Coffman Engineers wins two IES awards

Coffman Engineers won two awards from the Illuminating Engineering Society chapter in Puget Sound, Wash., for its work in interior lighting for a Montessori school and upgrading a technical college.

February 19, 2013

Coffman Engineers was selected as the winner of two different lighting design awards from the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Puget Sound Chapter. The Edwin F. Guth Memorial Award for Interior Lighting Design was given to Geiger Montessori Elementary School in the Tacoma School District. In addition, the Lake Washington Technical College Site Upgrade was chosen for the Energy and Environmental Design Award.

The Montessori approach to education focuses on unique learning tools, including the trinomial cube. The architectural theme of the entire Geiger Elementary School building was centered around these cubes as they represent the building blocks of education. Cube luminaires in the entry introduce and reinforce this theme by following the equation of the Fibonacci Spiral. The lighting at this school reinforces elements of a Montessori education while saving on energy, maintenance, and project cost.  

The site lighting at Lake Washington Technical College was modernized and updated for energy efficiency. LED technology was used throughout the entire project to ensure that the amount of power consumed and maintenance requirements would decrease from the incandescent and high-pressure sodium lighting system that had been in place for years. The new design uses 12% less watts than what is allowed by Washington State Energy Codes baseline of 20% for an overall savings of 32%.

See below for more pictures of Geiger Elementary and Lake Washington Technical College.