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Ten Lighting Projects and Their Lighting Designers Are Honored with Prestigious Lumen Awards

United States Air Force Academy - Center for Character & Leadership Development Colorado Springs. Photo: Magda Biernat, OTTO

The New York City Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IESNYC) announces the recipients of the 2017 Lumen Awards at the 49th annual Lumen Gala held on June 15, 2017 at Pier 60 in Chelsea Piers. A signature program of the IESNYC, the Lumen Awards and Gala, showcase and celebrate excellence in lighting design. A record-breaking close to 900 members of the lighting community and affiliated design industries attended the gala to toast this year's Lumen Award winners, Golden Achievement winner Paul Marantz, and Section Service Award recipients Lee Brandt, Erin Gussert, and Derek Porter.

The Lumen Awards jury selected ten projects deemed worthy of receiving a Lumen Award. The award-winning projects are presented in three categories: The Lumen Award of Excellence, the highest level of recognition for permanent architectural application; the Lumen Award of Merit, in recognition for a meritorious permanent architectural application; and a Lumen Citation, in recognition for an art installation, technical detail, portion of a single project, temporary installation, or other work.

The jury selected one Award of Excellence and it was presented to Brandston Partnership for the United States Air Force Academy -- Center for Character & Leadership Development in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Four Awards of Merit were presented. L'Observatoire International won a Merit for SteelStacks Campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Lighting Workshop received two Merits, one for Squarespace Global Headquarters and for Saks Fifth Avenue at Brookfield Place, both in New York City; and KGM Architectural Lighting won for Hyundai Capital Convention Hall in Seoul, South Korea.

Five Citation Awards were presented. Dot Dash's Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology at the Costume Institute's Spring 2016 installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City (for excellence in exhibition lighting); SBLD Studio's The Met Breuer (for a sensitive upgrade of an iconic building); Fisher Marantz Stone's Park Avenue Armory's Veteran's Room in New York City (for historic decorative features); Tillotson Design Associates' 599 Lexington Avenue Ground Floor Upgrades (for the transformation of a space through lighting); and Arup's 1.8 by the artist, Janet Echelman, exhibited at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.

Over 80 submissions were received and reviewed by the 2017 Lumen Award jury. Theresa Genovese, AIA, LEED AP, principal, CetraRuddy Architecture; John Newman, partner, LOOP Lighting, Eileen Pierce, founder and creative director, Pierce Lighting; Avinash Rajagopal, senior editor, Metropolis magazine; Martin van Koolbergen, AIA, LC, LEED AP, IALD, owner, Kaplan Gehring McCarroll Architectural Lighting; Gary Wong, studio leader, BOLD (Brian Orter Lighting Design).

"Tonight, we celebrate as a community, the best in lighting design," says Clara Powell, LC, regional sales manager -- New York, Cooledge and Adrienne Shulman, LC, northeast specification sales manager, Tech Lighting/ELEMENT, co-chairs of the Lumen Awards Committee. "It is especially rewarding to us that tickets to the gala sold out in a matter of days, a testament to the fact that after 49 years, the Lumen Awards continue to be the most prestigious awards in the industry, and the Lumen Gala is the best party of the year."

Having the Grand Prize-winning installation of the 2017 IESNYC Student Lighting Competition (http://iesnyc.org/Student_Competition) on exhibit at the Lumen Gala was a first. Another signature program of the IESNYC, the annual competition supports the next generation of lighting designers. "Passage," which was on view, was designed by students attending Parsons School of Design at the New School.

"One of the things we do as a Society and as the New York City Section is create the premiere lighting community that's dedicated to promoting the art and science of quality lighting. And one of the things I've always loved about the Lumen Awards Gala is the comradery," says Brian Belluomini, president of the IESNYC and a founder of Shimstone Studio. "Here we are, close to one thousand members of our lighting industry, joined together in one room in celebration of design excellence in lighting."

Continuing an IESNYC tradition, Caleb McKenzie, LC, IADLA, a principal at US Lighting Consultants, and IESNYC vice president, joined Belluomini on stage for the ceremonial passing of the president's gavel. McKenzie becomes section president on July 1, 2017.

2017 Lumen Award of Excellence

United States Air Force Academy - Center for Character & Leadership Development Colorado Springs, Colorado
Lighting Designer: Brandston Partnership
Scott Matthews, Daniel Haas, and Naomi Freedman
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Project Owner: United States Air Force Academy
Jury comments: The light is so beautifully transformed in this project that you really feel the power of the architecture and the symbology of each space within. The oculus inside the Honor Board Room is as inspiring as the oculus of the Pantheon.

2017 Lumen Awards of Merit

SteelStacks Campus Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Lighting Designer: L'Observatoire International
Hervé Descottes, Wei Jien, Jeff Taylor, Jessica Jie Soo Tchah, Kristy Philp, and Oliver Huang Landscape
Architect: WRT
Project Owner: Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority
Jury comments: The lighting designer accomplished a very difficult task -- illuminating the existing jumbled forms in a manner that highlights the strength and fire of a bygone era. The careful selection of the warm backdrop visually emphasizes the path of cool circulation and brings warmth and life to the inanimate cold steelscape.

Squarespace Global Headquarters New York, New York
Lighting Designer: Lighting Workshop
Steven Espinoza, Doug Russell, and Juhee Woo
Architect: A+I
Project Owner: Squarespace
Jury comments: The lighting design is as solid as the architectural design. I liked how the typical grid of downlights was broken up nicely by linear indirect sources and decorative pendants. The totality of the fresh, simply complex lighting design is very well thought out and consistently used in various ways with recurring themes that ties in and contrasts nicely with the architecture and interior design.

Saks Fifth Avenue at Brookfield Place New York, New York
Lighting Designer: Lighting Workshop
Doug Russell and Courtney Yip
Architects: Found Associates, Sargenti Architects
Project Owner: Hudson's Bay Company
Jury comments: There is something sophisticated and elegant about the minimal lighting scheme that works seamlessly with the architectural features. While the large swooping recessed curves of architectural lighting featured the retail display in a bold expression, the playful decorative pendants sustained the theme without feeling disjointed.

Hyundai Capital Convention Hall Seoul South Korea
Lighting Designer: KGM Architectural Lighting
Moritz Hammer, Charlotte Cantillon and Martin van Koolbergen
Architect: Gensler
Project Owner: Hyundai Capital Services/ Hyundai Card Co.
Jury comments: A fine example of fantastic balance between interior design of materials, architecture of space, and simplistic effective lighting to create fascinating tangible and intangible graphics, shapes, reflections, and volumes in a physical environment. The futuristic lighting and architectural design made the space feel like a Turrell installation.

2017 Lumen Citation Awards

Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology New York, New York
Lighting Designer: Dot Dash
Christopher Cheap, Isabel Sanchez Sevillano, Brian Cheap, and Jelisa Blumberg
Architect: OMA New York
Project Owner: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Jury comments: This design represents the true beauty that effective lighting can bring to a space. the lighting design not only skillfully highlighted the fashion, which unto itself was most impressive given the various vantage points one viewed the fashion pieces, but transcended the entire viewer's experience to one of spiritual homage to the fashion. The airy vibe and delicate clothing tie in beautifully with the lighting exuding a fleeting feeling of freshness suitable for a temporary fleeting installation.

The Met Breuer New York, New York
Lighting Designer: SBLD Studio
Attila Uysal, Amy Ruffles, and Jorge Ruiz
Architect: Beyer Blinder Belle
Project Owner: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Park Avenue Armory Veterans Room New York, New York
Lighting Designer: Fisher Marantz Stone Paul Marantz, Hank Forrest, and Carla Ross Allen
Architects: Herzog & de Meuron, PBDW
Project Owner: Park Avenue Armory
Jury comments: The decorative fixtures received a successful update with new lighting technology that exudes beauty and authenticity while preserving originality in a very seemingly simple but very well-executed manner. They truly assist in revamping the feel of the space while providing a fresh new quality of light. I was impressed with the custom fixture detailing and the interpretation of the gas flame with warm LED sources and circular glass diffusers.

599 Lexington Avenue Ground Floor Upgrades New York, New
Lighting Designer: Tillotson Design Associates
Suzan Tillotson, Mitul Parekh, and Shan Jiang
Architect: FXFOWLE
Project Owner: Boston Properties
Jury comments: The lighting design elegantly addresses the challenge of visually unifying the lobby interior and exterior volumes through the recalibration of illuminated surfaces. The successful use of lighting to balance the interior and exterior while sacrificing little yet maximizing potential for the visual and task to be seen.

1.8 by Janet Echelman Washington, DC
Lighting Designer: Arup
Jake Wayne, Brian Stacy, Anthony J. Cortez, and Liberty MacDougall
Artist: Studio Echelman
Jury comments: 1.8 - I loved how the fluidity of the netted structure and the softness of the light helped create a thoroughly ethereal atmosphere. Well-chosen, well-placed lighting and whimsical art become one to create a symbiotic engaging experience for viewers.

2017 IESNYC Section Service Awards

* Peter Jacobson, lighting specialist, Con Edison, and member of the IESNYC Board of Managers, and member of the Nominations and Awards Committee presented the Golden Achievement Award to Paul Marantz, FIALD, MIES, founder/consulting design principal at Fisher Marantz Stone.

"Since the New York City Section has had the honor of being the home base for many industry leaders, the IESNYC has created the Golden Achievement Award, to honor these individuals who have continuously contributed through their influence in design achievement, career development, education and stewardship of the IES New York City Section and above all, making the New York lighting community special to the industry. So tonight, we honor Paul Marantz, a shining example of these virtues, since becoming a founding partner at Fisher, Marantz Stone. Paul and his firm have received many Lumen and other lighting awards - we certainly all have our favorites. Tonight, we recognize Paul not for a specific project, but for his career long achievements in lighting design and for being someone we are proud to call our member, role model, and friend."

* Mike Barr, senior account supervisor, Lutron Electronics, member of the IESNYC Board of Managers, and member of the Nominations and Awards Committee presented the 2017 IESNYC Brilliance Award to Lee Brandt, LC, LEED AP BD+C, IALDC, MIES, principal, HLB Lighting.

"I think the Brilliance Award was crafted for this person in mind. Her passion for lighting and her relentless pursuit of excellence in lighting are immeasurable. She will find a way to juggle all her responsibilities to participate in committees, participate in panel discussions on events that challenge our thinking and inform the lighting community on so many different fronts, for her dedication and commitment on formulating the lighting language in the NYC Energy Conservation Codes, while serving as the lighting advisor over the last two code cycles with the NYC Department of Buildings. Lee is very giving of her time, talent and wisdom to engage students and emerging members of our design community, allowing them to see what a successful design community leader looks like, thinks about, and achieves."

* Shaun Fillion, LC, lighting studio manager, RAB Lighting, member of the IESNYC Board of Managers, and member of the Nominations and Awards Committee presented a 2017 Special Recognition Award to Erin Gussert, LEED AP BD+C, lighting designer, Regency Lighting, chair of the Student Lighting Committee for the past three years, and co-chair for one year prior to, and member of the IESNYC Board of Managers.

"Erin Gussert has grown the IESNYC Student Lighting Competition which touches students from programs in lighting, architecture, interior and product design -- introducing many of them for the first time to the excitement of architectural lighting. Her face is known to over 700 young professionals in New York who benefitted from the networking and competitive spirit of the IESNYC Student Competition. Under her direction, the competition has flourished in terms of the number of students and participating schools, but she is now begun to work with other IES Sections, lending her expertise so they too can create similar competitions."

* Tim Milton, LC, LEEP AP, vice president northeast, USAI Lighting, IESNYC past IESNYC president, and chair of the Nominations and Awards Committee presented Derek Porter, IALD, MIES, associate professor of lighting design, former director of the Master of Fine Arts Lighting Design Program at Parsons The New School for Design, and co-owner and principal designer of Derek Porter Studio, with a 2017 Special Recognition Award.

"There are many emerging professionals here in New York City and the country -- even worldwide -- who have spread their wings and enabled the section to become a nationally recognizable entity. Derek Porter has guided the New York City Section in developing the annual IESNYC Scholarship, and support of our Thesis Prize and Student Lighting Competition. He established a bond between the students and the Section with the creation of the Student Liaison Committee."

WWWwww.iesnyc.org


(23 June 2017)

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