Prize(s) Winners in Cultural Building Lighting Design
Lighting Design/Product Company HLB Lighting Design, TM Light
Lead Designers Tina Aghassian
Other Designer's names Azusa Yabe, Kristy Philp, Manal Kahale, Karen Park
Architecture Company Morphosis, OJB Landscape Architects
Client Orange County Museum of Art
Photo Credits Mike Kelley
Completion Date October 2022
Project Location Costa Mesa, CA
Entry DescriptionThe new Orange County Museum of Art epitomizes its mission to champion the transformative potential of art with a bold sculptural form. Its intricate geometric design and strong connection between interior and exterior space choreograph a journey of discovery that required seamlessly integrated lighting to enhance the architecturally driven experience. To achieve the concept of total coalescence, the lighting design team meticulously studied the building’s geometry, conducting frequent in-house mockups and walking through 3D models to develop a “no-size-fits-all” approach in which every lighting solution is a thoughtful response to the unique architectural terrain and programmatic needs of the space.
The building’s exterior presence is cultivated by its interior glow, which is filtered through glazing to form luminous “jewel boxes” that contrast with the silhouetting of the undulating terracotta façade. Once inside the museum, a backlit ceiling in the lobby and retail space emits a subtle glow that beckons visitors onward. The architectural journey reaches a crescendo in the atrium, where the lighting design team utilized modeling studies to identify opportunities for luminaire placement in wildly varied conditions. An integrated track system with different beam spreads and optic lenses provided the necessary flexibility for balanced and consistent illumination of the space.
