By Paul Tarricone
The results of a recent LD+A online poll brought a smile to my face. We asked readers if a case study article in the magazine had ever inspired them to visit the installation. An impressive 42% said yes and another 42% responded “not yet, but I intend to.”
Those numbers are in line with our policy at LD+A; our editors know if they have the chance to see a project before they write about it, then seize the opportunity and go meet the designer for a tour. It will absolutely make for a better article. Some of the installations I’ve seen and written about are the indoor track at the New York Armory, the Ossining Public Library in my hometown, the Hubbell headquarters in Greenville, SC, and Day-Brite’s Learning Center in Tupelo, MS. Over the years, the IES Annual Conference has also offered field trips where attendees could see an installation and not just hear about it, while the IES NYC Section conducts night tours of Lumen projects in October.
With that, here are a few destinations from this issue that are worth a visit, if you happen to be in the neighborhood:
- Odds are you’ve been to the first destination, but there’s a good chance you haven’t experienced its refresh. Believe it or not, the exterior lighting for Spaceship Earth at Disney’s EPCOT in Orlando hadn’t been upgraded since the Reagan Administration. The new lighting needed to act as a dynamic beacon, transforming the icon without marring the structure.
- Next up is the Nexus Tower in Seattle. When writing this story, I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite sitcoms and one of my favorite characters, who lived in my favorite apartment on television: Dr. Frasier Crane, who called a swanky high-rise condo home. His balcony had a view of the Space Needle, and maybe, just maybe, the exterior architecture and façade lighting at his fictional building could measure up to Nexus.
- The Glenmore Dam has become a gathering place for social activities in Calgary; even the designer has been known to spend time there with his family and looks forward to telling his grandchildren that the project is part of his lighting legacy.
We wish you safe travels, whether you visit these installations in person or only through the pages within.