Prize(s) Winners in Exterior Architectural Illumination
Company L'Observatoire International
Lead Designers Hervé Descottes
Other Designer's names Jenny Ivansson, Alex Miller, Ece Ozerdem, Elisa Forlini, Jason Neches, Jun Soo Park
Architecture Company Gehry Partners LLP
Client Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial
Photo Credits Halkin Manson Photography
Completion Date August 15th, 2020
Project Location Washington DC, USA
Entry DescriptionThe Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial celebrates the life and accomplishments of the 34th President of the United States. Located at the center of a 4-acre landscaped plaza, the Memorial features a commemorative large-scale stainless-steel tapestry, bronze sculptures, and inscription wall. Lighting is closely interwoven with the design by Gehry Partners. L’Observatoire International was commissioned for a full scope of lighting design: illuminating the plaza and its pathways, the memorial core, and surrounding streetlighting.
The lighting concept shapes the Memorial square as a volume of light. Through a horizontal layering of lighting, the site becomes a three-dimensional space, lending it a sense of interiority rather than imposing an outward display. The Memorial is transformed into a welcoming “urban room” whose perimeters are defined by light rather than physical walls. The layering directs particular focus to the Memorial Core, while anchoring its individual elements within the plaza.
Company DescriptionL’Observatoire International is a lighting design firm, founded in 1993 by Hervé Descottes.
