Photographs by Frank Ooms
Benya Lighting Design celebrates 35+ years of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design
Benya Lighting Design is proud to be at the leading edge of sustainable lighting design and a key contributor to the technology necessary for designing these types of systems. For his whole career spanning 30+ years, James has been a leader and a champion of green design in the lighting design industry.
As a designer, James Benya's green and sustainable lighting projects continue to win awards for exceptional and groundbreaking design, in addition to earning numerous LEED Gold and Platinum designations.
As a consultant, James continues to be a highly sought after by lighting manufacturers who are looking to design the next generation of energy-efficient, attractive, intelligent lighting and control systems.
Services
 | Ultra efficient electric lighting design including advanced technologies and advanced concepts such as natural ambient |
| Daylighting design and consulting including whole building and individual space analysis, fenestration selection, shading design, passive solar design, massing and orientation, and related consulting to the architect |
| Design and engineering of analog and digital lighting control systems |
| Photovoltaic integration and economic engineering |
| Plug load analysis and control |
| Net Zero building design and engineering |
Highly Sustainable Work
Multi-Family Buildings
Beginning in 2002, Benya Lighting Design has designed nearly 4,000 homes in green multistory buildings. Twin towers in Bellevue, Washington are the latest among a number of buildings including the Henry, the Meriwether, and the John Ross in Portland and Elleven and the Luna in Los Angeles. All of these projects are LEED Silver or Gold and received special lighting efficiency credits for residential units from USGBC based on research and efficient designs by Benya Lighting Design. In all, fifteen buildings averaging 250 units are occupied or nearly complete. Compared to normal construction methods, Benya's designs save homeowners an average of 500,000 kWh per year per building. Architects of the projects include GBD, Ankrom Moisan, Busby, and Mulvanny G2.
K-12 Schools
In 2007, two Benya Lighting Design Schools received LEED Platinum. These are the first two K-12 schools in the world to receive this distinction.
The Sidwell Friends School (Kieran Timberlake)
A remodel and addition to an existing middle school in Washington DC, this project required complex daylighting and state of the art lighting controls. Benya Lighting Design teamed with Sean O'Connor Associates to provide a design that saves 92% of normal lighting energy use due to daylighting and efficient design. The layered daylighting design received an innovation credit as did the outdoor, dark sky compliant lighting and lighting master plan.
A new school that has proven to be Net Zero Electricity. With state of the art lighting controls and layered daylighting in every room, the building does not use electric lighting by day in any space. A small photovoltaic array supplies computers and plug loads and produces excess output to offset night power use. An amazing structure receiving LEED Platinum as well as CHPS Platinum.
Other Key Projects Completed or In Design or Construction
Lewis and Clark Law Library Edison Award for Sustainable Design
Symantec Springfield Technical Center IALD Special Citation for Sustainable Design
University of Oregon Lillis Business Center LEED Silver, Daylighting featured in Architectural Lighting
Dartmouth College Tuck Living and Learning Center Designed for LEED Gold
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management Designed for LEED Gold
Dartmouth College Visual Arts Center Designed for LEED Gold
Tucson Zoo School Designed for LEED Platinum
University of Arizona Sixth Street Housing Portions designed for LEED Platinum
Conservation Hall, Tennessee Governor's Residence Designed for LEED Platinum
Clif Bar Headquarters Designed for Net Zero Carbon, LEED Platinum
