of the Day: Install-From-Below from Kurt Versen

Kurt Versen has just announced a new family of retro-fit LED fixtures, called Installed From Below (IFB). The fixtures are currently only offered in Square, with the Xicato LED module, in Wide, Medium, and Narrow down light beam spreads. The fixture depth is 6-3/4".

We are excited to see this new development in Kurt Versen's line!

Fabbian

Some exciting things are happening at Fabbian. They have joined the LED world and are offering all of their fixtures as either dedicated LED products or as a retrofit option. Some of their fixtures that have been updated to LED from a E26 base do not have the old base listed as a standard option, but can go back as a custom if it is needed. They have also developed new fixtures that are completely designed around LEDs. One new fixture that they have come out with is the F30 Giro. Its a a globe fixture made of looped wires. The LED component connects to one of the circles by clipping it on. It can be customized by the user by clipping the LED module on any of the circles to created different effects.

We also took a look at their downlights with the new LED modules and their decorative crystal trims.

A great thing about Fabbian is that they can customize their fixtures even if the quantities are small. They offer high quality decorative fixtures without the added price like some of their competitors.

Day-o-lite

Day-o-lite made a stop by our office to introduce their LED products to us. They are known for their quality fluorescent fixtures and have been taking the time over the past two years to integrate LED into the mix at the same standard as their fluorescent ones. Their factory is located in Rhode Island and they offer a 4-6 week lead time typically but can possibly do faster if they have the supplies on a project by project basis. All of their products are dimmable standard without an adder. They are also going to be offering the option for tunable LEDs to program the output with a resistor.

One fixture we took a look at was the Athena MLB which is a semi-recessed LED fixture with an extruded acrylic lens. The lens is clear on the sides and frosted on the edge when the fixture is illuminated. The LEDs are placed deep inside the fixture so you cannot see the nodes from any angle. They are working on developing a pendant version of the Athena as well.

We also took a look at their Equator fixture which is a surface round area light with a convex opal acrylic lens. It is also available in concave and flat versions as well. Because of the layout of the LEDs, they are able to get an evenly lit surface. With the flat lens, however, they have to reconfigure the LEDs with a tighter spacing otherwise you will notice dark spots.

Because of the size of their factory and production, they are able to do a lot of customizations to their fixtures all in house.

Visual Lighting Technologies

Visual Lighting Technologies have been updating their fixtures as well as developing new ones and stopped into our office so we could look at them. We are always looking for solutions for backlighting surfaces. VLT has two different panels for these types of applications, ELP-L and ELP-G. Both have been revamped to offer the same light output as before but with lower wattages. Both panels offer different qualities to accommodate various project restrictions. The ELP-L is preferable for backlighting materials such as onix, frosted glass and acrylic with large LED spacing, while the ELP-G is ideal for stretched fabric ceilings with its tighter spacing. For projects that require a lower wattage and have shallower depth allowance, and a larger budget, the ELP-G is a good fit. And the projects that have a lower budget but have a deeper allowance, ELP-L can also work for stretch fabric installations.

We also got a look at some display lighting they have developed. They have a new 4watt puck light that is dimmable standard and is available in 15°, 30° and 60° beamspreads. We did notice a little bit of discoloration at the edge of the beam but they said they can add some diffusion at the edges to help smooth it out.

The Orb is an adjustable accent for display cases with a 45° housing. It can come in one, two, four or six heads. The heads are fully adjustable and lockable so that once they are aimed properly you don't have to worry about someone bumping into it and having to redo it.

VLT is developing another version of their Light Run fixture, which is one that we really like and have used on several projects since it is a completely diffuse line of light with a small extrusion. The new version of the fixture incorporates a dynamic strip allowing you to tune the white to any color temperature through the use of two circuits.

We asked about a possible version of the Light Run in a 45° extrusion and they said that they are developing a prototype in the next month and should hopefully have a solution to it soon.

Feng Shui Lighting

We were introduced to Feng Shui Lighting a few weeks ago at the SDA showcase. Since it was just a brief meeting, they came to our office so we could get a better understanding of all that they have to offer. Their bread and butter is backlighting with edgelit panels and their LED 'net' system which consists of strips of LEDs equally spaced in vertical rows.

Feng Shui has three types of LED panels to fit an assortment of project needs. Their Slim LED and Slim XL panels are both frameless and very low profile panels and can be edge lit from one, two or four sides. The advantage the XL panel has over the regular slim panel is that it can accommodate larger sizes. Both are available in 3K, 41K, 53K, 65K and RGB. They can also do custom shapes.

Their third type of panel is the Core LED panel and is a more robust panel with the LEDs built into an extruded aluminum frame. The frames can accommodate various material to back light.

Feng Shui offers dynamic white in some of their panels that can be programmed to transition automatically between on color temperature to another.

We also learned that Feng Shui also specializes in custom fixtures with the use of wood veneer, textiles and artisan glass. They are also working on a series of downlights that incorporate decorative glass and acrylics. We saw a sample of one that is being developed that used an acrylic rod that extends out the bottom of the fixture. When the fixture is switched off, the rod appears completely transparent, however as soon as it is switched on the rod is diffuse with the light coming out of the end. We noticed rings on the ground because of the pattern in the acrylic causing the diffusion, but it could be solved by using a lens between the LED and the rod. It was a really nice piece that has a unique decorative feel in both on and off positions.

Reggiani and Picasso Lighting

Reggiani and Picasso Lighting had a showcase at the International Lights office. Reggiani showed us their line of adjustable accent lights that can be used with track, surface mono-point and recessed mounting. We were impressed with the quality of the light as well as the output. They had a display of different colored scarves to showcase the color rendering they can achieve. The fixtures are a good solution to keep in mind when the budget is tight without having to compromise the quality.

Picasso had some a couple of fixtures that stood out to us. One of them was a stainless steel undercabinet LED fixture. Most undercabinet fixtures we have seen are not focused on the asthetics and are more intended to be hidden. With the stainless steel finish it is a nice option when the installation requires the fixture to be seen.

They also had a couple of large recessed and semi-recessed fixtures in both round and square versions. Both versions provide an evenly illuminated surface without lamp imaging.

Product of the Day: SimpleLine from Dado Lighting

While reading the O'Blaney Rinker SEPTEMBER ISSUE today the SimpleLine LED from dado lighting caught my eye. The node-free linear line of light fits within standard drywall (5/8" or 1/2" thick) and runs continuously in vertical, horizontal, diagonal, inside or outside corners - the combinations are limitless. I appreciate the construction of aluminum housing with mud-in flanges and snap-in matte white acrylic lens. The fixture mounts directly to studs, and should be easy to understand and install by contractors. I can see this being used in a variety of applications.

Kichler Lighting

We had a visit with Estrin Zirkman and Kichler Lighting in our office this week. They focused on both their main lines as well as fixtures from their Elan Lighting line. They describe the difference between the two lines as Kichler leaning more towards the traditional style and Elan providing a more modern take on decorative lighting. We saw a sample of the Tvill from Elan. It's an LED wall sconce with an extruded acrylic diffuser. We liked the construction of the sconce with the diffuser being a solid piece of acrylic rather than an open diffuser like we have seen from other manufacturers. It helped to evenly diffuse the light more.

Most of the fixtures from Elan have a polished chrome finish to give them a more modern feel, while the fixtures from the main Kichler line have more variety with finishes and materials used. All of the LED products that Elan offers have integral drivers and are dimmable as standard. Another highlight is that the price point for their fixtures is pretty competitive for the quality that we saw from the samples they showed us.

Bandis Vision

We had the opportunity to see a new LED panel manufacturer at our office yesterday, Bandis Vision. Bandis Vision speciallizes in acrylic panels that are etched vertically and horizontally then are edge lit with LEDs for a luminous surface. Both various color temperatures as well as RGB are available. Most of their products are made in Toronto where their headquarters is, but they do have a less expensive version made in China. Although it is only 10% less.

They can provide the panels by themselves with multiple U channel options that can accommodate varying sizes of panels. Or they can offer it with a frame that can capture materials such as signs or graphics to be backlit. The frame can open up to easily replace the material in front.

They are open to customizing the panels to fit site requirements. The size of the individual panels can get as large as 5' x 10'. However, the panels can be butted up next to one another by removing the the channel along those sides. You can increase the light output by having the LEDs on more edges instead of the typical single edge for small panels. Shapes are also a part of their wheelhouse, but does add a longer lead-time.

All of the panels are dimmable and come with a pre-programmed remote for the RGB panels that allows the users to control the colors as well as set scenes. There is also an app available.

We have seen several LED panels like this before from other manufacturers, but it's always good to have another option to do a side-to-side comparison. According to Bandis Vision, they have the upper hand in terms of output they can produce.

SDA Showcase 2014

Stan Deutsch Associates had their semi-annual showcase with a good showing from their lines. A lot of the fixtures we saw, especially from Design Plan, Solavanti and Inter-lux were previously only available in Europe and other parts of the world. It's exciting to finally be able to specify some products ALW had a few new things in their booth that we hadn't seen yet. One of them being tunable white LED strips which can go in any of their 2" or larger profiles. They also had a new pendant: Lightplane 3". The LPR3 is available in direct, indirect and bi-directional configurations.

Design Plan had a lot of their fixtures on display ranging from LED curved cove, pendants, bollards and recessed in-grade uplights.

Design Plan has brought out an LED high bay equivalent product into the market.

The curved cove light, 3D LED Flex, can bend in both vertical and horizontal axis.

We were introduced to a new manufacturer, Feng Shui Lighting. They provide solutions to backlighting panels with a product called Netlight. Linear strips of LEDs are attached to each other with equal spacing vertically to create a net like surface. The Netlight can either come with a frame or without for installation by others. Because of the spacing, they are able to provide a relatively shallow depth while still providing an evenly lit surface without visible nodes. We suggested the idea of a larger spacing net for installations that have more depth available but are more limited with wattage. They didn't have a solution for that, but it sounds like they would look into it for future applications.

Inter-lux Filix is now providing their Snake fixture in the US. It is an exterior recessed walk-over uplight that can be curved into different patterns. The tightest radius they can achieve is 1' circle.

Solavanti has updated their closet light so that is now available with uplight and downlight.

USAI had a nice booth this year showing a lot of their fixtures in typical installations. One highlight of their booth was a new family of low profile housing fixtures. All of the houses are 4" with ceiling thickness included. Right now only downlight versions are available, but they are working on wall wash trims that will use the same housings. They are also offering higher output versions of their LED2.0 family. Another fixture we saw was a revamped sliver fixture. The new Sliver has a low wattage transformer installed and is intended for use with a retro-fit LED lamp. This way because the transformer is already a low wattage, it eliminates the need for a wattage restriction label in order to pass code. The housing was also very small which makes an even better option for retro-fit applications.

Intense Lighting

Intense Lighting introduced their new line of high output downlights called Gravity. Gravity is available with both fixed downlight and adjustable. A cylinder surface mounted version is coming out soon and a wall wash version and square apertures are also in the works. The fixtures are available in either a 6" or 8" aperture. Other options include 20°, 30°, 40° and 50° beam spreads, 82/92 CRI, 27K, 3K, 35L and 4K. Lumen packages vary from 2300lm to 7500lm. Fixtures can be specified with an integral dimmable driver and use Bridgelux LEDs.

When we looked at the sample, we saw it with both an open reflector and a lensed reflector. The lens helped to smooth out the beam and clean things up. Although for the application these fixtures would be used for, you probably wouldn't see any thing in the beam anyway. But it's good to know that it is an option.

The great thing about these fixtures is they have a relatively small housing for such a large lumen package. The other high powered recessed downlights that we have seen from other manufacturers have large housings. These are a good option when recessing depths are more constricted.