Prize(s) Winners in Bar and Restaurant Lighting Design
Company L'Observatoire International
Lead Designers Hervé Descottes
Other Designer's names Carlos Garcia, Esteban Varas
Client The Howard Hughes Corporation
Photo Credits Nicole Franzen, Eric Petschek
Other Credits Architecture of Record : Cass Calder Smith, Interior Designer : Roman and Williams, MEP Engineer:WSP
Completion Date 2022
Project Location New York, New York, USA
Entry DescriptionIn an exciting collaboration with interior designer Roman and Williams and restauranteur Jean-Georges Vongerichten, we have lit the entire 64,000 sq ft of the historic Tin Building, the original home of the Fulton Fish Market. The 1907 building was disassembled and replicated at Manhattan’s Seaport, creating a bustling destination for both day- and nighttime patrons. Numerous markets, bars, and restaurants (anchored by, yes, a fish market) are defined by individualized explorations of a unified lighting design vocabulary.
The entire first-floor market area shows a strong historical expression. The core is activated with integrated lighting in the millwork and tunable-white backlighting of art glass panels. This mid-height palette lends intimacy in the cavernous space. Even where stalls are closed, careful dimming transitions from activated daytime market lighting into warm lighting at night, greeting visitors for an evening dining experience.
Day and night, this waterfront landmark pulses with new life. The lighting design ensures that shoppers and diners engage with the venue’s overall identity, easily navigate to favorite vendors in the enormous floorplan, and delight in unique, multisensory dining experiences.
Sustainability ApproachPockets of design create self-contained experiences, and custom luminaires throughout the Tin Building help define the unique destinations within the larger space. Beginning with the first floor’s two main axes, clusters of custom spheres, a leitmotif design collaboratively with Roman and Williams, establish entry and march down the aisles. These globes can be seen in distinctive modes in several areas. Spun-aluminum “barn lights” tie into the building’s historical character and supply dense illumination surrounding the core.
Highly customized “invader” luminaires might use a similar lighting vocabulary but in divergent expressions. For instance, the playful candy and ice cream shop is defined by a custom chandelier of exploding globes on a coppery reflective ceiling.
Company DescriptionL’Observatoire International is a lighting design firm, founded in 1993 by Hervé Descottes.
