Sixteen award winners representing architectural lighting design projects from 10 countries comprise the winners of the 31st Annual International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) International Lighting Design Awards, recognized at a presentation held June 4 at LIGHTFAIR. Of the 16 projects recognized, four entries earned a Special Citation, five earned Awards of Merit and seven earned Awards of Excellence, out of 200 submissions.
The highest point score winner across all categories, in addition to receiving an Award of Excellence for their project, receives the IALD Radiance Award for Excellence in Lighting Design.
Accepting the Radiance Award for Excellence in Lighting Design was Keith Bradshaw of Speirs + Major for In Lumine Tuo in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
In Lumine Tuo uses light as a narrative tool to connect the iconic Dom Tower with the Dom Church and Dom Square, allowing these elements to become living, breathing entities. The scheme needed to be completed within a tight budget and under close scrutiny from city commission and heritage inspectors.
“A wonderful, discreet, though entertaining scheme,” one judge commented of the project. “Absolutely extraordinary for a sacred building!”
Beginning with a master plan of the district, an idea evolved that viewed the city, the district and the buildings as a living organism, with the “body” made up of the iconic Dom Tower, Church and Square.
All three elements are viewed as important members of society that have been both observers and participants in the history and development of Utrecht. Light enables the structures to come to life, breathe, connect with each other and communicate with people in the city about the past and the present.
The church has a passive, respectful design based on the philosophy “light comes from within.” The outside faces are kept relatively dark, allowing light to glow through the stained glass
windows and internal faces of the buttresses, creating a lantern-like effect. In direct contrast to the restrained lighting of the church, the Dom Tower is the showpiece, the dynamic element and the main communicator.
The dramatic lighting sets off the Gothic architecture, and is visible from many parts of the city.
“This dynamic and original design delights the eye as it celebrates the architecture of the tower,” another judged praised of the project. The Dom Square is where the memories of the
past are recalled; the gable wall where the west end of the Dom Church once stood is highlighted, and a visual connection to the arch at the base of the tower is made with light.
A light sequence is programmed in time with the Dom Tower’s clock. The church, square and the tower begin slowly to “breathe” in unity, establishing a connection and creating a conversation between each other. The play of light accelerates, while memories , represented as bursts of light, appear to ascend the tower. The sequence culminates just before the striking of the hour with a dramatic finale in the lantern, where memories cluster in the ‘brain’ of the Tower, and multiple bursts of light and patterns are unleashed to the sounds of pealing bells.
With almost entirely LED-based components and a well-finessed control program, the scheme is energy efficient and maintenance friendly. Mounting devices had to be custom made for each location, as no drilling was allowed into the stonework and no sources allowed to be viewed from below. The scheme was scrutinized by the city commission and heritage inspectors, with all details and drawings inspected and approved prior to construction.
Click here to see all the award winners.
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