Abhay M Wadhwa Shares Design Ideas in New Book: CONTEXTUALIZING LIGHT

by | Jul 1, 2020 | News

This book examines how the context of a project can provide a causative force for creating an appropriate architectural lighting design solution. Some of the questions it addresses are as follows:

  • Why should the lighting world be flat, and at the cost of the amazing variety of local nuances and ideas that can be incorporated into the architectural design process and solutions?
  • When did darkness become bad?
  • Should the dialog not be about embracing the differences in culture, design approach, and other conditions that each region of the world provides, while embracing light as a universal medium?
  • Why are we looking to build an illuminated world at night that looks similar to other places?
  • How do the new lighting technologies impact our evolving zeitgeist?
  • Why is providing human-centric, dramatic & evocative experiences through light important for architecture & humanity?
  • How can we implement contextualized lighting design solutions that respect & enhance life experiences, especially for health and wellness?

These ideas and concepts are highlighted in the 18 essays written by the author in this book. These are further illustrated with examples from over 80 completed projects in 23 countries over the past 18 years of his design practice. Through this treatise, the author also shares ground-breaking research, where he discusses a holistic approach for using lighting to create spaces for health & wellness.

For more information on the book, please contact us at newyork@awalightingdesigners.com. For distribution inquiries, please contact our publisher ORO Editions California at brooke@oroeditions.com

ORO Editions will provide a special launch price for our book (20% off) till July 31 2020. Please click HERE to order directly from their website and check availability in your country.

TESTIMONIALS:

  • Shawn Basler – CO-CEO of Perkins Eastman.
    • “Over the years, AWA Lighting Designers has been an essential part of our creative process, and one of the most unique firms to work with in the industry. Their understanding of light as an art form that can be sculpted through shadow and nuance, rather than simply a utility, is why their collaboration on projects has made such an impact.”
  • Thomas Vonier – President of the International Union of Architects (UIA)
    • “In works that span nearly two decades and several continents, AWA’s each project expresses AWA’s conviction that light informs and even creates experience, and that light itself is bound inextricably with form, space, volume, culture and human perception – the very stuff of architecture.”
  • Jacob Liberman – Author of Luminous Life: How the Science of Light Unlocks the Art of Living
    • “Having worked in the fields of light, vision and consciousness over the past 45 years, I was deeply touched by Abhay Wadhwa’s exquisite illustration of the use of light in the field of architecture. If a picture is a thousand words, then CONTEXTUALIZING LIGHT is a view of the universe — a feast for our eyes – a tapestry of sheer beauty created through the inspiration touching Abhay Wadhwa’s artistry over the last 25 years. This book is gorgeous!”
  • Mark Rea, Ph.D. – Former Director & Professor of Architecture and Cognitive Sciences at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
    • “What strikes me most about this book is the diversity and quality of the work.  As the book title implies, the diversity of designs for different cultures and countries in context is extraordinary. The quality of the images accompanied by his statements of philosophy show how deeply Abhay dives into each and every project. Fundamentally, Abhay hopes that lighting design will never become a cut-and-paste exercise, as is tempting with today’s canned lighting design programs.”

Conversations with the Author: Abhay M Wadhwa

Series 1

Over the last 6 months, Abhay had informal and candid discussions with our team on the reasons behind writing this book. We will be sharing one video every week from the collection of fourteen videos. Today’s video is titled “Why Should People Care?

  • Episode 1 – Why Should People Care? – June 30 2020
  • Episode 2 – Problem Solving with Light – July 7 2020
  • Episode 3 – Cultural Approaches – July 14 2020
  • Episode 4 – The Reason – July 21 2020
  • Episode 5 – The Process – July 28 2020
  • Episode 6 – Where are we going? – August 4 2020
  • Episode 7 – Where can we buy this book? – August 11 2020
  • Episode 8 – Highlights – August 18 2020

Series 2

  • Episode 1 – Introduction – August 25 2020
  • Episode 2 – Soularium – September 1 2020
  • Episode 3 – Illusion vs. Allusion – September 8 2020
  • Episode 4 – Civic Intent- September 15 2020
  • Episode 5 – Environmental Impact – September 22 2020
  • Episode 6 – Manufacturing Processes – September 29 2020