Six LittleOnes Zepto 1" downlights integrated into felt ACT tiles – three placed on either side of pendant for balanced general illumination.
Six LittleOnes Zepto 1" downlights integrated into felt ACT tiles – three placed on either side of pendant for balanced general illumination.
Great Minds – Maximizing with Small
For Great Minds, a groundbreaking education organization, designer Diana Ades of Gwen Grossman Lighting Design (GGLD) and her colleagues maximized the potential of USAI’s smallest lights.
When approaching the lighting design for the new Great Minds office in Washington, D.C., Associate Principal Diana Ades of Gwen Grossman Lighting Design sought to match the spirit of the company – a forward-thinking non-profit known for advancing education access through high-quality K-12 curricula for students across the country. The new offices in the DC area sought to exemplify their company values to ignite curiosity with sophisticated design and innovation. Even when it came to lighting, the owner of Great Minds was eager to push the envelope– asking Ades, “What’s new?” Ades’s answer was USAI Lighting’s the LittleOnes®, a groundbreaking family of powerful, minuscule fixtures. “When we received a sample case, we realized we could go much smaller than ever before with the LittleOnes 1” aperture—while still delivering all the light we needed,” Ades explains. The broad scope and flexibility of the LittleOnes® family made it a comprehensive lighting solution for the varied requirements of the minimalist Great Minds office. In circulation areas, often-used corridors had to be clearly lit for everyday use by employees.
The lighting design also had to account for the collaborative work ethic of the company, allowing for larger team meetings and smaller collaborations with worklight-style downlighting and versatile light levels in conference rooms and workspaces. Artifacts and colorful paintings adorn the central areas and walls, reflecting the company’s emphasis on knowledge and childhood development.
All the artifacts and the art really pop in the space. USAI Lighting 3000K Classic White® color temperature played a big role in making that happen.
—DIANA ADES, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL GGLD
Challenges And Solutions
Versatility Lighting with Wall Wash
With adjustable fixtures and a wide range of products, the LittleOnes family was the perfect solution for uncertain decor elements, such as art pieces. “We used the LittleOnes Zepto 1” wall wash where we weren’t sure where the artwork was going to go. The plan was to cover ourselves with the versatility to either light the artwork or provide a nice vertical illumination on the walls as back up,” says Ades. Working with, not against, these unknown quantities, the LittleOnes allowed Ades’s lighting design to be as expansive as the Great Minds mission.
Our products are powerful enough for both general illumination and precise enough for accent lighting. The Great Minds project makes the most of their versatility.
—BONNIE LITTMAN, CEO USAI LIGHTING