Since 1998, the American Society of Civil Engineers has gotten a lot of attention in the mainstream press for its “Report Card for America’s Infrastructure". Every four years, ASCE scores infrastructure through a lens that focuses on structural condition, obsolescence, age, et al., and hands out grades in 18 infrastructure categories that include bridges, dams,…

Function informs aesthetics at a light-rail facility in Seattle When the award-winning collaborative team from Stantec and Hensel Phelps Construction came together for a second time, their task was to ensure the new Sound Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility East project—part of the East Link expansion program in the greater Seattle area—was well lit for…

The 2024 Daylight Award is open for nominations. Given every second year, the two-category award program seeks to encourage scientific knowledge and practical application of daylight to one or more architects, or other professionals, who have distinguished themselves by realizing a body of built work that showcases a unique use of daylight. Recipients of both…

ETC’s Fred Foster Mentorship program has announced the 12 last-year undergrad and graduate student mentees selected to be paired with industry mentors and participate in a series of virtual networking events. The primary goal of the program is to create relationship-building opportunities between established industry luminaries and the next generation of lighting professionals. This year’s…

The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) has established a dedicated chapter for Croatia, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Joining over 35 other chapters in the association’s network, IALD Southern Europe invites designers to become members of the IALD community and gain access to its array of programs, events and networking among over 1,500 industry colleagues. Mônica…

Wireless streetlight systems offer benefits not only to utilities and cities, but to the citizens who use the roads every day Municipal smart street lighting is revolutionizing the way public lighting systems are controlled and managed by a Central Management System (CMS). This approach wirelessly connects streetlights, enabling municipalities and utilities to save money, reduce…

The Grand Magic Hotel at Disneyland Paris reimagines what it means to “be transported.” To immerse guests in imaginary worlds, Moment Factory fused lighting, soundscapes, technology and digital content in the hotel’s lobby and grand hall. Media columns—which evolve throughout the day and over the course of seasons—provide illusory visuals inspired by glamorous hotels and…

More than 10 years in the making, the First Americans Museum celebrates the culture of Oklahoma’s Native ancestors “It took over a decade to make it real, but it was worth the wait,” says Chip Israel, co-CEO and founder of Lighting Design Alliance (LDA), about the First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma City. Located on…

The pandemic has completely revolutionized the way we think about offices, remote working and employees’ workplace needs. While many employees have enjoyed the benefits of working from home for the past two years, more are being asked to return to work. With bringing employees back to the office, many strategies to improve air quality and…

Back to nature and back to opulence are the twin selling points at the Emser Thermenhotel in the German town of Bad Ems. The team of 4a Architekten and lighting designer Licht Kunst Licht combined on the four-star hotel, which offers 84 double rooms and carries over design elements from an adjacent spa. The nocturnal…

In San Francisco, a Romanesque church welcomes a new congregation Even in a city like San Francisco, where creativity defines the culture and unexpected forms of art can be found around every corner, the Saint Joseph’s Arts Society stands out. Set in a renovated Romanesque revival church, the new 22,000-sq ft arts hub—which is part…

Can an expensive light fixture save your project money and keep your design intact? Definitely! The key is to trim the cost of labor on the job site, which has skyrocketed over the past decades. That is why progressive contractors are prefabricating wiring and assembling fixtures and controls off site in order to be cost…

I don’t like Daylight Saving Time. There, I said it. I spent the past winter in Southwest Florida. For the first two months, this literally meant “rise and shine,” as the a.m. sunlight would coincide with waking time and the beginning of the work day. Even better, with a dining room that faces west and…

Luminaires are in constant motion at the National Museum in Oslo The definition of “flexible lighting” is typically pretty flexible. Track-mounted fixtures that can be re-aimed, tunable CCT and “future-proof” luminaires that can easily be switched out all fall into the flexible lighting bucket. Now, the design team for The National Museum in Oslo has…

Media immersion, flexible controls and more make waves in museums As a former museum employee who witnessed the start of the pandemic from behind the front desk of a major institution in Manhattan, this LD+A editor wanted to know more about the role of lighting in the chic world of installations on display. Specifically, how…