As its most basic, interior lighting enhances spaces to create the desired function and ambiance, evoking emotions and responses unmatched by any other element of design. When you play a video of a lighted candle in a dark room, you are just looking at a candle, but if you are in a similar dark room, and you light one candle, you create a mood.
When it comes to live musical performances, light is designed to a whole new level. Where stage lighting is not so much about the story but instead focuses on the emotional responses of audiences. In collaboration with the performing artists and elements of sound, choreography, timing, and stage design, lighting in musical concerts are mesmerizing, spectacular, and visually entrancing.
Design production companies know too well this formidable task, and the audible reaction from the audience is a rewarding experience. The LIT recognizes how these various artists and designers come together to create creative minds to create these magnificent lighting spectacles.
Categories: Winner in Stage Lighting
Winner: Silent House Productions
Lead Designer: Baz Halpin & Alex Reardon
Location: United States Leg/Europe Leg, United States
A team of creatives, Silent House Productions has an impressive list of projects with collaborations from famous musical artists such as Jeniffer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and more.
For the Khalid Free Spirit Tour 2019, the bi-parting curtain was incepted by Alex Reardon and inspired Khalid’s white wig as it swayed and went around as he danced. Tamlyn Wright was credited with the string material used that was scaled into a large curtain of strings enabling it to be used as a surface to project the lighting needed. LED tiles were also used in stage lighting.
Category: Live Design Lighting / Music Event Lighting (DJ/Video)
Winner: Design One Lighting Design
Lead Designer : Christien Methot
Location: New York, New York, United States
Kicked off with a stellar performance by Clarkson, the U.S. open was an unforgettable event where Kelly Clarkson was positioned right at the center of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Stacks of cubes with LED lights surrounded the performers which effectively filled out the massive court space. Enhancing the lit cubes are projected beams of light which created an amazing visual spectacle that matched the strong live performances.
Category: Winner in Stage Lighting
Winner: Sinclair / Wilkinson
Lead Designer: Rob Sinclair
Location: World tour, Broadway, United Kingdom
The simple yet effective illumination was quite unusual for the typical rock genre performances that were used to. No dance cues or architecture just a 3d space that allowed lighting designers liberty to lit performers where ever they are at stage.
The cosmic lighting matches Byrne’s philosophy perfectly where creating a modern rock concert that’s formal, more conversational, and heartfelt.
Category: Music Event Lighting (DJ/Video) / Stage Lighting
Winner: Design One Lighting Design
Lead Designer: Weston Wetzel
Location: New York, New York, United States
New York celebrated its 50th Anniversary of Stonewall where the colorful lighting design was able to capture the electric vibe of excitement and groove. Spectators enjoyed performances of famous artists with the likes of Mel C, Jake Shears, and Deborah Cox.
The lighting design includes large-faced lighting fixtures and is surrounded by pixel controlled structures vertically in place. The illuminated backdrop effectively draws the eyes to the tight stage and further highlighting the performers. Moving spotlights and washes were also added to create a movement that effectively energized both the talents and spectators. The result was a bright, colorful, psychedelic, and joyous celebration at the heart of Times Square.
Category: Winner in Stage Lighting
Winner: Sinclair / Wilkinson
Lead Designer Rob Sinclair
Location Coachella Festival, United Kingdom
The 1960’s liquid light shows’ psychedelic, electronic and avant-garde theatre were a rave in rock and disco shows and now is relived on stage.
The modern take of the psychedelic lighting utilizes sophisticated lighting consoles where stored sequences are on cue to each beat of the music. An array of neon and colorful lights swirls through the three-dimensional surround lighting while beams of light and blinding strobes further adds to the dancing lights. Right at the center of the backdrop is an iconic 40’ wide ring of light which was descended down creating a dramatic effect as it hovers down onto the performing band.
Commercial lighting has come a long way from the use of incandescent lighting to today’s modern lighting. With LED lights, sophisticated lighting controls and the availability of lightweight and even seamless luminaire materials gives lighting an array of design possibilities.
Though smart lighting has evolved the main goal of the design element has remained the same, and that is to evoke emotions to its spectators. In architectural lighting of commercial and retail spaces, its task and ability to encourage occupants, direct consumers, and showcase products in the illuminated surface and spaces.
To recognize the outstanding work of lighting designers LIT has named their winners for 2019. We’ve listed some of the winners here.
Categories: Winner in Conceptual Project/In Development
Winner: PRISM DESIGN
Lead Designer: TOMOHIRO KATSUKI
Location: Huzhou, China, China
Inspired by the iridescence of fish scales, the lighting concept of the flagship concept store of Fast Fish is a fresh approach to retail display. A fitting design choice as the such as scales are fished’ important protection such as the garments designed and sold by the clothing retailer. The flagship store is also a representation of the resiliency and innovation of the family-run fast-fashion retailer. It is based in Hangzhou, China that has 2,400 stores and 14,000 employees.
The bright lighting design employs mostly cool colors of aquamarine and white integrated with wood to add a welcoming atmosphere. Just like fish scales, the newly designed fashion store boasts hues of blue in small triangular-shaped forms intricately woven to create a stunning façade.
Similar triangular shapes are punched out on the mirror-like surface of the suspended ceiling draping over the interior. To illuminate displays track lighting is installed where the light effectively bounces on the metallic ceilings, making the shop highly illuminated.
Categories: Winner in Hotel and Restaurants Lighting
Winner: Tillotson Design Associates
Lead Designer: Suzan Tillotson, Erin Dreyfous, Megan Trimarchi
Location: New York, NY, United States
Four Seasons restaurant plays with subtle lighting to achieve a high-end dining experience. Beginning with the small pin lights, tucked in the rows of brass tubes that give a sense of coziness and a welcoming ambiance. The pin lights make the room look cleaner and uncluttered all the while having the room look wider and uncluttered. the traditional restaurant lighting… The bronze materials, along with the pin lights, are capable of emitting light for a variety of ranges from 1 to 20 foot-candles. The purpose is to adjust the room’s atmosphere for lunch to dinner.
The lighting gave the high-end restaurant a sophisticated and elegant ambiance as soft indirect lighting was used instead of the typical intensity of downlighting. To add a relaxed and warm atmosphere are intersecting bronze tubes that provide indirect illumination to the dining area.
A different approach is applied at the bar space where it features a softer and diffused quality of lighting. For a smooth transition from the bar, pass through the dimly-lit oxidized brass tunnel and just like a runway has miniature point lights opening to a larger and brighter main dining room.
The hundreds of gold-flecked glass beads hang from the ceiling to act as curtains for the windows to create that sparkling look that plays well with the light physics.
Categories: Winner in Ambient Lighting
Winner: LIGHTALLIANCE
Lead Designer: Kevin Grant
Location: Katara, Qatar, United Kingdom
Nordic traditions are used to inspire health, design, and hospitality, coupled with the smooth integration of local Arabic influences. The idea was to come up with this unique place that is able to provide the atmosphere necessary for the aforementioned Nordic experience while taking into consideration the limitations brought about by the existing conditions of the building in which the renovation took place. By playing around with the lights, specifically, the implementation of different lighting techniques such as filtering, blocking, or shadow management.
Dynamic elements in design that respond to time also help to set up the mood. Manipulating these different elements changes how it affects the environment and psychology of the guests: the darkness of winter and the brightness of summer or the lights shows of the Northern lights are simulated inside of the structure.
Categories: Winner in Ambient Lighting
Winner: Kris Lin International Design
Lead Designer: Kris Lin
Location: Changsha, China, China
Land space is becoming a huge concern for urban development as population growth is expected to grow in the next few decades. Thus, the creation of city complexes is seen as the solution for conserving space. But such structures don’t need to be solely functional, the integration of artistic elements is seen as beneficial to future residents. The designers for the Hive city project used a hive structure where hexagonal shapes are modeled into the ceiling at different heights and are distorted to create a rhythm to the space.
The beauty of Architecture-Time Tunnel
In this example image, the white geometry stairs leading to the second story is designed to be elegant and modern by playing with the lights. To create a dimensional structure, the light and the angles of the geometry and the materials are arranged the way shown, while taking into consideration an architectural design approach. In this manner, the field of architecture is able to emphasize its beauty in the interior space.
Categories: Winner in Ambient Lighting
Winner: Kris Lin International Design
Lead Designer: Kris Lin
Location: Zhejiang China, China
Fusing the old with the new, the Textile project’s main structure follows the existing architectural envelope of the old factory building while using architectural symbols of the broken lines to integrate the building into the interior. This respect to the history and original cultural style has been the main concern of its designer right from the premise of the project.
For the lighting, light strips are located above the reception desk that follows the roof form, just like a huge textile machine. The designer wanted to integrate the yarn elements of the textile machines as a modern design language integrated with the light to present the top and façade designs of the space.
LIT Design Awards has renewed its partnership with LED Forum Brazil;
LEDforum.20 ( Digital) taking place on the 6th of November 2020 and LEDforum.21 on the 19th and 20th of August 2021 in São Paulo.
As a partner, LIT Design Awards, “Designers of the Year” 2019 winners will receive a free ticket to join the event while some LIT winning projects will be presented during the event.
LEDforum 2020: The 11th edition of the largest lighting design congress in Latin America will take place online!
For the first time on a digital platform, LEDforum reaffirms its mission: to offer quality content in an environment of exchange and intense networking.
Aware of its relevance in strengthening the sense of community in the world of lighting, the LEDforum organization maintained its enthusiasm and dedication, in the face of all the challenges imposed by the pandemic, to recalculate the route and reconstruct the 2020 edition.
The event brings together an audience of lighting designers, architects, product designers, urban planners, landscapers, academics, developers and providers of lighting solutions, coming from different regions of Brazil and Latin America.
Learn more about https://www.ledforum.com.br
From cozy crafted luminaires to visually luminous light installations, today’s lighting is even brighter, innovative, and surprisingly artistic than ever before.
LED lights used to be the newest lighting a decade ago, but thanks to its sensible features, energy-efficient lighting has become the standard of lighting. Today, novel lighting designs have gone beyond sustainability, and just like fresh from a science-fiction movie, these awe-inspiring designs are prepared to cater to the needs of their future generations of users.
When we think of artificial lights, these can be simply dismissed as nothing more than devices that help us see in the dark, but in 2001, a discovery has been made by G.C Brainard concerning the effects of light on the human body. The study shows that the quality of light affects our biological clock, smartly termed as a circadian rhythm. Lights help regulate our melatonin and cortisone levels, and these are important in our physical and mental wellbeing.
With Biodynamic Lighting, we can now fine-tune the quality and amount of light being used in a particular setting. The linchpin of this device is primarily the ability to mimic natural light. Our eyes have receptors intended for detecting blue. The light quality shifts throughout the day, you can imagine the color spectrum starting from ultraviolet, then it gradually moves towards the reddish portion as the day goes. In fact, ultraviolet is most detectable at dawn.
Ideally, by the time the sun sets, our bodies should be ready for bed. Your typical artificial light does not adjust but rather it supplies a constant color temperature. But thanks to biodynamic lighting, the sun, and all its glory can be simulated indoors.
Personalized lighting is a rising trend among homeowners, and there are many means to obtain this new style of lighting. Anyone equipped with a 3D printer and the knowledge to operate such a device can easily print out a custom design that will allow them to light up their homes in a decorative manner.
Fortunately, there are also dedicated services online that allow users to upload their 3D models, and the service will print the model. The beauty of using such services is that the models are printed by qualified staff and that they have the proper equipment for the job. On the side of the client, there is no need to fumble around with 3D printer settings to get the right result. Since these are electronic devices, there’s no need to mess with the electronics. This is very useful for people who don’t know anything about electronics or don’t want to mess around with high voltage.
Finally, this concept allows for the use of decorative luminaries, from something modern to something more sophisticated. The design allows for a more expressive approach when it comes to lighting up the home of place of work.
With improvements in the manufacturing process and the availability of advanced equipment, impossible designs can now be created. Even with intricate designs such as feather-like luminaires that almost floats seamlessly through the air are now popular centerpieces in many luxury establishments.
The main gist of this is an artistic expression. Since lights are placed at the center of a room or location, it makes sense for it to double as a decorative piece meant to evoke a certain theme or message or idea for friends and family to talk about during social gatherings.
WIFI is becoming ubiquitous in homes and commercial settings that the simple LED bulb eventually got baptized by wireless technology. Like any other smart device, it is expected to be capable of doing multiple tasks such as turning on appliances in the room when it detects the presence of a person entering or the ability of a user to turn the lights on and off remotely via an accompanying smartphone app.
Some smartly controlled lights are also capable of sensing the humidity of the room and make the appropriate adjustments by taking control of heating and cooling devices. In a way, it acts as an electronic butler.
Here’s something cool. Do you fancy the ability to decorate your walls with lights? Layout artistic patterns on the wall by combining hexagon-shaped lighting modules to create the designs you want. Create patterns that can serve as backgrounds for a video or photo shoot. The lights can be turned on or off by simply touching the surface. These are easy to install with almost no wiring needed for each module, as electric power is transmitted via magnetic contacts. Each piece is attached magnetically from the main body until the pattern is formed.
If you are gunning to light up your home or place of work in a stylish manner, there are now multiple ways to do it and it is guaranteed that it’s all worth every dollar spent.
Photo credit: Emerson College Student Dining Center
On the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Academy of Fine Arts, the famous Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza’s work and the Museum of International Design of China. Siza has always been famous for the fascination of building lighting, so after we get the project, the first thing we do is to understand the background and master as much as possible.
Siza’s works are simple to the extreme but full of texture, so from that time on, our focus is on how to fully respect the characteristics of the building and reject all artificial forms of interference. Focus on the linear and indirect light strips for direct lighting and the light slots for indirect lighting, as well as the intelligent control of the lighting.
Lighting, in general, has a profound effect in spaces, invoking emotions to its spectators and helping architecture and interior design achieve its true purpose.
For the external lighting of heritage buildings, illumination aims for a lasting impression from its viewers. In night illumination as well as daylight, lighting highlights the architectural aspects of the structure, exposing details through casting light and shadow. This dramatic play of lights will need a strategic lighting engineering and architectural design solutions.
Night illumination in Heritage Buildings
Outdoors require less light intensity compared to indoors, emphasizing a theatrical appeal, and less focused on task illumination.
Before designing, considerations should be kept in mind. These involve aesthetics, mood lighting, technical, economic, and conservation aspects. UNESCO guidelines and recommendations should also be put into an account.
UNESCO Guidelines and Concerns
UNESCO recommends that monuments should not be illuminated from the bottom up except for historic buildings. Lights should be intercepted by the building façade to prevent light from straying away. Use luminous flux reducers that have an automated or self-timing mechanism that can switch off automatically during the day.
Lighting intensities and mechanisms should be studied as not to disrupt biodiversity and nightscape, especially in natural and rural areas.
Other smart lighting solutions are intelligent lighting systems, adaptive lighting, wireless sensor fusion, and smart solar-powered LED lighting systems.
To achieve aesthetically-pleasing lighting, luminaires equipped with white light sources such as metal halide, compact fluorescent, or LED is recommended. These luminaires have excellent color rendering properties that allow the color to be seen naturally, setting a more comfortable visual environment. During the night our eye adapts to the sensitive blue end spectrum, which means we see better with white light sources.
At night, eye sensitivity changes to the ‘dark-adapted eye,’ which is more sensitive to the blue end of the spectrum, meaning we can see better under white light sources.
Temperature sets an ambiance and impressions, 3000K temperature level is warm and creates a softer and comfortable setting, while the 4200K has a cooler temperature level, provides a crisper atmosphere.
Keeping the running costs down is one of the major concerns of the museum and heritage sectors. Most tungsten-halogen lighting is now replaced with LED lights to save on energy and replacement costs.
With technology and its efficient performance and long life span, provide consistent lighting effects and minimal maintenance worries.
As concerns in the effects of night illumination to surrounding nature, it is recommended to use flat-glass light distributions. This eliminates direct upward lighting, a major contributor to sky glow. Minimal column heights to reduce light over spilling.
Reflection, glare, and unwanted light can also be caused by the luminaire finish, positioning, and fixing methods during the daytime. Proper planning and design are needed to provide visual comfort from viewers and the surrounding nature.
Landscape and surrounding elements can also be utilized to mitigate the negative effects of night illumination. Plant trees on the site that can screen off and block away unwanted light to the surrounding environment.
One type of pollution we don’t hear often is light pollution, which has a damaging effect on the environment, especially for migratory birds and even insects.
To minimize the damaging effect of excessive lighting, there must be a collaborative effort to switch to advanced lighting technologies that are designed for efficiency and reducing light pollution. Applying this type of technology to heritage sites allows public visibility for heritage sites in the evening by practicing proper planning on how to light up a site in such a way that it can attract visitors.
All the while, proper design, and implementation must ensure that these new lighting technologies will not have much of an impact on the site in terms of aesthetics. By only installing the necessary number of light fixtures, in the right areas, energy savings are achieved. Thankfully, such advanced luminaires exist today.
An architect’s craft is more than just creating built environments, instead, these built spaces of interaction are venues for communication and inception of new ideas. Architecture has a great impact on how its occupants live and think. At the same time, a designed space affects its surroundings and the whole community as well.
Public spaces, places of commerce, transportation, and even our humble abodes influence people in the way they live, perceive and think. Built spaces are about people and by their people.
When people are put together, they can behave in many surprising ways. When placed in a space, people will tend to communicate and collaborate just as when observing people in a crowd. While designed spaces can never fully control people, they can encourage or discourage movement and behavior. The unpredictability of human interaction makes designing social spaces the most challenging work an architect can partake.
Architecture is known as the marriage of art and science, and, arguably an embodiment of different fields in humanities and social sciences.
Beginnings
The role of built spaces as an interactive space can be seen at the very onset of human civilizations. In 2011, a review by Wil Roebroeks and Paola Villa state that fire is used in Europe around 400,000 years ago as ancient humans expanded into colder climates. For the cave dwellers, they gather around a firepit were eating, sleeping, making tools and, other daily activities take place.
Roman and Greek architecture are great examples of how architecture influences people in their interactions with society. Thermae, stoa, temples, and theaters are a few examples of communal spaces during ancient times.
Architecture and Social Interactions:
A Common Ground for the diverse building that is intended for public use can be a common ground for people with different philosophies or cultures to come together and express openly. It is a stage where people can openly express, work, and share ideas comfortably.
Public parks, for instance, are designed with the community in mind. Amenities such as picnic grounds, bike lanes, and cycling create activities that individuals and families can enjoy.
This is key to building vibrant neighborhoods and lively communities. With a community space where shops, groceries, residences, and others that bring different families together to a single communal space. A neighborhood with multiple nodes of destinations creates a layered multiplicity of experiences. This structure fosters connection and communication while creating culture from the daily routines that interplays within the community.
As architecture values human experiences, it creates spaces where social connections are created among different cultures. Museums, galleries, and monuments can provide a glimpse if not tell stories of the past for generations to see. Architecture educates us making us closer and understanding of different philosophies and cultures.
Probably the best example of how a place creates a new culture is our learning environments. Where a school houses students with different backgrounds congregate and build new social circles and networks.
Let’s not forget that architecture brings families together. Homes are designed in the context of their owners’ preferences and their ways of living. The residential building is the perfect example of how architecture can bring a balance between aesthetics and function. With a common space that both serves individual and communal needs of the family.
With the advent of technology, the concept of space may obscure as traditional social interactions through physical spaces are challenged by online and remote communication. But as social beings, our sense of belongingness and need for social connections to a personal level is still innate within us. And, there’s a sense of authenticity and deeper connection when it comes to the traditional social interaction compared to the online version.
As a conceived design can either unite or isolate us, the architecture will definitely stay as a powerful force that the society will have in the many years to come.
Selected by our esteemed jury of designers and leaders in the lighting, interior design, and architectural fields, the annual winners will receive the LIT trophy, extensive publicity showcasing their designs and products to an international audience, and more.
LIT Design Awards gives 5 winning titles per year:
Alfred R. Borden, from The Lighting Practice / Principal
Alfred Borden is a Principal and the founder of The Lighting Practice. With a background in theater lighting for a variety of theater groups, dance troupes, and rock bands, Al has more than 30 years of experience in architectural lighting design. He founded The Lighting Practice’s Philadelphia office in 1989 to create a place where like-minded designers could work in a collaborative environment dedicated to design excellence and client service.
In 2019, Alfred Borden received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from LIT Design Awards.
Jason Wang, Asia Pacific Design Center (APDC) / Secretary-General
Mr. Jason Wang is the leading figure in the Chinese design arena who had devoted himself to the design industry as a curator up to 2009. Wang is the Secretary-General of Asia Pacific Design Center (APDC) as well as the Secretary-General of the Organizing Committee for the APDC Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards for Elite.
In 2010, Mr. Jason Wang established the Asia Pacific Design Center (APDC) in Hong Kong, China. He also initiated the Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards for Elite with the theme ‘Celebrating Creativity’, which has become one of the most important design awards in the Chinese community.
John Bullock, The Light Review / Publisher and editor
John Bullock was born to be a lighting designer. “Don’t blame me; it wasn’t my fault.” He was qualified in ‘Illumination Engineering’ in the early 1970s, working in electrical building services before joining a lighting manufacturer. By the end of 1984 John was working as an independent lighting designer, one of the new generation of UK lighters
These days, John divides his time between providing high-end residential design within an hour of his home in Dorset and managing The Light Review which he established in 2019. If The Light Review is about anything it’s about Good Lighting – whatever that means to you.
The interplay of natural lights in an interior space creates mood, enhances materials, and energizes a place. It is indeed a design element like no other.
Indoor places with beautiful plays of light create an alluring ambiance and ensues a lively feeling to its occupants. This correlation of positivity and natural light has been a fascination for both the architecture and the scientific field. Evidence of this undeniable connection is seen in case studies of places on hospice, work, education, and even our humble abode love the natural lighting.
How Natural Lighting Keeps Us Healthy?
We’ve provided a list of major reasons how daylight can affect our health:
But why does natural light keep us healthy? Aside from helping us to get healthy doses of Vitamin D, natural light syncs on our Circadian rhythm, our built-in body clock. Designing workplaces, for instance, require natural light and ventilation to seep through the workspaces. Without the glare and unwanted heat, a properly designed work area with the consideration of natural lighting creates a lively and inspiring space for employees.
Natural light is one design consideration when preventing the negative effects of Sick Building Syndrome. SBS is where workers experience headaches and respiratory problems, which are contributed by poor ventilation and working conditions. Though SBS mainly focuses on natural ventilation, studies show that natural lighting can help in preventing Sick Building Syndrome in buildings.
There’s a reason why kitchens are best oriented on the east and west directions. For most places, the east area is the perfect spot for your breakfast nook as well as the kitchen area because you get the healthy sunlight while keeping it cool during the afternoon sun. Kitchens can also be placed along the west side, where it is the hottest spot during the afternoon, provided that you have a longer roof overhang to prevent glare and heat build-up.
When kitchens are oriented on the hottest areas, it prevents mold and mildew build-up. Bathrooms and other damp spaces should also have ample daylighting as it serves as it kills bacteria and fungi naturally.
Like other benefits of sunlight, science backs up how the natural light improves our mood and kicks off the so-called winter blues. According to an Australian study, serotonin (known as happy chemicals) levels are higher during sunny days compared to cloudy ones. Serotonin not only stabilizes your mood, but it also helps to heal wounds, stimulate nausea, and maintain bone health.
The brain dedicates more space to our visual senses compared to all other senses combined. As our visual perception signals our memory and decisions, it also affects our emotions that can affect our state of wellbeing.
Light can bring out the rich color and texture of materials better than artificial lights. With visually stimulating views, we feel relaxed and optimistic, which can greatly improve our overall wellbeing.
Probably the most obvious benefit of sunlight is that it provides energy and warmth to our bodies. Not only on its physical form, but natural light can also bring a sense of warmness or coziness in an interior. Understandably a room with light seeping through windows is more inviting and creates a sense of liveliness than a dark room.
For many years we simulate natural light in our architectural elements such as white painted walls and ceilings or luminaires with different color tones. We also allow natural light through our windows, skylights, light tubes, and clerestories to reach the nooks and corners of our interior spaces. Indeed, natural light has a great impact on our daily lives, and we continue to plan, assemble, and create spaces that can capture the benefits of the free but depleting energy source.
