This veterinary hospital in Arizona was designed to provide a comforting environment for animal patients and their owners. The lobby and reception areas feature pendant, track, and downlight luminaires in jewel tones to create a warm atmosphere. Energy-efficient fluorescent lamps are used in examination rooms and operational areas for their high light levels and streamlined design. The two surgical rooms presented a challenge due to massive overhead surgical lights, but lensed troffers were used to provide balanced illumination while protecting from lamp breakage. Throughout the hospital, lighting was carefully selected and designed to meet functional needs while enhancing the patient and client experience.

1. PROJECT
Massive surgical lights left little space in the ceiling for general
lighting. Lensed 1-ft by 4-ft troffers fit into the slim space and ensure
protection against broken lamps during surgical procedures.
CreAture
ComfortS A new veterinary hospital in Arizona
lends a human touch to animal care by ELIZAbEtH HALL
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2. PROJECT
Photos: Belknap Photographic
In the lobby, a mix of pendant, track and downlight luminaires shine like “gems and jewels.” CFL pendants and
downlights illuminate seating areas, while MR16 track heads and monopoint fixtures light the art.
J
udging from its state-of-the-art surgical equip- owners feel at ease during their long waiting periods,”
ment, contaminant-reducing clean air filtration while standing up to the wear and tear of their animals,
system and modern, art-filled lobby and reception says Stone.
area, this hospital in Scottsdale, AZ, appears to have To distinguish lobby and reception areas, Stone mixed
been designed for the best in human health care. But, it a variety of single-lamp sources that functionally high-
wasn’t. Instead, it was designed for animals. light wall art and writing tables built into furniture,
Completed in March, the 6,000-sq ft Animal Specialty while creating an intimate atmosphere. In the back-of-
Group (ASG) hospital is outfitted like a contemporary house—where fixtures stay on 24 hours, five-and-a-half
health care facility. “From the look of the materials and days a week—energy efficiency was essential. Low-pro-
finishes, it could be an outpatient facility,” notes ASG file fluorescent lamps are low wattage, yet provide the
founder and managing partner, Dr. Ross Lirtzman. “We light levels necessary for medical procedures. Their
wanted to provide a unique environment to fit our clien- streamlined design reflects the thoughtful attention-to-
tele, who have high expectations for pet health care.” detail that characterizes the interior and lighting design
Dr. Lirtzman turned to interior designer David Stone, throughout the space.
formerly of Leo Daly, the firm responsible for architec-
ture and engineering, to transform a basic design plan WARM RECEPTION
prepared by another architect into a signature con- Pet owners are meant to feel at home from the mo-
cept that “has a level of personal touch and makes pet ment they step through the doors. Hanging above the
LD+A December 2009 51

3. PROJECT
Handmade art-glass pendants with T4 lamps welcome visitors at the reception desk. Behind them,
T5 ceiling troffers illuminate work areas. T5s were also used in under-cabinet lighting (insert).
practice is different than a regular vet. If your pet
is coming here, it most likely has a serious prob-
reception desk, a line of handmade art-glass pen- lem, so there is a fear of the unknown and of a
dants greet visitors and suggest a break with tra- procedure’s outcome. Owners can be nervous and
ditional hospital décor. “For the lobby area, we anxious. We designed the lobby with color, light,
wanted to achieve a look that wasn’t intimidating, furniture and fabrics that help make them feel bet-
harsh or sterile,” explains Stone. “These down- ter and more at ease,” says Dr. Lirtzman.
light pendants bring attention to the space and, Stone chose a mix of pendant, track and down-
at the same time, create a separation between pet light fixtures that sparkle “like little gems and jew-
owners and the reception area that is much more els” to complement the lobby’s rich brown walls
inviting than a glass wall.” Behind the desk, fluo- and coordinating furnishings and to highlight the
rescent T5s concealed under the cabinets provide artwork. Painted black, the lobby ceiling is meant
task lighting, while shallow fluorescent troffers to appear limitless, like the night sky. The dark
with twin 29-W T5 lamps light work areas. finish creates a difficult canvas for light, however,
In the lobby, richly colored walls, comfortable, which is absorbed when set directly against it. To
yet pet-friendly furniture, and bold artwork con- mediate the darkness of the ceiling and prevent
jure warmth and intimacy. Most of the furnishings light absorption, 32-W CFL luminaires were pen-
are durable and use cleanable or stain-resistant dant mounted over seating areas. The pendants
fabrics; however, the finishes and materials were provide general ambient illumination, as well as
selected with more than just pets in mind. “Our task lighting for patients filling out forms. Similar-
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4. PROJECT
ly, 6-in. CFL downlights serve as task lighting for a tures also had to be energy efficient, produce high
seating banquette that is recessed into the wall. light levels for medical procedures and fit into ple-
To illuminate the lobby art work, track fixtures nums crowded with duct work and wiring.
cast light directly onto the art forms. MR16 track Stone worked with Columbia Lighting to find fix-
lights were ceiling mounted to shine light onto and tures that would address each area’s specific needs
through an orange-toned, translucent plastic ceil- and fit with the overall design scheme. In the exam
ing system feature, which rooms, 32-W T8 fluorescent
hangs over the seating fixtures with two-lamp
area. The track light ac- parabolics were specified for
centuates the offset waves their full-distribution optics
of the panels, making them and clean style. The 66-W
appear as if in motion. Ad- lights provide the same il-
ditionally, monopoint track luminance levels as a tra-
luminaires are pendant ditional three-lamp lumi-
mounted and suspended naire, but use 25 percent less
from extension wands to energy and direct more light
highlight two bamboo-in- onto the walls. Ribbed lou-
fused wall art panels. vers add a polished finish.
Adjacent to the reception Offices with crowded
area, the waiting room area plenums made shallow-
is lighted by 32-W fluores- profile fixtures necessary.
cent wall washers and 32- Stone selected 2-ft by 2-ft
W CFL downlights. Like Color was used to energize back-of-house areas like this and 2-ft by 4-ft zero-ple-
lighting in the lobby and exam room. To complement the walls, the designer specified num troffers with 14-, 28-
reception, the waiting room fixtures with ribbed louvers that use two 32-W T8 lamps. or 32-W T8 lamps for these
sources “prove that you can areas. The luminaires not
be energy efficient and still have interesting light- only fit the ceilings, they also reduce glare on com-
ing,” notes Stone. All lobby, reception and waiting puter screens. Other operational areas, including
room fixtures are from Cooper Lighting. corridors, X-ray rooms, the ICU and the pharmacy
room are lighted by 17- and 32-W lensed fluores-
HOSPITABLE HOSPITAL cent troffers.
With such a vibrant front-of-house area, Dr. Lirtz- The two surgical rooms had the most challeng-
man wanted to be sure that the operational areas in ing lighting requirements due to massive surgical
the back-of-house didn’t seem staid by comparison. lights that had to be suspended above the operat-
To inject personality into the offices, examination ing tables. The weighty Berchtold Chromophare
rooms and surgical areas, Stone added pops of color D-series lights—advanced surgical lights used in
with bright paint and playful tile on the walls and human hospitals—had to be mounted to varying
non-traditional finishes on millwork cabinets. The arrays of above-ceiling steel support assemblies
colors “take the antiseptic edge off,” he notes. that tie directly into the building’s structure, leav-
Unfortunately, the lighting originally planned for ing limited space for general room lighting. To
the back-of-house threatened to sap Dr. Lirtzman’s fit into the tight spaces and work with the solid
energetic vision. “Initially, the design specified ge- drywall ceilings, lensed 1-ft by 4-ft troffers were
neric 2-ft by 4-ft, nine- or 12-cell parabolic T5s,” specified. The luminaires throw light on the full
Stone recalls. “They met energy code, but were the height of the room’s walls to balance out the ex-
kind of lifeless fixture we didn’t want.” And appear- treme brightness cast on the operating tables from
ance was only one concern. Operational-area fix- the Chromophare lights. They are also lensed to
LD+A December 2009 53

5. PROJECT
Dead-on Accuracy
F
orensic pathologist Dr. Jan Garavaglia now has a new aid to
help her illuminate medical mysteries: HID surgical lights.
Popularly known as “Dr. G,” Garavaglia hosts a Discovery
Health Channel television show, Dr. G: Chief Medical Examiner, that
features real unsolved cases from the District Nine Medical Examin-
er’s Office, which serves Orange and Osceola Counties in Florida.
Recently, Garavaglia took a break from cutting cadavers to tour
surgical lighting manufacturer Berchtold’s North American head-
quarters in Charleston, SC. As part of the expansion of the medical
examiner’s office, Garavaglia was looking for surgical lighting that
would serve a dual purpose: It needed to be strong enough to il-
luminate the deep-cavity tissue of the corpses, but still be energy
efficient enough to help the new facility achieve LEED certification.
Berchtold’s vice president of global marketing, Jim Wetzel,
met with Garavaglia and showed her the
company’s three technologies for surgi-
cal lights: LED, halogen and HID. “After
assessing her needs, we found that our
HID lights would work best,” notes Wetzel.
Photos: Odyssey Creative
Because Garavaglia works with dead bod-
ies, “being able to see the color of tissue
is extremely important,” he explains. “It
can show diseased or pathological states
that may explain the cause of death. HID HID surgical lights in the morgue.
lights provide superior color and produce
roughly three times the amount of light that a halogen source does, both of which are essential for deep-cavity il-
lumination.”
In addition to offering the high-power light necessary for forensic work, HID sources also use less power than hal-
ogen. Now installed in the morgue, the X-series lights are part of Garavaglia’s newly LEED-Silver certified facility.
— Elizabeth Hall
protect the operating tables below from lamps that
About the Designer: David D. Stone, IIDA, LEED AP,
could shatter and fall during procedures.
is an interior designer based in Phoenix, AZ, where he
All back-of-house lighting met local codes and is also an adjunct faculty member at Collins College of
is estimated to have saved ASG 25 to 30 percent in Art and Design. An active National Council for Interior
electricity costs. Budget-friendly lighting for a pet- Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certificate holder with a
B.S. in Design from Arizona State University, he is also the 2008–2009
friendly operation.
president of the Interior Design Coalition of Arizona (IDCA) as well as a
past IIDA New England Chapter president. Mr. Stone’s almost 30-year ca-
M ETR ICS THAT MATTE R reer in interior design has focused on corporate and commercial projects
Animal Specialty Group Hospital serving clients that include Nokia Telecommunications, Raytheon Missile
Watts per sq ft: 1.0 (complies Systems, Nortel Networks and EMC Corporation.
with ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-2001)
Lamp Types: 20
Fixture Types: 19 (excludes surgical lights)
54 www.ies.org