MDA Design Group and USAI Lighting Light Up the Oceanside Library

For the Oceanside Library in Oceanside, New York, Architect Elisabeth Martin and her team
incorporated USAI Lighting products to create an elegant, cutting-edge lighting scheme.

“We believe the lighting design of a space can make or break a project’s success,” says Elisabeth
Martin, Principal at MDA Designgroup, who designed the lighting scheme for a wide variety of
program spaces throughout the building. “Libraries depend on quality of light distribution to showcase
their resources, enhance what we call ‘people space,’ and support staff work needs,” she says. By
partnering with USAI Lighting®, the firm was able to meet a three-part set of goals for the project: (1)
create a design that was beautiful, functional, and memorable in a cost-conscious way, (2) meet
sustainability goals for efficient energy use, and (3) integrate lighting that supported user comfort,
wellness and biophilic design.

Each zone in a library, of course, brings specific needs and unique challenges. In areas with large
numbers of bookshelves for browsing, the light must be even, with sufficient power to illuminate the
spines of the books. In pathways, a more general ambient quality is appropriate. Wanting to avoid the
pitfalls of typical, often too-utilitarian lighting, the MDA Designgroup team layered in USAI’s compact and elegant
recessed downlights, at times integrated into the wood ceilings, to balance and quietly complement
other, more whimsical accent lighting. “Whether sculptural or minimal, the fixtures forge a dynamic
partnership and provide excellent ambient lighting that supports use,” adds Martin.

The user experience was always at the forefront of the designs, as was creating spaces both
welcoming and memorable.

Throughout the library, USAI lighting solutions were the perfect tools to achieve both aesthetic and
functional goals. “Our products provide high performance, energy efficiency, dimming compatibility,
and minimal architectural profiles with visual comfort, while balancing artificial and natural light
throughout the space,” says Bonnie Littman, CEO of USAI Lighting. Highlights include the following
areas:
— The welcome desk, where USAI’s BeveLED® 2.2 4.5″ lights are paired with a dynamic loop fixture,
quietly filling in the areas between the curvy accent light to avoid dead zones.

— For the theater, the goal was not to over-light. “You’re not reading books,” says Martin. “But you
need to get in and out safely before a program starts and after it ends.” USAI’s LittleOnes® Micro
1.25” square fixtures with black millwork trim were placed into the large wood panels to provide a
softer glow between linear fixtures wrapping the space at regular intervals. Towards the back of the
space, the company’s BeveLED 2.2 Basic 4.5” with black millwork trim provided additional illumination
at the entry/exit point.

— In the Main Spine, or primary traffic circulation area, USAI’s slender profile lights–including the
BeveLED 2.2 Basic 4.5″– helped solve the challenge of a complex ceiling structure, adding ambient
light in a space that features comfortable armchairs in relaxed seating arrangements. In areas flanking
the Spine (and elsewhere), Micro Multi-Cell 1.25″ fixtures fitting perfectly between wood slats work in
tandem with linear pendants to provide ample yet pleasant illumination.

—To support biophilic design goals throughout, MDA Designggroup incorporated clean, overall light to
complement abundant natural illumination from the large windows and brought the feeling of daylight
deep into spaces too remote to benefit from it.

The fixtures also offer high energy efficiency, dimming capability, have minimal architectural profiles
and high CRI values. “The color and temperature options enhanced the interior design choices and
brought out the best of our biophilic design-inspired materials palette of finishes,” she says.
The lighting design was instrumental in the striking outcome of the final project, which received a
Lighting Design Award from the American Institute of Architects – Long Island Chapter. Martin notes
that the mix of USAI products and fixtures from other manufacturers “resulted in a cohesive design
feature that supported both the design goals and goals of the client.”

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