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Architectural Lighting

Old Dominion University - The Ellmer College of Health Sciences

The Ellmer College of Health Sciences at ODU brings together multiple departments within a state-of-the-art facility that seamlessly integrates patient care and teaching. Designed as both a community patient care center and a teaching facility, the building extends campus lighting standards to include a dedicated physical therapy garden. Apeiro Design played a key role in this transformation, providing comprehensive interior and exterior lighting design support that enhanced both the architectural vision and functionality of the space.

Apeiro Design’s decorative lighting scheme in the three-story central atrium and adjacent stair tower creates a lantern-like effect that warmly welcomes students, faculty and visitors. Integrated vertical lighting accents at key visitor nodes enhance orientation and wayfinding, while a glowing slot highlights the curving architectural wood ceiling without disrupting its seamless design. Many program spaces feature glazed portals to the atrium, allowing visitors to see active teaching environments, further enlivening the building.

Inside, specialized patient care and teaching areas—including dental, physical therapy, and occupational rehabilitation clinics, along with a VR gait and orthopedic laboratory—benefit a double-loaded corridor design, allowing direct views to the outside and plentiful daylight to serve as a primary light source during daytime hours. The main level, which features combinable teaching classrooms and traditional laboratories—including anatomy and morgue facilities—was carefully designed by Apeiro Design, with architectural lighting that enhances both modern medical training and collaborative learning environments. Faculty and administrative office suites complete the facility, offering thoughtfully designed meeting spaces, private offices and collaborative zones—all enhanced by Apeiro Design’s bespoke lighting solutions.

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Old Dominion University – The Ellmer College of Health Sciences

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Location

Laboratory

Description

The research and teaching laboratories benefit from the building’s high slab-to-slab height, which accommodates a direct/indirect lighting system. Light-colored shelving and laboratory bench materials adds to the effectiveness of the uplighting, offering a smoothly bright, effective workspace for the lab occupants.

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Location

Lobby

Description

The three-story central atrium features a curving architectural wooden ceiling that accentuates the curved north teaching volumes on each floor. An illuminated slot highlights the elegant curve while preserving the uninterrupted swoop of the wood. Additional lighting at the central staircase and patient check-in reception guides visitors and provides intuitive wayfinding.

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Location

Therapeutic Garden

Description

The exterior therapeutic garden is an imperative addition to the Physical Therapy outpatient clinic, featuring diverse walking surfaces, ramps, steps, and a boardwalk bridge to support patients’ recovery post-surgery or injury. Since the garden is accessible during all clinic hours, including evenings, providing consistent, clinically appropriate lighting was essential.

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Location

Exterior

Description

The lantern-inspired three-story central atrium and stair tower warmly welcome students and faculty to the new building anchoring the southeast corner of campus. The design maintains the campus lighting standard by using the same light poles as the central campus.

Project Details

Location

Norfolk, Virginia

Discipline

Architectural Lighting

Size

126,000 SF

Partners

Cannon Design (Architect) / Convergent Technologies (Acoustics) / Core Design Studio (Landscape Architect) / Hourigan (General Contractor)

Photo Credit

Services

Site Lighting / Exterior & Interior Lighting