Terminus 100, a 27-story office tower, is distinguished on the Atlanta skyline by a bold, diagonally cut roofline broken by the building's core, which juts out to create a vivid V form. By day, the sculptural gesture is eye-catching in and of itself. At night, a scheme by Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design (CBBLD) transforms the roofline into an iconic lantern.
The most challenging aspect in creating this effect was to maintain an even degree of illumination between the V form, which covers tenant spaces, and the mechanical enclosure above it. In addition to the scale difference between the two elements, the glass surfaces also vary, complicating the execution of consistent color and brightness. CBBLD was able to achieve the effect through a careful coordination of varying sources and wattages appropriate for each space.
The mechanical penthouse is lit by three 400W metal halide fixtures with 3000K lamps mounted 8 feet from the floor. The designers used varying beams—including vertical flood, horizontal spot, and narrow spot—to evenly light the 110-foot slope. The fixtures were also carefully placed to avoid creating shadows from the steel structure. A very different solution was used to light the V form from inside the office spaces. There, 3000K narrow-beam LED wall-grazing fixtures illuminate the translucent fritted glass of the curtain wall. The top of the protruding core was also lit with 3000K linear fluorescent uplights, heightening the volume's effect of pushing through the roofline and creating a smooth transition between the V and the crown.
The V motif also appears in the entrance canopy between the tower and an adjacent parking garage. The canopy's triangular panels of metal and fritted glass are uplit with 3000K 150W T6 metal halide fixtures. CBBLD's studies determined that point sources would minimize the reflection of the fixtures on the glass. The floor is illuminated by surface-mounted 3000K 100W PAR38 downlights integrated into the canopy panels. The same fixtures light the lobby, creating a seamless transition between inside and outside.
Jury Comments
Mike Gehring: A lot of challenges here and a particularly nice solution to the outdoor covered entryway. You really get the sense that people want to gather here.
Jim Baney: The well-integrated lighting is the unifying element between the Terminus buildings. It helps to tie inside to outside and creates an “outdoor room” for people to gather.
Manufacturers / Applications
Bega: Surface-mounted 400W metal halide floodlight at top tower roof level
Elliptipar: Ceiling-mounted T5 linear 39W uplight at beak chamfer
Hydrel: Surface-mounted 100W and 400W metal halide floodlights at top tower penthouse and roof level
Insight: Surface-mounted 8-foot linear fluorescent uplight at top tower roof level
io Lighting/Cooper: Ceiling-mounted high output 3000K LED fixture at beak chamfer
LSI: PAR30 and PAR38 track fixture with integral ballast at café street canopy; PAR30, PAR38, and PAR56 track fixture for lobby art lighting
