A museum’s lighting is a powerful medium where it conveys a story and presents a concept while creating the perfect stage for man’s creativity and ingenuity.
The following winners of the LIT Visitor Experience & Museum Exhibition not only imbues the elements necessary in lighting design at the same time provides progressive solutions for transcending environments. These creative innovations ultimately place the wholistic experience of art in a modern, sustainable and unforgettable light.
The Museum Goldkrammer in Frankfurt is a spectacular display of rich textures and surreal illumination in a space dedicated to 500 pieces of gold on display. From the fascinating gold’s origin in space to the element’s varying cultural symbol, you’ll find the 480 sqm museum an interesting space to be.
Refined lighting is used to make the room more visually expansive and with the light through underground tunnels and vaults of the property. The gorgeous lighting highlights the exhibits beautifully while remaining unostentatious to the view.
The fascinating space took four years before its realization. Finally opening to the public in May 2019 where it succeeded in providing a captivating air for the varying themes of the 500 gold exhibits.
The Holmegaard Værk has a long-standing history with glass as it was once home and workplace to generations of glassworkers. This historical significance makes the venue even more fitting to house the curated glass art exhibits. Paying homage to the 200 years as an atmospheric site of craftsmanship, the pieces of machinery were left as they are, giving visitors a glimpse of the past.
Which such significance, the Holmegaard Værk is designed primarily to preserve and showcase a huge collection of glass art while educating its spectators. The museum is located at Holmegaard, Denmark with the largest glass collection in the Nordic region where it currently holds 42,000 Holmegaard glass and has over 6,000 original Kähler objects making it the largest Kähler collection as well.
A Winner in Visitor Experience & Museum Exhibition, the Holmegaard Værk lighting design utilizes daylight as the main source of illumination and is supplemented with white LED and colored electric lighting. The interplay of light, shadow, and the color of gold create a strong dynamic quality while the shifting from natural light to the LED lighting adds to the movement and experience of the space. Aside from the excellent utilization of contrast, color, and brightness to enhance the holistic experience of visitors, the lighting is carefully designed to prevent damage to the exhibits. The white LED lighting was the best choice as it does not produce IR or UV lights that can damage the artwork making it sensitive to the environment.
A Winner in Visitor Experience and Museum Exhibition, Kings and Scribes: The Birth of a Nation is a stunning historical exhibition housed at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire England, a venue that bears historical significance in itself.
The lighting design challenge is to create a balanced illumination while protecting the integrity of the exhibits and revealing the collection to the best advantage.
Lead by Mark Sutton-Vane of Sutton Vane Associates integrates light-sensitive luminaires with a maximum of 50 lux to highlight the rare collection of valuable bibles. To even lower the light exposure, a special lighting system of hanging chains is used. In spite of the limitations given by the sensitivity of its exhibits, the lighting design did an amazing effect of highlighting the historical items such as showing and highlighting the character of the stone faces.
Honoring the stories of people who out of violence were snuffed out and silenced, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice commemorates the history of racial injustice. This national lynching memorial gives voice and public recognition and through illumination creates a transitional space.
As one approaches the monument, you’ll notice rectangular boxes on the horizon with an air of mystery, and getting closer the light below reveals the hanging corten steel monuments. Finally in the midst are 800 six feet monuments hanging above where each is lit from below with a narrow beam of light. The dappled effect where light and shadow combine create an uneven illumination like indicating that there’s too much monuments to count. Interestingly, the varying lighting creates an effect signifying that no two monuments are the same thus not one shade of black people in America. The evenly spaced monuments are etched with the names of the lynching victims on each of the monuments. Interestingly,
Situated on top of a six-acre sacred site at Montgomery, Alabama, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is the ever first national memorial to victims of lynching in the US. A winner in Visitor Experience and Museum Exhibition. Designed by Lam Partners lead by Keitch Yancey and Dan Weissman.
The Winner in Visitor Experience and Museum Exhibition evokes a moody and dark ambiance evident as one goes through the dark boxes and a corridor. This architectural concept is drawn from the people’s repressive living conditions during the years under the Soviet government. Cold lighting is used to give visitors an experience of the feeling of unstopping draught in barracks. Special lenses were used to correct 3000K of existing light that is brought down to 4000K. This way it adjusts the color temperature without losing the color rendering index. Cracks from the walls allow light to pass through that simulates the natural lighting. This light through the cracks allows you to navigate through the exhibit and symbolizes it as a light of hope. Meanwhile, a warm color temperature is used to represent of life and hope of people through showcasing the personal belongings.
The GULAG Museum revisits the past with lighting as a critical element to achieve the experience. The museum was completed in October 2018 at Moscow, Samotechny line, 9-1 and designed by the Yarko Lighting Design Studio lead by Ksenia Lanikina.
The MMOMA 99/19 Anniversary Exhibition at Moscow Russia is a celebration of modern art where 20 independent artists are given a set as guest curators. The lead designer for the lighting project is Vlad Oblasov of Form Bureau and completed in December 2020.
Taking into account the uniqueness of 20 different artists, the different museum exhibits use clever lighting to try to convey what makes each artist unique. Applying different lighting colors, each artist’s (who is also a curator) personality is reflected.
As an example, the ballerina Diana Vishneva has a hall with pieces of artwork hanging with transparent constructions to convey flight. The voyager Feodor Konyukov meanwhile has nets to symbolize grid coordinates on a map.
When architectural lighting is drawn from inspiration and need, the outcome is an extraordinary design that captivates and also in turn inspires its spectators.
To recognize these innovative and creative efforts given in line with lighting design in an exceptional capacity, LIT Design has awarded these 5 breathtaking exterior architectural illumination projects.
With a people-oriented and environmentally conscious architectural design, Vanke Cloud City is an already impressive building in itself. Integrate a well-thought lighting display and the remarkable architecture further shines through on all four corners of Nashan District’s skyline.
The 280.8-meter super high-rise building has more reasons to stand tall as it is the Winner in the Exterior Architectural Illumination Category of 2020.
The design intention for Vanke Cloud city to be a landmark of Cloud City is without challenges as the innovative design should meet the needs while having to satisfy strict demands of lighting distribution and budget constraints.
The final lighting design uses LEDs and is automated by a system that will activate or deactivate the lights at a given schedule, allowing the structure to save on energy. Another reason for the control is to prevent creating additional light pollution during migration months that will affect birds traversing the area.
As a test case for estate projects, the structure was made on top of Zijinshan Park on a hill, following the “super flat” design. The structure integrates office functions, tourisms, and exhibitions. The idea is to push the envelope for what is possible between indoor and outdoor lighting.
While the design aims to obscure the boundaries between indoor and outdoor, light pollution is a challenge for this project. To mitigate this issue, the structure is equipped with the necessary equipment to control timing and light intensity. The lights themselves are expected to work at least 80,000 hours, and all are recyclable. All in all, the result is a highly efficient, functional, and structure that is a work of art. With its masterful use of smart lighting design, the project won the Exterior Architectural Illumination category.
Covering 1200 square meters of Zijinshan Park Fuyang, Hangzhou, China, the expansive lighting project is designed by Fangfang Lighting Design.
From China to Bangkok, the 314-meter-tall King Power MahaNakhon standS as the tallest skyscraper in the country. The challenge of lighting a literal giant piece of art seems to be the focus of this project. The structure is equipped with light panels, controlled by software for animating, based on the city’s day and night cycle. Since the structure follows a more eroded geometry rather than the traditional beacon approach, the light panels are installed on this “eroded” section. Another recipient of Exterior Architectural Illumination is the King Power MahaNakhon in Bangkok designed by SEAM Design.
The white scheme imitates the color temperature of the evening sky over the city. The whole project aims to establish a connection between this and nature. But it does not end there, this project lies the ambitious goal to establish Bangkok as Southeast Asia’s design capital.
The Lakhta Center in St. Petersburg, Russia is a winner of Exterior Architectural Illumination with its remarkable lighting design using a versatile lighting scheme based on aquatic themes. There are 23,000 lighting devices, around half a million LEDs. The versatile lighting scheme is mostly based on aquatic themes where lighting changes, depending on the current season. There is a lighting scheme for the winter, summer, during a festival, day, night, and other special events. Aside from the adjustable lighting feature, it is
Designed by Carla Wilkins & Elena Bayda, the project also boasts 100 innovations while saving 40% of energy. Using light intensity between the interior and exterior lighting to define the volume of the tower is an effective way technique. This is done by modifying the frame lighting and edge lighting, respectively. The remarkable lighting design also consider
A special part of the tower lighting was developing the detailed concept of aircraft obstruction lights and “bird-friendly” lighting and their integration into the overall concept. The project is also LEED platinum-certified making it one of the five most environmentally friendly skyscraper in the world.
Chongqing Guo Tai Arts Center Lighting Design
The eye-catching arts center is located in Jiefagin CBD, Yuzhong District, designed by China Architectural Design & Research Group in 2007, and constructed in 2013. Further improvements on the lighting design particularly on the art center’s facade were carried out in 2018 as was delegated by the client of the Chongqing Yuzhong District Management Committee.
A winner in the Community Building Lighting category, it’s a stunning architectural piece that employs digital lighting consoles, touchscreen panels with dimmer modules, Ethernet-network, a complete installation that includes 86 boxes, spotlight equipment including accessories, and complete distributions.
The LIT Design Awards 2021 is now open, receiving submissions from lighting manufacturers, lighting product designers, lighting design firms and practices from around the world.
The Farmani Group and 3C Awards are launching the 5th Edition of the LIT Lighting Design Awards, a powerful cross-disciplinary platform celebrating the highest quality of Lighting Design and Lighting Product Design since 2017. With 78 categories represented, the LIT Awards is today one of the most comprehensive lighting design competitions, uniting creativity, and innovation.
The LIT Lighting Design Awards honors every year; the LIT Lighting Designer of the Year and the LIT Lighting Product Design of the Year; both given to professionals and students. LIT Design Awards is encouraging students and young designers to apply, winners of the “Emerging” prizes will receive a cash prize of US$1,000 to support their next project in lighting design.
The Lifetime Achievement prize has been introduced in 2018 to recognize Lighting Designers, Lighting Product Designers and other professionals in the Lighting Industry, whose contributions over their entire career to the industry are tremendous. Nominated and dedicated to professionals, the prize is today the highest honor awarded in the lighting design field.
The Spotlight Prize has been introduced last year to put the “spotlight” on an organization, project, or initiative that carries out remarkable work for its community and having a major contribution to the Lighting Industry. Nominated, this prize was received by the “Women in Lighting (WIL)” in 2020.
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.
Due to the extreme circumstances of COVID-19, resulting in the cancellation of the Awards Ceremony; the Board of the LIT Design Awards decided to host an online event, honoring the outstanding work of the LIT 2020 Winners in the Professional and Student categories.
The LIT Design Awards 2021 will close on the 17th of October 2021. Receive a 10% discount on the submission fees by applying before the 30th of June 2021!
The prestigious LIT Lighting Design Awards is pleased to reveal the LIT 2020 Winners in professionals’ and students’ categories.
LIT Lighting Design Awards was created to recognize the efforts of talented international lighting product designers and lighting implementers. The organization believes lighting is both an art and a science, and that it is one of the most important elements of design.
LIT was envisioned to celebrate creativity and innovation in the fields of lighting products and applications.
The LIT Jury board members evaluated all submissions from 43 countries, based not only on the highest of current lighting design standards and trends but also seeking out truly visionary designers showcasing creativity and innovation.
Due to the extreme circumstances of COVID-19, resulting in the cancellation of the Awards Ceremony; the Board of LIT decided to host an online event, honoring the outstanding work of the LIT 2020 Winners.
The online event took place on Saturday 27th of March at 3pm UTC.
As a result of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic last year, LEDforum.20 conference was held in a digital format. The event was proven to be a great success, gathering 615 lighting professionals who remained engaged throughout the broadcast.
As we continue to face new outcomes, including vaccination programs in Brazil and around the world, it comes as no surprise that the physical event this year, previously announced to be on August 21, will no longer be feasible.
Thus, the organizers announce the change of its 12th edition dates to be on November 4th and 5th, 2021, with the hope that the situation of the pandemic will allow the LEDforum.21 to happen in a physical or “phygital” format. Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor the situation in order to define the most appropriate version for the event, to be held in a safe and positive way for all of its participants.
We are still working full steam ahead to offer our audience quality content. Confirmation of the LEDforum.21 program will be released shortly.
LIT Lighting Design Awards is a partner of LEDForum.21.
The 4th Annual LIT Lighting Design Awards winners celebration, which will be streamed online at 3:00 PM (UTC/GMT) on Saturday, March 27th!
Due to the extreme circumstances of COVID-19, resulting in the cancellation of the Awards Ceremony; the Board of LIT decided to host an online event, honoring the outstanding work of the LIT 2020 Winners,
the 2020 Spotlight Prize and Lifetime Achievement Recipients. The event will be streamed online via Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, make sure to set up your alarm and follow us on social media.
Join the online event and Register: https://fb.me/e/1dJ2K1qCI
Erin Held won the LIT 2020 Lighting Designer of the Year title with The Union Station Great Hall Restoration project, she was the lead designer and project manager. After working on the renovation project for two and a half-year, winning LIT Design Awards is an accomplishment and rewarding an entire team.
Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Currently, I’m the Design Director at Charter Sills and have been with the firm for over 15 years working on a wide variety of projects. When I moved to Chicago in 2001, I knew this was going to be a city where I could see myself in long term. Outside of work, I enjoy baking, reading, and traveling.
How did you discover your passion for Lighting Design?
I found my love of Lighting Design in graduate school for Interior Architecture. Our class was taught by Peter Hugh of Hugh Lighting Design. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject really inspired me and showed how much influence lighting has on how successful a finished space can be.
How would you describe the role and responsibilities when working on the Union Station Great Hall Restoration project?
I was the lead designer and project manager for the project.
What does it mean to you, to win the LIT 2020 Lighting Designer of the Year title?
I’m really honored to be recognized for this project. We spent over two and half years working in close collaboration with the architect and contractor to bring this project to completion. The changes for space, from where it started to where it is now, are breathtaking and I was so proud to be a part of the team that accomplished them.
What do you feel is the most challenging part of working in Lighting Design today? Are there any new trends you would like to share?
The biggest challenge is always budget, but outside of that, I’d say that keeping up with the constantly changing technologies, especially on the controls side, is something I’m always learning about.
For trends, I’m loving the availability of dynamic warm white, not just warm dim, in more fixtures now. Using this technology, not as it relates to circadian rhythm, but as a way to influence the look and feel of materials throughout the space and the experience of the visitor is exciting.
What are you working on at the moment, and do you have any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re able to tell us about?
After working with John Ronan Architects on both the Poetry Foundation and the Illinois Institute of Technology Innovation Center, we’re excited to collaborate again on the new Chicago Park District Headquarters building with their team. In historic preservation, we are working with our Union Station team again, Goettsch Partners, on the restoration of the Lincoln Park Zoo Lion House.
What would be your best advice to Emerging Lighting Designers?
When in doubt, mock it up. If there is a question about an installation detail or performance of a fixture, building a mockup can tell you so much that a computer calculation or specification sheet cannot. For Union Station, we tested almost every fixture on-site prior to finalization of the schedule to check performance and sightlines. Also, attend every punchlist site visit you can. To see the design you worked on move from paper, to calculation, and finally to real life is such an important experience. It will inform all your decisions on the next project and make you more confident in those decisions.
Last, what makes light magical to you?
At a minimum light needs to be functional, but when done right, especially in collaboration with a great design team, it can be transformational. It is the finishing touch for a project. When lighting blends seamlessly into the design concept it helps bring the architect’s vision to life.
Sally Storey has received the LIT 2020 Lifetime Achievement prize, recognizing her contribution to the Lighting industry. She has been guiding John Cullen Lighting and founded Lighting Design International company. Sally shares her passion for Lighting Design and her best advice to Emerging Lighting Designers.
Could you tell us a little about yourself? How did you discover your passion for Lighting Design?
Subconsciously, I have always been fascinated by the play of light and shadow, and it was only when I studied Architecture did I understand how everything I did and saw was sculpted by light. I chose to do my thesis on light and analyzed its effects on people’s perception of the space. I started my work as a lighting designer when I met John Cullen. The work was mainly residential but varied from a palace in the Middle East to a house in Hampstead and a hotel in Knightsbridge!
Sadly, John died in 1986 all too young, and I continued with John Cullen Lighting specializing in residential lighting. After realizing the luminaires available were not small enough for residential projects the John Cullen Lighting range began to bring that hotel and museum-quality into the home.
A major bank approached John Cullen Lighting and was keen to have only lighting advice. This commercial project request was the beginning of Lighting Design International, which now has a worldwide client base of hospitality and Superyachts.
How would you describe the role and responsibilities of a lighting designer?
The lighting designer is there to interpret the wishes of the architect, designer, and client to realize their dreams. Often understanding what they would like to achieve, which may be impossible, and translating it into an idea that is achievable while at the same time adding more to the project. It is this intuitive understanding of light that makes a lighting designer successful.
Throughout your career, you have accompanied some outstanding projects to their completion. From your perspective, which ones are particularly formative for the work at John Cullen Lighting and Lighting Design International? What are you working on at the moment, and do you have any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re able to tell us about?
For John Cullen Lighting, the early Middle East projects were so intricate and demanded such detail to light arches and columns. This led to the first product development of a small halogen deeply recessed uplight design and the low glare polespring downlight to be able to use as a replacement for the larger Darklight quality of commercial products, as nothing existed of these sizes at the time.
Residential projects have continued as has the range grown usually being driven by a design need.
For Lighting Design International, the first project was Chase Manhattan Bank after that small boutique hotels. Now it is the individual specialist hotels like the Firmdale Group and major luxury Four Seasons Hotels; we are currently working on three and some major names in London like the Dorchester. However, as a judge for the Super Yacht Design & Innovation Awards, we have explored this market, and it is one of precision, almost like a Jewellery box tolerances are tight, and it is all about concealment and joinery integration.
We have completed various areas in Harrods from the Food Halls, Fine Watches, Men’s Shoes, Superbrands, Technology and currently working on Hair and Beauty.
You are the LIT 2020 Lifetime Achievement recipient for your contribution to Lighting Design, what does it mean to you?
I am thrilled to receive this award, as there is no greater award than getting personal recognition from my peers and inspirational designers all over the world.
What would be your best advice to Emerging Lighting Designers?
Follow your passion, never look back and enjoy every day! Light is intangible yet reveals all that we see. Learning to manipulate it, takes time and experience.
Always test your ideas as not only can you avoid mistakes in advance you can be inspired and create new solutions. To this very day, I tell all my designers to play with light, test it, do mock-ups as I believe seeing is believing and relying on computer renders is not as emotive.
Last, what makes light magical to you?
I will never tire of experimenting with light and seeing how a sculpture or space can be transformed and changed by the way it is lit. Natural light has always been my inspiration and capturing some of those moments in my schemes keeps me busy!
Project: Heckfield Place, Hampshire
Company: Lighting Design International
Photographer: Sprately & Partners
Project: Kimpton Fitzroy, London
Company: Lighting Design International
Photographer: Gavriil Papadiotis
Could you tell us a little about yourself? I live and work in Ireland.
How did you discover your passion for Lighting Product Design?
I have always been obsessed with flames and the drive to emulate the glow of an open flame and incorporate it in my work has been a lifelong passion.
I would describe my work more at the sculpture end of the spectrum and so the passion has come from a visceral and intuitive place.
Your winning project is the Artist’s Hand. Can you please explain to us, what was your creative journey?
This is a further exploration into my ‘edge-lit’ pieces which I first started making in the ’90s using Incandescent lamps. The innovation of LED technology allowed me to in a more artistic way ‘draw with light’.
Artists’s hand is literally a drawing of my translated directly into a 3d bronze and light sculpture.
In general, as a Lighting Product designer and artist, where is your inspiration from?
This can come from anywhere….a could floating by, a bronze age artifact, a bone. The human form is a repeated source of inspiration and then there is always space itself, which can speak to me and dictate the piece I might end up creating for it.
What does it mean to you, to win the LIT 2020 Lighting Product Design of the Year prize?
Of course, I am delighted to have recognition for my piece Artists’ hand but to be recognized by my peers is especially nice and I hope that I would inspire others to ‘speak their truth’, and make the work for themselves and not others and then success will follow.
What are you working on at the moment, and do you have any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re able to tell us about?
I am working on the largest commission of my career, a 12-meter-long piece that I am very excited to see realized. This will take myself and my team in the region of 2000 hours to make in our studio, so truly monumental work.
What would be your best advice to Emerging Lighting Product Designers?
As I said above, make work for yourself, don’t follow trends and have integrity in what you do every day.
Last, what makes light magical to you?
The warm amber glow of a naked flame is immensely mesmerizing and has held a lifelong fascination for me. In every piece that I make I try to emulate this warm amber glow.
Emerging Lighting Product Designer winners of the LIT 2020 Edition, Neeraj R Jawale and Samriti Gosain share their creative journey and dreams to bring ORI to life.
Could you tell us a little about yourself?
We are both students of the National Institute of Design, India. We are currently pursuing our master’s degrees. We love to create products and experiences which are meaningful and can impact human product relationships.
How did you discover your passion for lighting? What makes light magical to you?
Light can create experiences that can change the way you look at things. Light cannot just be seen it can be felt, it has the power to alter your mood is what makes it magical to us.
Your winning project is ORI – your everyday light; can you please explain to us, what was your creative journey? Where is your inspiration from?
ORI is a mood light lamp named after the hues of the sky at different times of the day. We, humans, have a very strong relationship with natural light; it benefits us in different ways. Among its many benefits to the human body, one is that it has the power to alter our moods instantly. The bright light from the day can boost our focus and energy and how soothing hues of sunset can put us in a relaxing mood. We wanted to create a light with the intent to bring those experiences into our homes. It gives users the freedom to select light from any time of the day and relish the joy of it.
Inspired by nature itself, ori’s form is derived from the Sun, leveraging the smart technology we wanted to create an interaction that is natural to us humans. The ring frame of the light is also a feather touch panel for regulating the light. The touchpoints are positioned on the frame like minutes of the clock; users can simply swipe their fingers on the surface of the lamp to select the hue of light that represents that time of the day. Now you have the freedom to create sunrise and sunset as per your desire.
It’s an attempt to re-establish our relationship with nature and in the process gives us the opportunity to admire it once again.
What does being the winner of the LIT 2020 Emerging Lighting Product Design of the Year title, mean to both of you?
LIT design awards hold great importance to us as designers. Getting recognition on the same platform where leading designers from the light design industry are awarded is a really big achievement for us, students! Winning this award will definitely prove to be a turning point in our careers and also it opens doors to a lot of opportunities, which is highly motivating.
It gives us immense joy to win the LIT 2020 Emerging Lighting Product Designer.
You are just starting your career as a Lighting Product Designer… what do you want to do next? What are your dreams?
This recognition has surely motivated us to work on bigger projects and explore more in the field of lighting and light product design.
We are now looking forward to collaborating with established designers and a few companies to bring Ori to life. Working with light is a transforming experience for us and we would now love to see its impact on other people’s life.
What are you working on now? Can you share a glimpse of your next Lighting Product Design project?
Our next project also focuses on creating new and meaningful experiences of light. We are investigating new ways in which we can interact with light which may redefine our relationship with light. It is currently at a very initial stage, we are looking forward to sharing it with the LIT family once it takes a promising shape.
