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 terminates 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