Prize(s) Winners in Workplace Lighting Design
Lighting Design/Product Company Map Design Studio
Lead Designers Artemis Papadatou
Other Designer's names Monica Llamas, Anne Roca
Client Whalar Group
Photo Credits Yoshihiro Makino, Ye Rin Mok
Completion Date 03/30/2025
Project Location Venice Beach, California
Entry DescriptionThe Lighthouse is a 24,000-square-foot Venice Beach creative campus for content creators. Housed in a historic 1937 Post Office, the campus merges the building's past with a vibrant creative present.
Special emphasis was given to lighting design, which scaled the vast space into intimate areas and seamlessly transformed the atmosphere—shifting from workspace by day to dynamic venue by night for after-hours events of the LA creative scene.
A grid of pendants is used throughout open office spaces, creating a buffer between interiors and exposed ceiling systems. The custom-designed pendants offer ambient, glare-free illumination with a simple decorative character. While the pendants create a warm 2200K soft illumination, the lights framing the skylights and custom tasklight bars on communal tables have variable white sources, shifting from cooler tones (2700K) during the day to warmer (2200K) during evening events.
Illuminated signage boxes indicate room uses, while a lightbox above the bar anchors it as a warm, inviting destination. Downlights, fixed and adjustable, include integral j-boxes for exposed ceilings, maintaining a clean architectural look.
The two-level project houses a 72-seat theater, studios, podcast suites, editing bays, and a test kitchen. Ground-floor ambience continues into basement circulation spaces, while studios are lit with cooler, brighter sources.
Sustainability ApproachThe project required Title 24 compliance. Energy highly efficient light sources were used throughout. For applications that needed warm lighting, we developed custom solutions to balance design goals, sustainability, and efficiency, all while adhering to strict energy codes. A smart wireless dimming system is used and programmed for the lighting in the open areas to be dynamic throughout all times of the day. Lighting in closed offices is controlled via sensors.
Company DescriptionWe use light as a medium to transform spaces and reveal their aesthetic qualities. Through the use of light, we create a visual hierarchy and define an atmosphere within the built environment.
Our expertise spans across various project typologies and uses creative design approaches integrated with extensive knowledge of lighting technologies, control systems, LEED certification and energy compliance.
We collaborate with clients, architects and interior designers throughout the world.
