The 2012 GE Edison Award was presented to Hervé Descottes, Jeff Taylor and Jessica Tchah of L’Observatoire International for lighting Vintry Fine Wines in New York, New York, USA (Architects: Rogers Marvel Architects, New York, New York, USA). A personalized Steuben crystal award for the winner of this 30th annual lighting design competition was presented by GE Lighting on April 22, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Vintry Fine Wines store, located in the Battery Park neighborhood of New York City, uses a unique combination of light and architecture to set itself apart from the surrounding cityscape. Starting with its strikingly non-externally illuminated storefront, the lighting concept draws visitors into the store’s warm interior. GE Tetra Contour LED systems line the shelves and ceiling, merging with the graceful curves and rows of the store that evoke the geography of a vineyard.

Photo by Emile Dubuisson

The warm 2700K color of the LEDs brings warmth to the space while highlighting the leather surfaces. The curvilinear forms expand the perceived space, and actual linear footage, of the store. The bright, clean lines of light allow the space to have a great deal of merchandise without appearing cluttered. The Tetra Contour systems are specifically molded to each shelf and stack to accentuate the architectural curve of the store, as well as to emphasize the bottles. The placement of the fixtures was extensively studied in a mock-up to ensure maximum lighting with a minimum of reflection from the LED mounting. Each fixture, whether it is located in the shelves or the ceiling, is carefully detailed to prevent visibility from any angle. All fixtures are dimmable and maintained by a state-of-the-art computerized control system that follows the astronomical clock. The lights are brighter during the day and dimmer during evening hours.

A panel of five judges selected this year’s winning entry for its superiority in the following categories: functional excellence; architectural compatibility; effective use of state-of-the-art lighting products and techniques; appropriate color, form and texture revelation; energy effectiveness; and cost effectiveness.

Judges for this 30th annual competition were:

* Ellen Godson LC, MIES, Angus Lighting/H.H. Angus & Associates Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
* Tim O’Keefe, LC, GE Lighting, San Francisco, CA
* Claudio Ramos, IALD, BANKS|RAMOS Architectural Lighting Design, San Francisco, CA
* Jered E. Widmer, The Lighting Practice, Philadelphia, PA, USA
* John C. Workley, AIA, NCARB, RA, Vocon Partners, LLC, Cleveland, OH, USA

The winning project was one of four Awards of Excellence finalists. The other Awards of Excellence winners were:

* Harry Winston Shanghai Pavilion (Shanghai, The People’s Republic of China) designed by Francesca Bettridge, FIES, IALD, LC, Michael Hennes, IES, LEED AP, and Nicole Yoon Kim of Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design (New York, New York, USA).
* Space Shuttle Pavilion at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum (New York, New York, USA) designed by Brett Andersen, Stephanie Daigle, Samuel Kitchel and Kenneth Schutz of Focus Lighting, Inc. (New York, New York, USA).
* Velti Headquarters (San Francisco, California, USA) designed by Jody Pritchard, IALD, LEED AP ID+C and Kristin Peck, Associate IALD, LC, LEED AP of PritchardPeck Lighting (San Francisco, California, USA). (Architects: Michelle Ives-Ratkovich and Allard Kuijken, AECOM, Los Angeles, California)

Also presented at the GE Edison Awards ceremony were five Awards of Merit, three Awards for Environmental Design, and one Award for Residential Design.

Click here to view all the award winners of the 2012 GE Edison Awards in more detail and to find information related to the 2013 GE Edison Award call for entries.

Craig DiLouie

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