2024 IES OMAHA SECTION AWARDS
Section award of distinction - interior lighting
kiewit luminarium
Kiewit Luminarium
Designers: Rebecca Cherney, Jeff Thompson, Randy Niehaus – HDR
This science museum serves as a cornerstone of a larger riverfront revitalization effort in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The project was conceptualized as a “container” (resembling the metal machine sheds of the Midwest) filled with interactive science exhibits that create a world-class museum experience for people of all ages and backgrounds.
The concept was to create a bright and welcoming ambiance through indirect daylight and transform the space in the evenings to create a dramatic, moody, and colorful experience.
The building envelope optimizes daylight availability and provides unobstructed views of the Missouri River and a popular pedestrian bridge. The team wrote a genetic algorithm script to generate the optimal shape, size, and angle of the fixed exterior sunshades, eliminating the need for roller shades while still mitigating glare during occupancy hours. This results in a bright, welcoming ambiance and reduces the electrical demand for general lighting in exhibit spaces by up to 80%.
Providing a flexible lighting system in the high-volume galleries proved a challenge and the lighting budget was modest. Over 500 linear feet of two-circuit track, arranged in rectangular patterns, suspends 18 feet from the ceiling, and provides maximum flexibility for exhibit-specific configurations while blending into the structure. Track heads, with multiple beam spreads and outputs, provide dramatic luminance ratios to enhance exhibit interaction.
At night and during special events, the space becomes saturated and enlivened with dynamic, color-changing features using a combination of architectural and high-end theatrical luminaires with moving heads.
The architectural and theatrical luminaires are controlled from a single intuitive interface using mobile and fixed-location control tablets. This control interface allows users to pick from preset scene functions, preset dynamic and color-changing features, and adjust specific zones of luminaires for the perfect experience at any time of day
Section Award of Distinction - exterior Lighting
kiewit luminarium
Kiewit Luminarium
Designers: Rebecca Cherney, Jeff Thompson, Randy Niehaus – HDR
This science museum serves as a cornerstone piece of the larger riverfront revitalization effort in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The project is conceptualized as a “container” (resembling the metal machine sheds of the Midwest) filled with interactive exhibits that create a world-class experience for people of all ages and backgrounds.
The goal was to transform a building envelope, that appears unassuming from a distance, into a beacon that stimulates curiosity and draws in new visitors. Safety is a major concern as the facility is a key destination in the public park system. The team prioritized the values of environmental stewardship and energy management on behalf of the client.
The team leveraged parametric design software and physics simulations to design a double-skin façade system that optimizes interior daylight availability and integrates exterior luminaires into the building’s form. The team evaluated digital and physical half- and full-scale mockups to validate the system.
3,000 linear feet of low-wattage luminaires graze the primary façade in a cavity behind the secondary perforated metal panel skin. Completely hidden from view, the luminaires create a soft glow around the building with unique zone-control logic providing a uniform overall composition. This creates an awe-inspiring, yet safe and comfortable exterior environment and illuminates the adjacent riverfront boardwalk. Moreover, the façade panels are easily removable for future maintenance.
Only 18% of total lumens exit the façade cavity. This drastically limits potential light pollution in conjunction with astronomical time-clock programming that slowly dims throughout the evening, exceeding energy code compliance. The façade lighting is scheduled to be further reduced during seasonal bird migration periods.
Hidden interior luminaires accent and enhance interactive play structures and exhibits through windows facing public park amenities, enticing pedestrians as they walk by.
Section Award of Distinction - exterior Lighting
Columbus Library, City Hall & Children's Museum
Columbus Library, City Hall & Children’s Museum
Designers: Steve Gollehon, Toby Samuelson – Morrissey Engineering
The Columbus Community Building stands as a beacon of community connectivity, seamlessly housing the public library, city hall, and children’s museum. Located in rural Nebraska, this 78,000 ft2 facility reflects a visionary approach to municipal integration and is a testament to the city’s commitment to egalitarian services enriched by human connection.
The cantilevered architectural design and associated overhangs were conceptualized as a community “front porch”, symbolizing welcomeness and inclusivity. At night, lighting activates the façade to create a warm glow that encourages use and establishes a sense of safety. Overhangs are indirectly illuminated which maximizes visual comfort and minimizes light pollution. Hue, reflections, and shadow were crucial to the nighttime expression.
Several layers of light are concealed on rooftops and carefully integrated into the structure to preserve the architectural integrity. The design and construction teams worked closely to coordinate installation details with the curtainwall envelope and exposed steel structure so that all conduit is concealed from view.
Luminaires utilize LED sources for reduced energy consumption and are easily accessible for maintenance. Strict budget restrictions and energy code requirements were achieved.
All lighting is zoned and controllable through a digital lighting control system with timeclock and dimming capabilities, allowing for light levels to be fine-tuned and automated. A digital dashboard allows the facilities staff to optimize energy saving strategies and easily manage schedules. Façade lighting is extinguished at a curfew to further reduce energy consumption and preserve the night sky.
The Columbus Community Building transcends its role as a physical structure; it is a manifestation of the city’s vision, offering elevated public services, fostering early literacy, stimulating economic development, and positioning itself as a magnet for new talent. This project stands as an example of innovative solutions, harmoniously integrating functionality, aesthetics, and sustainability for the betterment of the community.
Section Award of Distinction - exterior Lighting
South Haymarket Food Truck Zone
South Haymarket Food Truck Zone
Designers: Jason Krysl – Clark & Enersen, Mike McMindes – Central Sales Lighting Alliance
In a 38-block, historically-industrial area, the space under the overpass was identified as a pedestrian-focused amenity zone, including an area for outdoor dining and food truck vendor parking. Our goal was to improve lighting and activate the area, which was the first in the district to be developed.
Challenges for this project included converting an underutilized, dimly-lit parking lot into a safely-lit destination area that could be used for food truck events; providing safe parking lot lighting for business tenants; and creating large-scale, high-impactful lighting on a small-scale budget. Our team designed lighting for the space utilizing a combination of directional floods with open reflectors and vertical spread lenses to efficiently light a city block of bridge in LED with a total lighting load of 7.5 kilowatts.
Another challenge was that lights could not be attached to specific structural members, which limited connection points. Using custom mounting brackets, lighting equipment was integrated to bridge components, blending into the site. Additionally, by using an innovative lighting control system that utilized the light fixture’s own line voltage conductors, our team was able to eliminate the need for additional low voltage control wiring (solving budget constraints). The system allows for each light to be controlled individually, aimed, and dimmed from 1-100%. Directing each controlled light to the underside of the bridge allowed for night sky preservation. This, combined with pedestrian pole lighting, creates a sense of visual comfort throughout the space.
Celebrating the industrial nature of the area, the lights accentuate the bridge and column structures, combining modern, full-color lighting with pure industrial form. The design also reflects the overarching theme of the area: a meld of old and new.
Award of Excellence - Interior Lighting
Columbus Library, City Hall Children's Museum
Columbus Library, City Hall & Children’s Museum
Designers: Steve Gollehon, Toby Samuelson – Morrissey Engineering
The Columbus Community Building embodies a harmonious blend of functionality and aesthetics, elevating the shared facility’s ambiance and supporting its mission to be a downtown anchor for egalitarian services enriched by human connection. Lighting concepts were derived from enhancing the user experience within diverse areas such as the public library, children’s museum, and city hall. The design team navigated strict budget constraints with ingenuity, designing systems that are both aesthetic and functional.
Integration is a key facet of the design. Lighting is seamlessly integrated within ceiling concepts ensuring a cohesive aesthetic throughout. Additionally, systems such as HVAC and electrical cord reels have been integrated into various luminaires to enhance synthesis and reduce visual clutter.
Visual comfort is prioritized across all areas, with particular attention paid to mitigating glare and heat gain. Performance criteria were meticulously evaluated and optimized with daylight analysis and energy modeling software to fine-tune building overhangs, glass selection, and surface reflectance. Additionally, interior lighting is designed to highlight vertical surfaces and reduce contrast from daylight apertures.
The design team’s commitment to sustainability is evident in the use of advanced controls and LED sources that reduce maintenance and met energy code requirements. All lighting is zoned and controllable through a digital lighting control system with occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting, scheduling, and dimming capabilities. A digital dashboard allows facilities staff to optimize energy savings and easily manage schedules. The controls concept allows for adaptability, aligning with the flexible nature of the facility.
The Columbus Community Building is a testament to innovative solutions that enhance the functionality, aesthetics, and sustainability of the shared facility. The building transcends its role as a physical structure; it is a manifestation of the city’s vision, offering elevated public services, fostering early literacy, stimulating economic development, and positioning itself as a magnet for new talent.
Award of Excellence - Exterior Lighting
Children's NEBRASKA HUBBARD Center for Children Facade
Children’s Nebraska Hubbard Center for Children Facade
Designers: Lisa Lyons, Riley Johnson – HDR
This new children’s hospital façade conceptualizes stretching a consistent architecture to veil a parking garage, utility plant, and podium expansion. The architecture and lighting design create a tightknit form that solves several perceptual, contextual, and technological design challenges. The solution is a complex canvas of light, color, and materiality that organically evolves from day into night.
The project abuts the city’s busiest corridor, with more than 60,000 daily vehicles passing by. The design considers the existing multi-color palette to enhance the commuter experience without distraction or glare. The iconic project skillfully underscores the surrounding area and personifies the hospital’s community impact and has received positive community support.
During the day, dichroic fins alongside the upper patient tower refract multi-colored light, morphing the viewer’s experience from every angle. Daylighting software simulations optimized the fins’ rhythm to be impactful without excess.
As the dichroic effect fades into the evening, the perforated metal screen wall awakens with color-changing lights. Red-blue-green-white (RGBW) LED luminaires brighten to graze its folds, creating depth and accent to transition the viewer into night. The full nighttime experience is realized with embordering artificial white light to harmonize the dichroics with the RGBW lighting. This journey then repeats the following day.
The lighting control system enables the transition and provides flexibility for client branding. A DMX control system provides time-based fades and touchscreen-selectable scenes for holidays and annual health initiatives.
With limited luminaire selection due to the project’s technical requirements, the design team collaborated with manufacturers to invest in bespoke products with customized optics, wattage, and form factors to implement the concept within environmental, dimensional, budgetary, and energy code requirements. Physical mockups validated performance, installation, and maintenance factors. This collaboration resulted in these luminaires becoming a standard offering as RGBW technologies have become more prevalent.
People's Choice Award
3rd Place
Nick's Quorum, Hilton, Omaha
Designers: Brett Larson, Tram Anh Tran – Leo A Daly
Nick’s Quorum provides a sleek, traditional dining experience, featuring design elements that exude luxury. Contemporary lighting highlights the warm atmosphere and casts a glow over the sophisticated interior. Behind the bar, a meticulously curated selection of spirits is on display, enhancing the venue’s upscale yet welcoming ambiance, ideal for dinners or vibrant social gatherings.
2nd Place
1501 Mike Fahey
Designers: Jeff Thompson, Bill DeRoin – HDR, Lisa Miller – Noddle Companies
Located at 1501 Mike Fahey St. in the Builder’s District, this project is billed as Omaha’s first “hybrid-timber” office building. The lighting design team used fully concealed interior luminaires to highlight the timber elements and show off the unique structure. Linear grazer luminaires are integrated into the header and sill of the vertical facade openings on the East and West faces. Bollards and columns are provided in wood finish to align with the building’s structural mass timber elements and illuminate the North courtyard.
1st Place
The Elder Theatre Renovation
Designers: Riley Johnson, Randy Niehaus – HDR
The Elder Theatre Renovation is a tale of transformation where light becomes an immersive feature defining the space. The design enhances both theatre students’ and the audience’s experience, transforming a 1980s building into a contemporary venue. The existing open truss ceiling was clad in drywall to reduce visual noise and conceal conduit and piping. The resulting coffered ceiling is punctuated by pattern of pendants, emphasizing the geometry. Lighting is integrated into the acoustic wall panels to accent the clean, bright space that sets the stage for the life and color within the theatre.