The New California energy mandates posed lighting challenges for Palo Alto’s first approved affordable housing project since 2013, Wilton Court.
Procuring ideal lighting for new affordable housing in Silicon Valley in the Bay Area — one of America’s tightest housing markets and a California region with a major homeless population — was challenging, according to lighting designer Max Pierson-Liénard. So, he turned to Alcon Lighting’s perimeter cove lighting system in 3000K light color to make sure the hallways felt safe and inviting.
Wilton Court, Palo Alto’s first Housing Combining District project, necessitated compliance, design and architecture professionals for the government-sponsored housing project. Lighting turned out to be a pivotal part of improving the design.
“We used a fixed-length product to keep the cost down, which allowed us to get a much higher-end appearance than would typically be available for an affordable housing corridor setting,” Pierson-Liénard said. “We used a soft white 3000K as it is warm enough to feel residential but doesn’t feel too yellow — especially when adjacent to daylit spaces.”
“Quality lighting design for affordable housing can be quite challenging,” Pierson-Liénard said. “In addition to budget constraints, California’s [regulation] Title 24 is quite restrictive in the wattage allowances for corridors in particular. However, it was important to us that they [the corridors] didn’t feel institutional, and that each unit entry was clearly distinguished. Corridors could feel relatively long and narrow, and we liked that this approach makes them feel very open and navigable.”
Read the Wilton Court case study to learn more.
Alcon Lighting, Inc. was originally founded in Los Angeles as an electrical supply company. Since then, it has become an industry leader in commercial lighting design and distribution.
Co-owners Jake and David Hakimi trace Alcon Lighting’s integrity and commitment to adding value with top quality products to lessons learned from their father, a Southern California lighting salesman for more than four decades.
Today, Alcon Lighting combines these principles with LED architectural lighting design, manufacturing and distribution, offering a range of lighting experiences through products aligned with healthy working and living.