Commercial lighting has come a long way from the use of incandescent lighting to today’s modern lighting. LED lights, sophisticated lighting controls and the availability of lightweight and even seamless luminaire materials give lighting an array of design possibilities.
Though smart lighting has evolved the main goal of the design element has remained the same, and that is to evoke emotions in its spectators. In architectural lighting of commercial and retail spaces, its task and ability to encourage occupants, direct consumers, and showcase products in the illuminated surface and spaces.
To recognize the outstanding work of lighting designers, the LIT Lighting Design Awards has named its winners for 2019. We’ve listed some of the winners here.
Categories: Winner in Conceptual Project/In Development
Photo credit: PRISM DESIGN
- Winner: PRISM DESIGN
- Lead Designer: TOMOHIRO KATSUKI
- Location: Huzhou, China, China
Inspired by the iridescence of fish scales, the lighting concept of the flagship concept store of Fast Fish is a fresh approach to retail display. A fitting design choice such as scales is fished’ important protection such as the garments designed and sold by the clothing retailer. The flagship store is also a representation of the resiliency and innovation of the family-run fast-fashion retailer. It is based in Hangzhou, China, and has 2,400 stores and 14,000 employees.
The bright lighting design employs mostly cool colours of aquamarine and white integrated with wood to add a welcoming atmosphere. Just like fish scales, the newly designed fashion store boasts hues of blue in small triangular-shaped forms intricately woven to create a stunning facade.
Similar triangular shapes are punched out on the mirror-like surface of the suspended ceiling draping over the interior. To illuminate displays track lighting is installed where the light effectively bounces on the metallic ceilings, making the shop highly illuminated.
Categories: Winner in Hotel and Restaurants Lighting
Photo credit: Tillotson Design Associates
- Winner: Tillotson Design Associates
- Lead Designer: Suzan Tillotson, Erin Dreyfous, Megan Trimarchi
- Location: New York, NY, United States
Four Seasons restaurant plays with subtle lighting to achieve a high-end dining experience. Beginning with the small pin lights, tucked in the rows of brass tubes that give a sense of cosiness and a welcoming ambience. The pin lights make the room look cleaner and uncluttered all the while having the room look wider and uncluttered. The bronze materials, along with the pin lights, are capable of emitting light for a variety of ranges from 1 to 20-foot candles. The purpose is to adjust the room’s atmosphere for lunch to dinner.
The lighting gave the high-end restaurant a sophisticated and elegant ambience as soft indirect lighting was used instead of the typical intensity of downlighting. To add a relaxed and warm atmosphere are intersecting bronze tubes that provide indirect illumination to the dining area.
A different approach is applied at the bar space where it features a softer and diffused quality of lighting. For a smooth transition from the bar, pass through the dimly-lit oxidized brass tunnel and just like a runway has miniature point lights opening to a larger and brighter main dining room. The hundreds of gold-flecked glass beads hang from the ceiling to act as curtains for the windows to create that sparkling look that plays well with the light physics.
Categories: Winner in Ambient Lighting
Photo credit: LIGHTALLIANCE
- Winner: LIGHTALLIANCE
- Lead Designer: Kevin Grant
- Location: Katara, Qatar, United Kingdom
Nordic traditions are used to inspire health, design, and hospitality, coupled with the smooth integration of local Arabic influences. The idea was to come up with this unique place that is able to provide the atmosphere necessary for the aforementioned Nordic experience while taking into consideration the limitations brought about by the existing conditions of the building in which the renovation took place. By playing around with the lights, specifically, the implementation of different lighting techniques such as filtering, blocking, or shadow management.
Dynamic elements in design that respond to time also help to set up the mood. Manipulating these different elements changes how it affects the environment and psychology of the guests: the darkness of winter and the brightness of summer or the lights showing off the Northern lights are simulated inside of the structure.
Categories: Winner in Ambient Lighting
Photo credit: Kris Lin International Design
- Winner: Kris Lin International Design
- Lead Designer: Kris Lin
- Location: Changsha, China, China
Land space is becoming a huge concern for urban development as population growth is expected to grow in the next few decades. Thus, the creation of city complexes is seen as the solution for conserving space. But such structures don’t need to be solely functional, the integration of artistic elements is seen as beneficial to future residents. The designers for the Hive City project used a hive structure where hexagonal shapes are modelled into the ceiling at different heights and are distorted to create a rhythm to the space.
In this example image, the white geometry stairs leading to the second story are designed to be elegant and modern by playing with the lights. To create a dimensional structure, the light and the angles of the geometry and the materials are arranged the way shown while taking into consideration an architectural design approach. In this manner, the field of architecture is able to emphasize its beauty in the interior space.
Categories: Winner in Ambient Lighting
Photo credit: Kris Lin International Design
- Winner: Kris Lin International Design
- Lead Designer: Kris Lin
- Location: Zhejiang China, China
Fusing the old with the new, the Textile project’s main structure follows the existing architectural envelope of the old factory building while using architectural symbols of the broken lines to integrate the building into the interior. This respect for the building’s history and original cultural style has been the main concern of its designer right from the premise of the project.
For the lighting, light strips are located above the reception desk that follows the roof form, just like a huge textile machine. The designer wanted to integrate the yarn elements of the textile machines as a modern design language integrated with the light to present the top and façade designs of the space.
