Prize(s) Honorable Mentions
Company Cline Bettridge Bernstein
Lead Designers Francesca Bettridge, Alexis Arnoldi, Glenn Fujimura
Architecture Company Studios Architecture
Client The Durst Organization
Photo Credits Alan Schindler Photography
Completion Date March 30, 2020
Project Location New York, NY
Entry DescriptionThe thoughtful illumination of this public plaza in midtown Manhattan starts with the soft, even lighting provided by contemporary cutoff pedestrian poles, which achieve the light levels required by NYC’s strict code. Highlighting architectural elements transforms the daytime experience of the plaza into an inviting exterior room.
Borrowed light emanates from the monumental, three-story glass lobby wall. Its vertical coves accentuate tilted planes, establishing a motif for the lobby and the illuminated exterior screen wall.
Recessed downlights in the building’s colonnade also contribute light to the plaza, as do the lines of light below the bench seats that define the edges of the curved, raised planters.
A glowing screen of backlit perforated metal echoes the tilted panel motif of the lobby, acting as a backdrop for the silhouetted trees. Concealed linear grazing LEDs evenly reflect light through diffusers.
The daytime experience is focused on the building entrance, while the exterior lighting is concealed. At night, the lighting opens the plaza and reveals the overall composition, inviting pedestrians to sit and gather.
