By Paul Tarricone
When the stars align, a theme issue of LD+A is a case study in synergy. Each article builds on the one before it and flows into the next. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Like good lighting design.
Indeed, in this issue saluting the IES Illumination Awards, the work and wonder of best-in-class design is the thread tying the issue together. Eleven projects earned top honors and range from Awards of Distinction to the carefully worded Special Citations. (My personal favorite is the NorthConnex Tunnel in Sydney, Australia, where quick-hitting, six-to-nine-second lighting displays—of trees, birds, stars—appear and disappear before drivers can process how they were created.)
The next building block in this issue is an essay from Markus Earley, who draws from the teachings of his mentor (Howard Brandston) and his mentor’s mentor (Stanley McCandless) to offer a framework for implementing best-practice design principles in an LED world.
Finally, while we celebrate this year’s award winners, we also asked a few readers to remember the past. In our roundtable article on page 55, we asked a group of lighting designers to think back and recall their “first” or “favorite” project and what made them special.
We hope you enjoy the package of articles featured in this issue—representing both the present and the past.