Consider Yourself At Home: An Open Truss

Dec 14, 2011

An Open Truss

When I was in design school at the New York School, I took a terribly difficult lighting class that challenged my embarrassingly basic mathematics, physics and chemistry knowledge. Through the semester, I learned so much about the science of light, about color temperature, kelvins and electric wattage. But perhaps most importantly, I learned about the importance of lighting placement. Yes, we all know that lighting is more than the basic builder's-grade flushmount popped into the ceiling of a hallway or kitchen. It's about creating zones of light: Overhead, Task and Ambient.

In a project for that Lighting class, I designed a magnificent beam ceiling for a private club of a racetrack. The room was to resemble the interior of an equine barn, and so I used an open-truss ceiling, with the beams of the structure fully exposed in their structural glory. As it was a lighting class, I devised a system so that the room's overhead lighting would be built into the beams. Man, I love wood beams...

Of course I have emphasized my love of exposed beams on this blog, as well as the cozy cool look of the American lodge, but let's take yet another look at extraordinary ceilings. The exposed beam truss ceilings shown here give me goosebumps.