By Randy Reid with Parker Allen
The New York Section of the IES recognized the winning projects and designers of the 2022 Lumen Awards. Conceived in 1968, the purpose of the awards program is to acknowledge lighting designs that exhibit exceptional originality, ingenuity, and professionalism. Twelve projects received awards and special recognition:
Awards of Excellence
- Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals – Renfro Design Group
- Confidential Aerospace/Defense Headquarters – Fisher Marantz Stone
- Little Island – Fisher Marantz Stone
- Stony Brook Medicine MART Building and Children’s Hospital Tower – Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design
Awards of Merit
- Bike Barn at Thaden School – TM Light
- Denver Art Museum – Buro Happold
- 550 Madison Avenue Lobby – KGM Architectural Lighting
- MANITOGA / The Russel Wright Design Center – Anita Jorgensen Lighting Design
- Winter Visual Arts Center at Franklin & Marshall College – L’Observatoire International
Citation for Ceiling Feature
- Deutsche Bank Center Lobby – One Lux Studio
Citation for Urban Lighting Research
- Light Gowanus – Sighte Studio
Citation for Sustainable Design
- Terra–The Sustainability Pavilion – Buro Happold
Randy Reid, editor of designing lighting (dl) magazine, discussed the award selection process with the jurors. Every juror mentioned how impressed they were with the submissions, but that the winners really stood out from the field. As an architect, Richard Southwick brought a unique perspective to the jury. He emphasized the experience of each project, rather than the technical details:
A recurring theme among the award winning projects was the quality and ingenuity of the design – using light in careful and creative ways to produce a captivating effect without being overdone. As Michael Hennes explained, big and bright does not always translate into effective and beautiful lighting:
Jurors were asked about personal favorites among the winners. Little Island was a unanimous favorite, and, looking at pictures of the project, it is easy to see why. Carrie Meadows mentioned the Bike Barn at Thaden School, where TM Light did a wonderful job of highlighting the unique architecture and features of the structure itself. She explained her reasons for loving the project:
Most interesting part of the conversation was the discussion of trends that were seen among the winning projects. Recognizing these trends can provide some insight into where the lighting design field is headed in the future. Beth Turomsha discussed her surprise at the amount of projects featuring tunable white light:
For Kelly Roberts, the amount of indirect lighting was the thing that stood out. She spoke on this trend and how we might be rethinking how we light spaces:
Keeping with the theme of rethinking how we light spaces, Michael Hennes spoke on the movement toward more human-centric lighting. As we start to better understand how light affects people, we can expect more projects to factor these effects into their design:
designing lighting (dl) thanks the jurors for taking their time to speak with us and share their takeaways from this year’s awards. An in-depth look at each award-winning project can be found in the June issue of designing lighting (dl) and watch a short interview with each of the winning designers.