“You are not here to merely make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.� Woodrow Wilson 1919
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Thank you Radha and Krishna for showing me the path of love!
CONTEXTUALIZING LIGHT Lighting Design Solutions in a Changing World SPECIAL EMPHASIS: Light for Health & Wellness
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By Abhay M. Wadhwa AWA Lighting Designers
CONTEXTUALIZING LIGHT Lighting Design Solutions in a Changing World AWA Lighting Designers Inc. 548 West 28th Street Suite 338 New York, New York 10001 USA Published by ORO Editions Publishers of Architecture, Art, and Design Gordon Goff: Publisher www.oroeditions.com info@oroeditions.com Copyright © 2019 by AWA Lighting Designers Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying of microfilming, recording, or otherwise (except that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press) without written permission from the publisher or author. You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Text: Abhay M. Wadhwa Projects: AWA Lighting Designers Inc. Managing Editor: Jake Anderson 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Edition ISBN: 978-1-943532-20-9 Color Separations and Printing: ORO Group Ltd. Printed in China. ORO Editions makes a continuous effort to minimize the overall carbon footprint of its publications. As part of this goal, ORO Editions, in association with Global ReLeaf, arranges to plant trees to replace those used in the manufacturing of the paper produced for its books. Global ReLeaf is an international campaign run by American Forests, one of the world’s oldest nonprofit conservation organizations. Global ReLeaf is American Forests’ education and action program that helps individuals, organizations, agencies, and corporations improve the local and global environment by planting and caring for trees. On the Cover: AWA’s Horizon Light Fixture
3 It has been a remarkable journey so far, a roller coaster of design ideas, emotions, economic downturns, new countries to explore, and research of “out there” topics in lighting and architecture. All of which have contributed to growing a team of great professionals here at AWA; a team that transcends cultures, genders, backgrounds, and persuasions, and that has worked together at AWA for the past 17 years. I want to thank several of you who have been my companions on this journey— many of you for over a decade. We have believed we are making a difference in our generation’s zeitgeist and, towards that, have created a design studio for change-makers who understand that change is the only constant— that we have to keep growing with every project and life experience. Together, we try to create socially-conscious responses that provide dramatic and evocative experiences. Why? For joy, happiness, and prosperity. The team at AWA, which I am fortunate to lead, is adventurous and innovative in life (at work and outside). My team has my heartfelt thanks for being with me on this journey and for tolerating my eccentricities and emotional responses. AWA stands where it is in the lighting industry worldwide because of you all and I am indebted to you for your hard work and grace. I would like to thank Justin Moench, Anurie Shah and R. Sitaraman for their leadership in running the multiple offices of AWA. Thanks to all the current and past AWA team members for their contributions to AWA’s growth. In writing and compiling this book (which has seen many iterations), I want to thank all of the above again. It has been a great team effort. A special thanks to Jordan Jackson, Oliver Bolton, Britany Derr, and Kyleen Hoover for their help at different stages of the book. A special note of thanks and gratefulness to Rupal Vaidya for her invaluable feedback and help in editing the book. And last to be mentioned, but first in my heart, this book is dedicated to my parents, Ma and Papajee, for all that they have stood for. They have always given me the freedom to follow my own path. Without their guidance and feedback, this journey may have been very different. Knowledge, character, and creativity were served in plenty during many a meal at the family dining table- often with guests! Those moments— indeed the ever-bright and luminous gestalts that my parents are— continue to be a source of inspiration everyday.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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CONTEXTUALIZING
LIGHT
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CULTURAL l immerse
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CONTEXTUALIZING LIGHT WITH CULTURE
LIGHTING DESIGN SOLUTIONS
032 036 038
INSTALLATION ART Monsoon Club Nets Go at Seoul Plaza Lumen Staten Island MUSEUMS & GALLERIES Bihar Museum D Gallery Indian Music Experience The Sugar And Suffering Series The Lumiere Series
IN A CHANGING WORLD
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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FOREWORD
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INTRODUCTION
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040 050 058 062 064
THE PARADIGM SHIFT & OUR ZEITGEIST
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PERSPECTIVES ON LIGHT
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WHEN DID DARKNESS BECOME BAD?
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THE COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
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THE WORLD OF ILLUSION VS ALLUSION
068 072 074 080 084 090 092
PUBLIC LANDMARKS Bushwick Inlet Park Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex Ismail Building Ark of Return National War Memorial Mumbai University Convocation Hall Chathrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Memorial
094 098 100
HOUSES OF WORSHIP Golden Temple Church of Assumption First Presbyterian Church
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INFRASTRUCTURE l grow
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OUR CIVIC INTENT
108 109 110 114 116 118 122 124 126
130 138 140 144 148
TRANSPORTATION GWB Upper Roadway Holland Tunnel Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon Ltd. Bayonne Bridge Doha Bridge Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Crossing Dubai 5th Crossing Bridge Green Line Station
THE PARAMETRIC APPROACH MASTERPLANNING Brigade Gateway Complex G9 Masterplan Phase 2 Masterplan Garment District NYC (Competition) - Finalist
CREATING A SENSE OF PLACE
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RETAIL l s h op
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RESIDENTIAL l liv e
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PERFECT ACCENT
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THE ACT OF DWELLING
296 302
PRIVATE RESIDENCES Mandala House Amritsar Residence
306 314 318
RESIDENTIAL TOWERS 507W 28th Street Vivarea OBW Clubhouse
154 164 170 180 188
MALLS Peak Tower Esplanade One Orion Mall at Brigade Gateway Cyber Hub Floreal Tower
192 196
SHOPS Findings NY Royal Enfield
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HEALTHCARE l H ea rt
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THE LATENT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIGHT AND HEALTH
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A POSITION PAPER ON HEALTHY LIGHTING Road Map for Healthy Lighting Children’s Hospital Medicity Medanta Soularium
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BIOPHILIA
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A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON LIGHT FOR HEALING
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The Light And Healing Series
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TECHNICAL PATENTS Ahimsa Light Horizon Light Z-Clip
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HOSPITALITY l r e l a x
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CREATING A DESTINATION
234 242 262
HOTELS Fairmont Jaipur Alila Diwa Resort Sheraton Park Hotel
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F&B South City Prime Ludo Lounge Tote Blue Frog
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COMMERCIAL I work
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BUILDING ENVY & THE ROLE OF LIGHTING
324 328 336 340 346 360 368 372 378 380
COMMERCIAL & CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTS Singapore Chancery 575 Lexington U Bora Tower World Trade Center At Brigade Gateway Godrej One First International Financial Center Indiabulls Centre Godrej BKC SSKC KAFD Parcel 4.11
play
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FIXTURE DESIGN l
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IMPACT OF CLIMATE ON LIGHT
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BUILT FIXTURES
394 396
COMPETITIONS Light Chords - Flos Elle Decor Competition (First Place) Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Crossing
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WHERE ARE WE GOING? “They don’t make it like that anymore!”
ABOUT 404
Abhay Wadhwa
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The Team at AWA
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Awards
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Photography Credits
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Press
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by Thomas Vonier In works that span nearly 2 decades and several continents, Abhay Wadhwa and his firm have accomplished an extraordinary range of lighting design projects. Each one expresses AWA’s conviction that light informs and even creates an experience, and that light itself is bound inextricably with form, space, volume, culture, and human perception— the very stuff of architecture. Lighting designs for retail shops, tower blocs, schools, restaurants, hotels, museums, universities, offices, parks, tunnels, places of worship, clubs, festivals, apartments, residences, and more, indoors, outdoors, and in between— AWA has done them all, each one with a compelling story. In a series of thought-provoking essays drawn from his landmark lectures on light, Abhay set the stage for these projects. He exposes the depth and the breadth of the philosophical, sci-
entific, and even spiritual considerations that inform AWA’s work and drive their explorations. Contextualizing Light is not only philosophy, science, or theory, however. Here we also have the pragmatic lessons of fixture design learned through reflective experience and careful study. Abhay discusses climate and light, culture and light, and the ever-present challenges posed by water, dust, insects, wind, birds, and, of course, human beings. Architects know that buildings and places reveal themselves in the interplay between light and darkness, shadow and reflection, color and transparency, surface and texture. All of these elements form the palette of AWA’s pleasing and skillful work, building upon the rich legacy of Richard Kelly and other great lighting designers who have had such profound and lasting influence.
about Thomas Vonier, FAIA, RIBA Architect Thomas Vonier FAIA RIBA is president of the International Union of Architects (UIA), the only global organization representing the world’s 3.2 million architects. With a private practice based in Paris and Washington DC, Thomas was the 2017 president of the American Institute of Architects. left: u bora tower I AWA I 2011
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FOREWORD
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by Shawn Basler As technology has transformed lighting design profoundly over the past several years, the fundamental effect lighting has on our built and natural environment has remained constant. Lighting is the medium that helps shape our environments by providing not only illumination, but also the inherent ability to affect our mood and evoke emotion within our daily lives. From the subtle glow of a candlelit dinner to a dramatically lit ancient treasure in a museum, light influences our perception of the environment and attitude toward the spaces we inhabit. Lighting design plays an integral part of the design process on many levels. Over the years, AWA Lighting Designers has been an essential part of that creative process, and one of the most unique firms to work within 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. Their use of technology as part of the design process has
also helped numerous design teams to both visualize the effects of lighting on space and research the effects on the human psyche. All of this has had a profound impact on the quality of design and the ambience of the places we create as designers. The future of lighting design will continue to push the boundaries of technology in both the design process as well as the built environment. The last decade has brought the most significant leap in lighting technology and design tools. We now can study the effects of lighting quality on space in real time and understand the impact on the environment. This becomes increasingly important in analyzing the impact of lighting design on our health and wellness, as well as sustainability. While new tools allow designers to quickly study lighting and technology may allow end-users to customize their experiences, the ability to choreograph this dance in design harmony will be led by those who approach lighting design as an art form. AWA remains one of those
firms at the forefront leading this paradigm shift in the industry. The essays and projects on the following pages represent a culmination of more than 20 years of thinking and practice in the field of lighting design by AWA. The preface, “The Paradigm Shift and Our Zeitgeist,” addresses the notion that the technology shift in lighting design has altered how we experience light within our built environments by seeking to understand the spirit of our times and how we can contribute as professionals. Our ability to use light as part of our built environment by transforming spaces through color, texture, and shape allows us to think of light as a physical medium. AWA Lighting Designers embodies this spirit in each of their projects by exploring the climate, culture, and materiality of each project, and pushing the boundaries of how the physical medium of light can enhance the user experience and impact how we see our world. Through their work, we can begin to understand the meaning of our zeitgeist.
about Shawn Basler, AIA, NCARB Shawn Basler leads Perkins Eastman as a part of the 3-person Co-CEO leadership team. Responsible for fostering the firm’s national and international growth, Shawn is a leader in the design of globally-recognized architecture and planning projects. With more than 20 years experience, his repertoire ranges from hotels and resorts, office buildings, and residential developments to industrial and commercial planning projects located throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Shawn collaborates closely with his clients to lead projects from concept through completion. He stays intimately involved in all aspects of the design process from planning and programming through technical design and construction, providing continuous oversight to meet clients’ goals. Shawn is a member of the American Planning Association and on the Professional Advisory Board of Kansas State University’s College of Architecture, Planning & Design. left: tote I AWA I 2009
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INTRODUCTION
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THE PARADIGM SHIFT & OUR ZEITGEIST “Our interactions with light are changing due to changing lighting (and controls) technologies, new choice of materials, a growing awareness of the latent properties of light for health and wellness, and new legislative policies.”
THE PARADIGM SHIFT & OUR ZEITGEIST The profession of lighting design has morphed over the past 20 to 30 years to become almost unrecognizable for many practitioners. Our journey over the past 2 decades has seen some exciting times — architecturally, economically, and with new lighting technology inundating our professional existence. We, at AWA, have spent a great deal of time researching light design in all its forms. As a professional firm in the industry, we attempt to embed our beliefs and theories into our work and hope that our efforts stand as justification for our arguments and critique of the zeitgeist of light. In the subsequent chapters, we have selected some of our works that we believe best display our efforts in order to manifest our thoughts surrounding lighting. Along with a detailed description of each project is a statement of how we believe that design meets the client’s needs, as well as how the design performs in accordance with our beliefs on lighting. We started speaking of this impending change in the early 2000s when we boldly stated at a conference that the way lighting design was being practiced would be extinct by 2020 and many of us would have to find new jobs or professions. No one was interested in the drastic change anticipated then, which challenged their comfort zones. Most of our deliverables were being replaced by software. As we get closer to 2020, all of these predictions are becoming stark realities for the lighting and design industries at large. Disruptive growth of the industry was bound to happen and the ever-present question for many of us is “How do we stay relevant?” What can we do as design professionals to still contribute to our zeitgeist? In order to contribute, we have to first understand what the zeitgeist is and then understand the changes the era is bringing and the new paradigms that are being created due to the changes.
“We define light as an overarching consideration of the visual sense as it is informed by our culture, climate, and materiality.”
Light exists in our zeitgeist as a medium by which we receive different forms of information, but it exists more explicitly through its capacity to help us to see. However, light possesses a broader contextualization. Light informs the mood and our attitudes toward both spaces and people. We seek to form a critique of the zeitgeist in this manner as we determine that there are not separate manifestations of light, but rather simply “light” and its forms. We critique this zeitgeist further by determining light as broader than its different forms or own interpretations of its capacity; we define light as an overarching consideration of the visual sense as it is informed by our culture, climate, and materiality. Like pixels, light is a physical embodiment. Pixels can be controlled and manipulated to form patterns, which we interpret as text or imagery, not merely through our conditioned response to familiar patterns but also through philosophical and theoretical perspectives. This is true of light as well. In understanding this, it is clear that the focus of the zeitgeist of light is of light as a thing, in whatever technological form it may be manifest. Our experience of the quotidian is informed by the senses; through our ability to see, hear, feel, taste, and touch. We live in a world dominated by aesthetic concerns and preferences as we seek to find comfort for our bodies and minds. How do we begin to determine our own capacities for change in order to adapt to our envi-
ronment? Here we arrive at a discussion about design and its ability to inform how we want to live. Design is not only a tool that we can use to manifest concepts and thoughts, but also one that allows us to sculpt our existence. Light is what forms our ability to see; its dispersions and levels determine how we interpret the content we see. Though opinions may vary, it is hard to argue that through our aesthetical concerns we do not perceive what we see to be of great value to us and our comfort. This is not to say that we do not value the aesthetics of sound in a beautiful opera; that of taste in a delicious meal; that of smell in a posy of fresh flowers, or that of touch in a warm caress, but we do, first, sense through sight. The power of our first visual impressions is extreme— it is said humans determine attraction in less than a second. How then are we to condition our sense of sight? To do that we must first not question what we see, but how we see. What we see is not the matter we form with our hands or the pixels we shape through our technology, but rather frequencies of light. When we generally speak of visual aesthetics we do not discuss methods of forming content, but how light affects our capacity to see. The emergence of the tiny, long-lasting, inexpensive LEDs is dramatically changing the lighting situations. Presently, it is predicted that Solid State Lighting (SSL) will comprise 75% of the global lighting market. Lack of standards for many components of the LED package and the reliability of the LED package will impact future growth. The wheel is almost coming full circle, turning away from mass manufacturing and toward individualized production. LED lighting systems will be affected by modularity, software, manufacturing processes, lamps, reflectors, finishes, and environmental factors. Previously, people relied more on natural light and on planning activities during times when it was available. In the last 100 years, as other areas of the world have found prosperity and technology has become more affordable, traditional constructs of light and darkness have been replaced by grossly over-lit spaces. The critique here is clear— technology should not be implemented carte blanche only because it is affordable and easy to install. All technology is susceptible to environmental concerns and, although LEDs do provide superior lighting efficiency in terms of energy, the rate of production required to fill the glut of over-lit lighting aesthetics is not environmentally sustainable. The reality of the industry is that we have an uncertain supply of both energy and materials, which should be addressed not through techno-solving, but rather through simple ethical implementation into the design process, which starts with the simple question, “do we really need this?” We hope that, as you turn through our work, you will be inspired to draw your own conclusions about the existing zeitgeist of light and will determine whether we have lived up to the standards that we have set for ourselves. We acknowledge that the license to critique a given system or set of beliefs is granted by being open to a critique of oneself and that in being open to that critique we challenge others to reform as we do. This is what we strive for— a new zeitgeist within the lighting design industry that will continue to develop for years to come. And it starts here.
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Our interactions with light are changing due to changing lighting (and controls) technologies; new choice of materials, a growing awareness of the latent properties of light for health and wellness, and new legislative policies. Technologies inevitably were going to change. Furthermore, supply cycles are changing and installation practices have become strikingly modular. Devices that use cameras or accelerometers to sense movements, such as Microsoft’s Kinect and Nintendo’s Wii, demonstrate that gestures can be a useful, powerful, and fun way to control a computer. However, these kinds of controls are rapidly entering the architectural design and lighting world due to the rapid cross-pollination between different manufacturing sectors.
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“The wheel is almost coming full circle, turning away from mass manufacturing and toward individualized production.”
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PERSPECTIVES ON LIGHT “Light in a space is easily understood when seen as the colloquial paint brush, revealing and hiding elements in a space for comfort, productivity, safety, and an appropriate ambiance. In that way, lighting can be appropriately referred to as the art of revealment and concealment.”
PERSPECTIVES ON LIGHT Louis Kahn “I gave myself an assignment: to draw a picture that demonstrates light. You say that the white piece of paper is the illustration; what else is there to do? But when I put a stroke of ink on the paper, I realized that the black was where the light was not, and then I could really make a drawing, because I could be discerning as to where the light was not, which was where I put the black. Then the picture became absolutely luminous.” Larry Kagan “The shadows are a condensation of something that exists in more dimensions ... behind them, there can be an awful lot going on. And what is more, because it was there all along to be seen and yet was not, we are left to wonder what else we may be missing.” Rudolf Wittkower “With Caravaggio, light isolates; it creates neither space nor atmosphere. Darkness in his pictures is something negative; darkness is where light is not, and it is for this reason that light strikes upon his figures and objects as upon solid, impenetrable forms, and does not dissolve them, as happens in the work of Titian, Tintoretto, and Rembrandt.” R. Buckminster Fuller “When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty … but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.” Dan Flavin “Actual space of a room could be broken down and played with by planting illusions of real light (electric light) at crucial junctures in the room’s composition.”
Jacob Liberman “Color is color, you might think. What does a color have to do with how I feel? If you ask a physicist about the nature of reality and the foundation of life, they will tell you that everything in life— everything you see, hear, feel, taste, and touch— is a vibration. Take any object. Yes, it seems solid until you put it under a microscope. Continue to magnify what you see and eventually all that remains is its vibrational signature. At the most fundamental level, the real underpinning of reality is the vibration of light. Color is just our visual perception of light vibrating at specific frequencies.” OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS In the last 20 years, several people have looked at redefining light either through the development and adaptation of old ideologies or through the development of new theories on light. Here are excerpts from an essay I wrote in 1997 for a prominent lighting design journal:
Murray Whyte is a contemporary journalist from Canada, reflecting on our zeitgeist. He published an article in 2008 entitled “Darkness: Basking in the Dimming of the Light,” which looked at how we perceive our environments as spaces of light, shadow, and darkness. In the article, Whyte gives examples from Toronto where he critiques the existence of the after dark world in modern society. Whyte paints a picture of Yonge Dundas Square as blanketed by billboard televisions and flashing lights atop every building, in which it is impossible to escape what he calls “the tyranny of light.” Whyte makes it clear that he is not critiquing the commercialization of public spaces, but rather the physiological effect that results from the influx of light. In noting that we have only mastered light in the last century, Whyte makes some interesting points on how light has gone from a resource to present certainty, that not only as long ago as the era of J. Edgar Hoover were industrialists promoting the expansion of light in an effort to make streets safe. “American ingenuity and productive geniuses have provided the means of eliminating darkness from our streets, parks, playgrounds, and other public places.” Whyte points out that during this period of literal “enlightenment,” darkness was treated as a source of danger and evil like never before. Our industrial and technological strength exerted itself thoroughly through the implementation of not only light but the perpetuation of the fear of darkness. Hoover was not alone in his ideology during this period as Whyte points out, citing humanist Ralph Waldo Emerson’s perspective on the issue through the decisive statement; “There is no more night.” Whyte critiques the views of Hoover and Emerson in their lack of appreciation for the subtlety of shadow, while also accepting that they were simply conforming to the popular ideology of the time that was developed from a standing perspective on the binary of good and evil as light versus dark. Whyte also refers to the effects that the predisposition towards light and dark have on color. He mentions the relationship between “dark” and “black,” and “light” and “white,”
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“Light facilitates illumination and plays the role of an intermediary in making the world around us visible. Light is a form of electromagnetic energy to which the organs of sight react; it aids in seeing and recognition of people and places. I perceive light as a diaphanous unifying medium; a medium with a certain volume; a medium with a certain porosity that fills the space. Some of it you can walk through and we call that ambient light, while the other type creates boundaries and edges that define a space. It is like luminous clay; to be sculpted and colored for art, and then diagnosed and modified for function. Light is the medium, while lighting is a concept and a point of view. Light is the means to an end; lighting is the vehicle for these means, and the truthfulness of creation and a sincerity to the space lit is the final goal. Light and space are mutually dependent— one cannot exist without another. Light in a space is easily understood when seen as the colloquial paint brush, revealing and hiding elements in a space for comfort, productivity, safety, and an appropriate ambience. In that way, lighting can be appropriately referred to as the art of revealment and concealment.”
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Jun’ichiro Tanizaki “And yet so far as I know the West has never been disposed to delight in shadows. Japanese ghosts have traditionally had no feet: Western ghosts have feet but are transparent. As even this trifle suggests, pith darkness has always occupied our fantasies, while in the West even ghosts are as clear as glass.”
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and how the good/evil binary follows suit with a particularly humorous reference to Darth Vader’s characterization from the Star Wars films— noting that he “didn’t wear black because he found it slimming.”
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In judging the characteristics of our environment, Whyte’s critique of light moves into the residential market as well, as he looks at how we interact with light within our homes. He notes that we use light to erode barriers of time; we are no longer bound by the hours of the daylight to complete our tasks. In reality, we are a society of nocturnal creatures, existing in both light and dark as we please. “We flood every street in phosphorescence; flood our homes and offices with a bright wash. We carve our way through the streets with halogen headlights blazing, the hour of the day providing no barrier to movement. In the face of our heavy technology-convenient culture, darkness has lost its malevolent heft, demoted to a manageable annoyance.” We control our light with force. Since the beginning of our ability to control light, we have sought more and more control: from being able to simply start a fire, to be able to measure the intensity of the light emitting from our iPhone screens, our desire to manipulate light becomes ever narrower. “We are a society of light-addled control freaks. And what a shame that is. The dark is, by nature, intimate and mysterious, shadows providing moody cover for secrets and rites. It is not simply cover for criminal intent. The dark can be a fertile space. And it’s our natural state, after all, once the sun goes down— something we’ve made a little too easy to forget.” Whyte also questions the reality of our fears, noting the positives that come from experiences in the shadows or dark. He paints a picture of a pleasurable experience with friends by candlelight, or underneath the stars; he denotes a certain romantic quality that rises from the privacy given by shadow and the isolation that is acquired or shared by partners in close environments. “Front yard dinner parties, lit by candlelight. Legions of moonlight strollers meandering the blackened city streets. Who had ever seen a sky so full of stars in downtown Toronto? And who among us all wasn’t happy to see it? By the time it ended, we were sorry to see it go. But it was a valuable insight into the darkness we’ve worked so hard to eliminate. In the end, it posed a question: At the end of this, what are we really afraid of? This is not to suggest that a return to pure darkness is a reasonable plan, but some judicious use of shadow would help humanize our over-lit lives.” Whyte hits the nail on the head here in his interpretation of shadow and darkness in the use of the term “judicious.” Whyte’s critique is not about favoring the absolute or “necessary” introduction of darkness, but rather the development of an intelligent measure of shadow. By engaging more with our environment in regard to the natural state of light, Whyte puts forward an agenda that requests a more tempered approach.
“American ingenuity and productive geniuses have provided the means of eliminating darkness from our streets, parks, playgrounds, and other public places.”
While Whyte’s critique features a great deal of theological interest, he remains outside of the industry as a journalist. From inside the industry, few have had as great an impact as Christopher Cuttle, an architectural lighting designer who has written several books on lighting theory. One of Cuttle’s first books, entitled Light for Art’s Sake (2007) looked at lighting in museums, with particular focus on the potential damage that light can cause to the exhibits. Cuttle’s work is a critique of light, as well as an understanding of the paradox of light and darkness. Within the museum, light is needed to see the exhibits, but beyond that, light is required in a certain manner to highlight and influence the perspectives of what we see. In applying this light, Cuttle argues that lighting designers must be careful not to cause ill-effects toward the artwork. In his most recent book, Lighting by Design (2008), Cuttle puts forward a new approach toward light-
Cuttle begins by introducing the three main aspects of his design methodology: observation, visualization, and realization. In his section about observation, Cuttle explores the relationship between architecture and light as they manifest together in space. He notes that people tend to appreciate architecture as they appreciate space but that they rarely associate those same spaces with light. He doesn’t critique the hierarchy, merely mentions it as a part of the process of designing light. Through visualization, Cuttle displays how designers can create freely the experience of lighting as a mental image. The designer’s ability to visualize space in this manner is a primary skill. As he moves through to realization, Cuttle states that lighting designs manifest concepts through technical specification. He talks of the leap between the cerebral and the mechanical and that during this process, the designer must not lose sight of “the principle that what matters is what can be seen to make a difference.” Lastly, Cuttle looks toward realization, in which the processes of observation and visualization converge, utilizing technical specification to manifest a design into reality. Cuttle calls this process “the leap from the cerebral to the technical,” and issues that in creating technical specifications for clients, the designer may promise: “Install this equipment in accordance with these instructions and you will have the lighting that I have described to you.” In forming technical specifications, no matter how perfect or simple the communication may seem, there will always be complications in creating a design. The designer must be able to adapt and work through these complications. Lighting by Design does put forward a new perspective in the designing of light and provides a strong methodology for any designer wishing to learn new approaches to the practice.
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ing that is much more about design and careful technique than simple illumination. Utilizing theories put forward by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, Cuttle explores the role of shadow and darkness from a more physiological perspective.
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“Within the museum light is needed to see the exhibits, but beyond that, light is required in a certain manner to highlight and influence the perspectives of what we see.”
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WHEN DID DARKNESS BECOME BAD? “We praise shadows and darkness, or rather, the sculpting of light. The question is not how we can harness light, but rather how can we curate light.”
WHEN DID DARKNESS BECOME BAD? The most prominent and fundamental element of our critique of the zeitgeist, even within the theoretical discussion of light that we seek to understand as we contextualize light, is that we do not praise light by itself as a singular stimulus. Although we discuss and explore its forms and its nature, we do not promote an ideology that proffers an expansion of more light within our lives. Neither are we, at AWA ambivalent toward light’s existence— as such this critique exists. We praise shadows and darkness, or rather, the sculpting of light. The question is not how we can harness light, but rather how can we curate light. Over time, requirements for light levels shift within a culture or people. In the United States in the ’50s and ’60s, the popular adage was “more light, better sight.” The OPEC Energy Crises of 1973 and 1979 are perfect examples of how world economics can influence our views on the usage of light. Political turmoil and global competition for limited oil reserves have a major impact on the energy prices at home and these influence our lighting decisions. After the crises, the light level requirements were dropped to half, begetting an obvious question and concern on the choice of the required light levels in the preceding 30 years. Financial circumstances change our view of light usage and energy conservation, our awareness of over-lighting, and influence the emergence of more subtle lighting strategies. The “more light, better sight” philosophy has waned in favor of more strategic and sculpted lighting. It is given that light and darkness are opposites; darkness being the absence of light and light being the absence of darkness. However, we omit something from this paradigm— shadow. Shad-
17 ow is the comparative darkness that results from the blocking of light. Shadow is how light and darkness manifest themselves in unity— this is a fundamental perspective to be understood in the effort to contextualize light. By using shadows and darkness as our tool, we form light not by manifesting it as a thing or by dispersing it across a surface, but rather by forming the surface itself; manipulating the contours and shapes of the surface to formulate the experience we desire from the space.
“Shadow is how light and darkness manifest themselves in unity”
These ideologies are not original, however, even though the zeitgeist may reject them. They are formed primarily through the work of the legendary Japanese novelist Jun’ichiro Tanizaki. Tanizaki’s many published works have contributed heavily not only to Japanese literature but also to the field of aesthetic and cultural theory. In defining the approach to the comparison of western and eastern culture, Tanizaki managed to form the basis for the development of visual theory. One of his most famous works, In Praise of Shadows, was first published in 1933 and translated into English in 1977 by Thomas Harper and Edward Seidensticker. The title of the 73-page essay has been clearly referenced thus far, yet the content of Tanizaki’s theories goes much deeper. “We Orientals tend to seek our satisfactions in whatever surroundings we happen to find our-
Here Tanizaki delivers a sharp criticism of Western cultural attitudes, which could be argued to still exist today. The contrasting themes of stillness and movement can be seen here represented without prejudice, using the terms “content” and “progressive” to denote positive attributes to both mentalities. Tanizaki continues his thought on cultural attitudes towards light: “And yet so far as I know the West has never been disposed to delight in shadows. Japanese ghosts have traditionally had no feet; western ghosts have feet, but are transparent, as even this trifle suggests, pitch darkness has always occupied our fantasies, while in the West even ghosts are as clear as glass.” “Comfort” is substituted for “delight” hereby Tanizaki in his allusion to states of being. He aligns the perception of being with that of a ghost and uses two different forms of the term “ghost” to define the differences between Eastern and Western culture. He says here that while the East can delight in the knowledge that substance exists without clarity or assurance, the West must see to believe. To contextualize light, it is important that a productive discourse and methodology are established. In looking toward the trends of the future, we ask not how we can add more to the equation, but how the equation can be more efficient. Through the chapters of this book, light will be explored both within its existing realm
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selves, to content ourselves with things as they are; and so, darkness causes us no discontent, we resign ourselves to it as inevitable. If light is scarce then light is scarce; we will immerse ourselves in the darkness and there discover its own particular beauty. But the progressive westerner is determined always to better his lot. From candle to oil lamp, oil lamp to gaslight, gaslight to electric light— His quest for a brighter light never ceases, he spares no pains to eradicate even the minutest shadow.”
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of contemporary society as well as its potential in the future. Sustainability is the key to the future not only in an environmental sense, but in a methodological and sociological sense. The methods of design that we establish today will manifest themselves as the realities of tomorrow. In understanding the critical concept of consequences, we can look to the future through the present with a much more focused eye. New technology tends not to fill our gaps, but instead replaces our old technology. We are interested in a method of innovation that will allow us to coexist harmoniously within a global environment in the long term. We exist in a hovering state of both not having what we want, yet also not preserving what we have. As our attitudes change to a more systemic approach to sustainability we will see a truer form of future proofing emerge. In beginning the effort to contextualize light it would be wise to first establish the main pillars that will be addressed within contemporary society. As it pertains to light, these pillars are culture, climate, and material. These three topics are overarching and broad in their capacity, even within the context of light. However, they do form the main criteria for the design of light throughout the world. The most important aspect in understanding these three pillars is the reality that they all inform each other: culture is informed by climate, materiality is informed by culture, and climate is informed by materiality, and so on. These matters of concern play a large role in shaping our quotidian experience, both through their unity as well as their disparity. By looking at these new perspectives on light, we find ourselves in the position of the present, ready to form new ideas. In beginning the critique of the zeitgeist, it is important that we remember and reference these perspectives and that in forming our own we do not claim ignorance as absolution. By informing ourselves of all that is relevant to that which has come before, we arrive at the best position to begin our critique. Through shadow and darkness, through observation, visualization, and realization, through illumination, culture, climate, and materiality we seek to find the answer to light and to understand that the answers we seek are not the end of the dialogue but only a contextualization. Somewhere along the line, in our culture, darkness became a bad thing, because darkness was seen as ignorance or lack of awareness, and light was seen as knowledge. Then, in the Jungian philosophy, it says the shadow is the reservoir for human darkness, as well as the seed of creativity. All of us creative people are really, according to Carl Jung, relying on the shadow in some ways. And then Sufism on the other side says, Nothingness, which is darkness, is essential to attaining enlightenment. What are the philosophical connections of lighting to culture? Feng Shui says soft light creates a positive energy and the right conjunction of light, which is color and direction, promotes harmony and prosperity, relating it to the yin and yang symbol of harmony, where both are needed. In Vaastu Shastr, color, light, and smell are often used to remediate inauspicious conditions in existing structures. People are encouraged to
“To contextualize light, it is important that a productive discourse and methodology are established.�
What are the physiological differences of lighting to culture? One example is the physiological fact that an individual’s response to glare is varied between people with different eye color. One person’s glare can be another person’s sparkle. So, keeping that in mind, it helps us to define, and compose, and respond to local cultures. For example, Diwali or any other festival with festive lighting, in my opinion, is beautiful; it’s sparkly, it’s nice, but technically, it qualifies as glare outright. “The most important aspect in understanding these three pillars is the reality that they all inform each other: culture is informed by climate, materiality is informed by culture, and climate is informed by materiality.”
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turn on all the lights in the house at night, even briefly to expel all negative energy. And then there is, of course, the famous shloka from the Rig Veda which is, “Asato ma sadgamaya, tamaso ma jyotirgamaya”, which translates as “Go towards the truth, and towards the light, away from untruths and darkness.”
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“The most important aspect in understanding these three pillars is the reality that they all inform each other: culture is informed by climate, materiality is informed by culture, and climate is informed by materiality.”
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THE COLLABORATIVE PROCESS What does collaboration mean for us? Is there a process towards collaboration? Using our research-oriented design strategies, our desire is to infuse poetry in architecture. We create socially-conscious responses that are dramatic and evocative experiences. We believe in being friends with our clients and all members of the design team. The best relationships are fostered with clients who want their designs to evoke a specific sense of place, brand, or community. Client-oriented, site-specific, customized light solutions enhance the users’ experience of a building or structure. We, at AWA believe in making a difference in lighting and design through an innovative and adventurous approach to lighting. Maintaining an open line of communication, a commitment to stellar results, and an interest in best practices helps us strengthen these relationships. Some of our internal processes that help us create superior collaborative solutions are:
Honor the experience— be present and mindful. People will live, work, communicate, and interact in the buildings and structures we light. If we understand this with mindfulness then there is an earnestness to the creation of ideas, and an understanding of the greater good that appropriate design solutions can bring. Navigate the delicate balance between science and art. Our designs are more than an ethereal set of possibilities; they are intended to enhance experience. Technically informed, we endeavor to be free to explore creative expression with confidence in execution. Create evocative and dramatic moments for a human-centric experience. Design solutions must be human-centric. It’s not just about the architecture; people have to like it too. Green design is inherent in each design solution. This focus, in tandem with efficient systems integration, produces exceptional sustainable results. Be good neighbors. We are committed to being engaged participants in our communities. Strive for global reach while retaining an intimate, collaborative environment. Our projects are infused by our global experience, while staying local to regional design implementation. The right solution isn’t always the most expensive. We present design concepts that are right for the project, not necessarily those that are trendy and fashionable.
left: signapore chancery I AWA I 2015
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THE COLLABORATIVE PROCESS
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PROCESS
CONCEPT STATEMENT INSPIRATIONAL IMAGES SKETCHES ORGANIZATIONAL DIAGRAMS PROJECT ELEMENTS
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INTEGRATION WITH BUILT FORM SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS ILLUSION VS. ALLUSION
SCOPE KICK-OFF MEETING
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FUNCTIONAL INTENT AESTHETIC INTENT BUDGET BRAND / IMAGE
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STORYBOARDS INSPIRATIONS SITE VISITS
PRELIMINARY DRAWING SET GENERAL NOTES FIXTURE SCHEDULE LIGHTING LAYOUTS
PRELIMINARY TECHNICAL INFORMATION BOILER PLATE BUDGETARY COST ESTIMATE
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RENDERED PLANS RENDERED PERSPECTIVES RENDERED SECTIONS
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REVISIONS TO DRAWING SET
CONTRAST ENGINEERING LIGHT DISTRIBUTION
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REVISIONS TO TECHNICAL INFORMATION
AMBIANCE / DRAMA PRELIMINARY COST ESTIMATE PRELIMINARY FIXTURE IMAGES
SCOPE KICK-OFF MEETING
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SHOP DRAWING REVIEW MOCK UPS
DRAWING SET GENERAL NOTES
SITE VISITS FUNCTIONAL INTENT FOCUSING AESTHETIC INTENT PUNCH LIST BUDGET BRAND / IMAGE
STORYBOARDS INSPIRATIONS SITE VISITS
PRELIMINA
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FIXTURE SCHEDULE
FIXTUR
LIGHTING LAYOUTS
LIGHT
LIGHTING CONTROLS ELEVATIONS AND SECTIONS DETAILS TECHNICAL INFORMATION BOILER PLATE FINAL COST ESTIMATE LOAD SCHEDULE WITH CONTROL OVERVIEW
PRELIMINARY TECHNICA
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BUDGETARY CO
