The bar continues to be raised. Each year the A|L Light & Architecture design awards grow steadily, and with it the range and caliber of lighting design work. Now, only in its fourth year, the program received 81 project submissions, and because of the program's structure, which enables projects to be submitted in multiple categories, there were actually 98 project reviews. The jury was busy. There were no easy “dismissals” and an equal amount of invested time was spent discussing projects that were and were not moving on to the next round of review.

Besides the sense of accomplishment these numbers signal for the A|L Light & Architecture Design Awards program, are their confirmation of the critical role lighting plays in architecture and design. The 11 projects presented on the following pages represent work that has found new ways to respond to challenging sites and programs, to explore new technologies, and to strive for design excellence no matter the project brief or budget. In turn these projects represent a commitment to the craft of architectural lighting. As one jury member stated, “The criteria for excellence is excellence.” And that certainly holds true for these projects, which pursue this line not only through the resultant work, but through the discussions they generate about the very nature of lighting design itself. A|L

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

7 World Trade Center
Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design

Institute of Contemporary Art
Arup Lighting

COMMENDABLE ACHIEVEMENT

LightShowers & ICFF DuPont Corian Surfaces Booth
Morris Sato Studios

Alessi Flagship Store
Tillotson Design Associates

Condé Nast Cafeteria
Arup Lighting

Temple Emanu-El
Sachs Morgan Studio

Haus im Haus
Behnisch Architekten

Casa Cubos
Lighteam

The Morgan Library
Arup Lighting

The Cincinnati Convention Center Renovation & Expansion
Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design

Temporary Event Complex
Boora Architects

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN ON A BUDGET

Temporary Event Complex
Boora Architects

Jury

ROBERT COLE
PRINCIPAL, COLEPRÉVOST, WASHINGTON, D.C.

ANDREA HARTRANFT
SENIOR ASSOCIATE, C. M. KLING & ASSOCIATES, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

NELSON JENKINS
PRINCIPAL, LUMENARCH, NEW YORK

DEREK PORTER
DIRECTOR, MFA LIGHTING PROGRAM, PARSONS THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN, NEW YORK PRINCIPAL, DEREK PORTER STUDIO, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

GARTH ROCKCASTLE
PROFESSOR AND DEAN, SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING, AND PRESERVATION, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND