flexible lighting control system in high-use areas that serve students’ educational needs. Two requirements for the system were that it be a scene-capable system and that it be easy to use by speakers and faculty members during their lectures and presentations.
. The lighting system was earmarked for installation in the School’s new moot courtroom, the lobby, and the adjacent lecture hall. According to lighting designer Domingo Gonzales of Domingo Gonzales Lighting Design, “the number and types of lighting loads used in this project as well as the multiple functions each of the three spaces served required a lighting control system capable of letting users quickly and easily select lighting scenes (i.e., groups of lights set at varying intensities and controlled together) that conformed to their changing needs.”
The Dimension D4200TM system, an architectural lighting controller from Leviton Manufacturing Company (Little Neck, NY) was selected for the three key areas of the School because it provided a sophisticated, elegant way to put lighting control at the user’s fingertips. The device creates and save lighting scenes, switches lights and scenes either instantly or with gradual fades and provides control of as many as 32 lighting zones. Its menu-driven Wizards are extremely intuitive and its preset scene settings can’t be changed inadvertently, minimizing inconvenient mishaps.
The School, which had been transformed with a sleek design, including the restoration of its facade to its original neoclassical architecture and a range of upgrades, expansions, and renovations to improve student life now had a sophisticated lighting control system to match. The centerpiece of the renovated building was the Jacob Burns Moot Court Room.
Moot Courtroom
This multi-use space requires lighting changes for a variety of uses during lectures and mock trials—including dramatic highlighting during mock trials, especially when being recorded for training purposes and AV presentations. A Dimensions D4200 Architectural Lighting Controller in an adjacent, glassed-in AV room controls lighting with an eight-scene D42P8 station at the judge’s bench and. All lighting controls are connected to two a-2000™ Digital Dimming/Switching Cabinets located in an adjoining electrical closet in order to drive a mixture of T8 dimmable linear three- and four-foot continuous fluorescent uplights running off Lutron Hi-Lume™ three-wire dimmable ballasts; recessed compact fluorescent downlights for direct illumination; and recessed tungsten-halogen lights to supplement lighting during video recording. Preset scenes create a stage lighting effect for visual impact to such areas as the witness booth and jury box. For emergencies, the a-2000 incorporates a constant feed module to actuate battery packs located above fixtures.
Lobby
The School’s lobby is a bright space surrounding the courtroom that also serves as a study lounge and venue for banquets and receptions. Floor-to-ceiling windowmake optimal use of the natural light and the vibrant backdrop of Greenwich Village. A Dimensions D42P4 station at the security desk provides quick access to four scenes. A D4200 Controller that can be used to reprogram scenes or make other system adjustments is located in the AV room adjacent to the moot court. Two additional a-2000 cabinets in the same electrical closet as those driving lights in the moot court drive a mixture of standard tungsten-halogen spot lighting and T8 dimmable linear three- and four-foot fluorescent lamp uplights running off Lutron Hi-Lume three-wire dimmable ballasts. Scene lighting presets accommodate these various functions with a range of mixtures of light levels. For banquets, for example, lights are dimmed to a hospitality level while the Donor’s Wall at the back of the moot court is highlighted with tungsten-halogen spotlighting.
Lecture Hall
A two-button D42P1 by the entrance enables lights to be switched on or off upon entering or exiting the hall. Next to the podium is a D4200 
that was programmed with distinct scenes designed by the lighting designer. The menu-driven D4200 displays the name for each scene—making it easy for the instructor to adjust lighting to how the room is being used. The system controls principally T8 dimmable linear three-and four-foot fluorescent lamps running off Lutron Hi-Lume three-wire dimmable ballasts and a few tungsten-halogen incandescent lights used to accent the teacher. An a-2000 cabinet drives the various mixtures of lights in each selected preset lighting scene to adapt lighting to situations ranging from AV presentations to note taking during lectures to classroom discussions. Although the client had been concerned that students might be distracted by fan noise from the a-2000 unit in the nearby electrical closet, the unit has proved quiet enough to eliminate those concerns. Along with various other architectural changes to the building, the Dimensions D4200 system has helped transform the School into an impressive center for academic achievement.
