Founded in 1937 by an alumna and longtime faculty member, the Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab has long been one of RISD’s most treasured resources. Today its collection of natural objects has grown to number more than 80,000 specimens – a marvelous array of skeletons, shells, insects, pressed plants, preserved animals, live plants, small animals and more. Foundation Studies faculty encourage students to take advantage of the collection for 2D and 3D projects, and many students return frequently throughout their years at RISD to find inspiration and information. Now, thanks to a generous gift from the Austrian lighting company Zumtobel, the collection is more visible and accessible than ever before.

Housed in RISD’s 19th-century Waterman Building, the Nature Lab was long overdue for a lighting upgrade. Curator Karen Idoine had been advocating for an overhaul of the antiquated system, since “light level analysis had shown us that the lighting was woefully inadequate,” she says. Additionally, bulky fluorescent fixtures hung far down into the lofty main room, obscuring the specimens mounted high on the walls and blocking light from the large arched windows. Several years ago Interior Architecture Professor Liliane Wong joined Idoine’s cause, devoting a studio project to a redesign of the lighting system and then presenting a plan of her own; despite the clear need for improvements, however, the project was postponed because of budget constraints.

Enter John Maeda in early 2008. After the new president conducted a workshop for Zumtobel, company leaders wanted to reciprocate with a favor of their own, and to Maeda’s delight, they offered a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient lighting system for the Nature Lab. With Wong’s proposal as a starting point, the design team at Zumtobel created a lighting scheme befitting this valuable resource.

Zumtobel lighting systems are unique in the industry, and the company is well known for its work in museums and galleries around the world. Their commitment to innovative design and high function results in “gentle, sophisticated ways to illuminate precious objects – lighting that preserves the texture and quality” of pieces, explains company spokesperson Kerstin Schitthelm. These qualities are immediately evident in the Nature Lab: for the first time every item on display – from floor to ceiling and in the cabinets and cases in between – is visible in sharp focus. The naturalistic light draws attention to the fascinating collection, emphasizing the value of scientific inquiry in art and design.

Building on Professor Wong’s objective of making the lighting fixtures as invisible as possible, Zumtobel installed a sleek, streamlined system that seems to disappear against the white ceiling. In the main room and the affectionately dubbed “Bone Room” (where most of the skeletons are kept), fluorescent bulbs mounted invisibly on slim tracks illuminate upward, brightening the ceiling and making the rooms appear even taller. On the underside of the tracks, dozens of clusters of tiny (1" diameter) LED spotlights create a bright, focused light that can be adjusted into a near-infinite variety of configurations. Most dramatically, two types of white lamps in the system offer a spectrum from warm to cool light, allowing the operator to mimic or balance the blues, grays, pinks and oranges in the sky outside.

In the adjoining Waterman Gallery, a site of frequent exhibitions of student work, the lighting system also includes Zumtobel’s Cielos “daylight ceiling” – a large ceiling-mounted panel that is lit from behind, adjusts from warm to cool and creates the illusion of a skylight. And incredibly, considering the intensity of the light, the system is very energy-efficient: each LED spot requires only 2.5 watts of power, but due to its focused light, can replace a standard 60-watt incandescent bulb.

The new lighting “makes the collection come alive,” Idoine raves. “The quality of light enhances the visual experience, which adds to the sense of wonder about what’s here.” Bright light that’s easy on the eyes also makes for a much better work environment, she explains, adding that the new lighting complements the lab’s recent expansion: with a new classroom reserved for studio use of the collection, the Nature Lab is now well equipped to support RISD’s emphasis on research and inquiry.