Prize(s) Winners in Hospitality Lighting Design / Interior Architectural Illumination
Lighting Design/Product Company Schuler Shook
Lead Designers Giulio Pedota, IALD, CLD, LC, LEED AP
Other Designer's names Sam Komber, Design IALD, LC, Project Lighting Designer
Architecture Company Serendi and OTJ
Interior Design Company Serendi and OTJ
Client Tishman Speyer
Photo Credits Daniel Kelleghan Photography
Other Credits Emily Kream, Tishman Speyer
Completion Date August 2025
Project Location Chicago
Entry DescriptionLocated near Chicago's Riverwalk, this lobby redesign transforms an underutilized space into an avant-garde hotel-inspired amenity. Atmospheric lighting plays a pivotal role, blending warm 2700K illumination with post-modern and historic architecture to evoke European hospitality.
Fixtures are seamlessly integrated into balustrades, pilasters, millwork, and flooring, creating a cohesive, immersive experience. Concealing fixtures at the balustrade required multiple mockups and a custom wiring strategy using grey low-voltage cables routed to columns behind the balustrades. Miniature LED tape was hidden behind fascia and wired to remote drivers in the mezzanine ceiling.
Drapes suspended from pilasters were lit with low-glare, 4-inch in-grade fixtures with regressed sources and louvers, while concealed, linear LED fixtures with 2700K color temperature, high CRI, softly illuminate the ceiling’s original Art Deco ornamentation.
In the west lobby, globe fixtures provide ambient light, while linear LEDs trace curvilinear seating and highlight biophilic elements.
On the Mezzanine, ornate golden doors are softly lit by recessed fixtures with black louvers.
All fixtures, including custom sconces, feature 0.1% dimming for wedding events. The result is a dramatic yet intimate chiaroscuro effect, emphasizing the soaring atrium ceiling and delivering a refined, lounge-like environment.
Sustainability ApproachThis project was designed substantially with high-efficacy, energy efficiency LED sources, and with dimming technology capable of dimming down to 0.1%. The downlights bear the Declare Label in alignment with the Living Building Challenge (LBC).In addition, the downlights manufacturer recycles 98% of metals used in products, with incoming raw metals averaging 60–80% recycled content. Their automated paint line cuts wastewater by 90%, and waste liquids are 95%+ recovered. Packaging uses 60–100% post-consumer recycled cardboard, and solar and wind provide 8% of the factory energy.
