Boulder Residence

At Issue

Together with the owners the architects developed the concept of bringing the outdoors inside. The center-piece to this concept is a two-story atrium located in the core of the house. The atrium features a waterfall that cascades from the second story and meanders down through rocks and small water pools until it termi-nates at the lower level to the outdoors. Interspersed in the rocks are full-height trees and foliage. A glass staircase "floats" between the levels, and lulls the consciousness of built elements within the illusion of an outdoor, natural environment. A "starry" ceiling carries the outdoor theme to the upper limits of the space.
Challenges included:

• Designing the lighting such that the transition from the atrium to the surrounding areas is seamless


• Designing the lighting in the areas surrounding the atrium — such as the dining room, media room - so as not to spill over and compromise the atmosphere created by the atrium features and lighting


• Accenting and illuminating the floating glass stair


• Maintaining the design concept of bringing the outdoors inside while still providing visual interest and accenting at night

BGCE's Work

• Work closely with the architect to create details of special lighting conditions, such as small recesses into millwork to conceal fixture below glass shelves to accent glass artwork


• Develop solutions to minimize number of fixtures


• Develop solutions to conceal fixtures in rock feature


• Design and selection of recessed fixtures with pinhole apertures to subtly transition between illumination and lighting effects from the atrium to the various surrounding spaces


• Specification of a dimming system to keep the fixtures closest to the atrium dimmed to a low level, and preserve the intended lighting effects


• Incorporate fiber optics into the spine of the stair to wash onto underside of the stair creating an even glow across the tread


• Develop lighting application to achieve a "starry" ceiling


• Enhance visual interest in the starry ceiling with constellations such as Orion, the Little Dipper, and others, among the other points of light

Client Benefits

• Because of BGCE's eye for detail and architectural features, items once overlooked, are accented thus enriching the visual environment of the home


• BGCE's understanding of the available manufacturers and products ensures the best fixtures are specified for the given parameters of the project