The National Light
JFK Plaza (“Love Park”) Design Studies
The National Light is a new public space in Philadelphia for civic discourse, national celebrations, and community engagement. Utilizing the Visitor Center structure in JFK Plaza presents an exciting opportunity to expedite the project and debut this incredible monument for the semisequicential celebrations in 2026.
A Monument with Lasting Impact
The interactive experience design will ensure the mission to represent every voice is achieved:
● Stations for individuals to record their voices
● Software enabled transformation of recordings into light and sound
● A central form to display light and sound
● Theaters to support onsite programming and events
Project Design Partner
The National Light
Original Inspiration
The places that foster connection, communication and interdependency. The natural attraction of a campfire. The harmony of a well orchestrated symphony. The grandeur of the world’s most recognizable landmarks. A monument that is an ecosystem, connecting the entire country.
Symphony
CentralGatheringPlace
Reverence Gathering NationalConnection
Design Evolution Research
The design study effort included an exploration of several precedent spaces both modern and historical that speak to the idea of community gatherings and important national discussions:
Town Hall Meetings
The setting and structure of public forums for local civic and democratic endeavors.
Speaker’s Corners
The foundational elements of stage, speaker and audience.
Public Squares & Parks
The look, feel and purpose of common, shared spaces in urban settings
University Campuses
The spaces that support education, innovation and thought leadership.
The gravitas of significant historical debates and speeches.
Political Conventions
The pomp and circumstance of political thoughts and opinions.
National Monuments & Memorials
The symbols of sacrifice and commemoration of service to the nation.
Social Media Platforms
The technology platforms that create space for exchange of ideas and opinions.
JFK Plaza (“Love Park”) Site Overview
JFK Plaza is centrally located in the city, nestled between civic buildings, transportation hubs and marquee destinations. It is both a hub for locals and a popular tourist destination. Historically a site for civic engagement and demonstrations, and featuring the iconic Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture, the JFK Plaza site is uniquely suited to be the home of The National Light.
Barnes Foundation
Site Evaluation
Love Park presents a new set of design opportunities and constraints. Working within an established location and existing physical structure requires creative solutions to re-envision the original physical design, but also offers tremendous opportunities to expand the reach and impact of The National Light.
Site Notes
-~5 acre park
-52’ diameter of core structure and an interior of 2,000 sqft
-Daily visitor foot traffic in City Center West ~200,000
-Recently completed revitalization of the entire park, with an emphasis on programming and community events
-Recently completed renovations to upgrade facilities and systems
- Building can provide interior seating for 50-55 patrons, with additional outdoor seating for up to 135 people on the balcony and in an adjoining park level terrace
- Located near City Hall offering views of esteemed architectural treasures
- Existing underutilized green space
Opportunities
-A highly utilized and established community destination
-A known and beloved community landmark in the heart of downtown Philadelphia
-High foot traffic area at all times of day
-Existing staff in place for park operations and security
-A transportation hub with access to several public transit options
-Existing parking situated under Love Park
-Relevant business and government building in the neighborhood
-Strong visibility within the local area, set in an active hub that could leverage more evening destinations
-Existing infrastructure in place to lower overall construction costs
-Support of Visitor Center and Parks Commissioner
Challenges
-Design refinements required to the original design to utilize the existing building structure
-A smaller overall experience footprint requires creative solutions to maximize the new space and explore modular strategies for key programming
Precedent Landmarks
We looked to historic and modern gathering spaces to inform our redesign work.
Design Studies
Design Foundation
The Visitor’s Center is an iconic structure, recognized as a cornerstone of the park. Activating this structure as The National Light monument will create a nationally recognized destination for community engagement, events and programming in the heart of the city. The existing structure is an excellent foundation for the core of The National Light experience. By taking a modular approach to our design strategies, several areas of the experience can evolve based on programming needs of the day.
The National Light will be a forum for meaningful dialogue and civic discourse. The core experience of the National Light will allow visitors to record contributions at individual stations and the latest hardware and software technologies will transform these contributions into a harmony of light and sound.
Experience Components
Additional Seating
Central National Light Luminaire
Stadium Seating Interactive Podiums (12)
Interior Flexible Space
Acknowledgement Wall
Additional Seating
Flexible Event Theater
Experience Components
Acknowledgement
Flexible Event Theater
Interior Flexible Space Central National Light Luminaire
Experience Components
A. Existing Park and Visitor Center
B. Addition of stairs surrounding building
C. Seating and Theater added to green space
The National Light - Daytime Activation
Exterior Experience
Digital Media Band for key messages and contribution interactions
Listening Pools located around the perimeter of the Central Form
Woven ambient audio experience on interior Theater & Seating
Stadium Stair Seating for visitor gatherings and event programming
Interactive Podiums for visitor contributions
The National Light - Daytime Activation
and Contribution Interactions
Listening Pools located around the perimeter of the Central Form
Digital Media Band for Key Messaging
Stadium Seating for Casual Visitor Engagement or Event Programming
Interactive Podiums for Visitor Contributions
Woven ambient audio experience on interior
An Interactive Experience
Visitors will make their voices heard by recording their vision for the nation at Interactive Podiums. Thought provoking prompts displayed on the podiums will draw everyone into the conversation. The form factor of the podium evokes the classic shape of lecterns and rostrums, and a connective “light trail” embedded in the ground will indicate to visitors their recording is being submitted directly to the monument.
How The National Light Works
Woven ambient audio experience on interior
Listening Pools located around the perimeter of the Central Form
Interior Media Ring for key messaging
Digital Core for media display of historic video content, community arts, and contribution highlights
Modular seating and tables for flexible programming
Flexible Event Theater
The Flexible Event Theater is a space to host debates, speeches, historical re-enactments and performances, that will profile individual citizens' courage and bravery as well as highlight the innovation and ingenuity of the American people.
The National Light - Night
Dynamic backdrop for presentations, community events and performances
Square Footage: 1368 sq ft
Lawn Area: 5,000 sqft
Theater Lawn Capacity
Standing: 800-900 people
Theater Lawn Capacity
Sitting: 500-600 people
Theater Stage: 57’x24’x6”
Animated canopy connects the state to the main monument
Acknowledgement Wall
The Acknowledgement Wall will be a dedicated space to highlight the generous contributions that made The National Light possible as well as featured contributions. This space can include additional educational components to contextualize the many and varied citizen contributions that have supported our democracy throughout history, or showcase the current question being posed to America.
The National Light - Night
Additional media opportunities: Interior Flexible Space
Famous speeches and quotes
Potential community arts collaborations
Additional media opportunities: Flexible Event Stage
Educational programming about history and civics with themes about individual sacrifice and impact.
● Re-enactments of speeches, debates and other historical moments
● Lectures and speeches from thought leaders and partnerships with local institutions
Local and National Events Programming:
● Concerts, theater and dance performances
● Political debates
● Speeches and addresses to the nation
The
National Light - Night
Thank you.
