Located a block from Times Square, One Bryant Park’s lighting designers—Cline Bettridge Bernstein—had the unenviable task of creating a nighttime presence for this high-rise office tower, one that would not only make its mark on the New York skyline, but also adhere to the LEED Platinum building’s sustainable mandates.

The technical feat of this project is in the lighting designers’ ability to realize the architect’s vision for a glowing building top despite clear glass, minimal structure, a requirement for unobstructed views, and competing illumination from the interior offices. The top of the building—a V-shaped facet wall—had five different architectural conditions, and the lighting designers had to develop a different solution for each one. Color temperature proved the constant in tying them together. Using different techniques—uplighting, floodlighting, and backlighting—with a combination of LED, fluorescent, and metal halide sources, all combined in 3000K and 5000K, the required illumination was achieved.

The lighting crescendoes with the illumination of the 300-foot-tall spire uplit with LEDs at each tier and DMX-controlled to allow for color changing and dynamic effects. One Bryant Park’s lighting design adds a contemporary lighting response to the city skyline without revealing the lighting acrobatics behind it.

Jury Comments: The technical achievement in illuminating this building, particularly the top, is extraordinary. • It adds a contemporary lighting expression to the New York City skyline.

About the Author

Elizabeth Donoff

Elizabeth Donoff is Editor-at-Large of Architectural Lighting (AL). She served as Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2017. She joined the editorial team in 2003 and is a leading voice in the lighting community speaking at industry events such as Lightfair and the International Association of Lighting Designers Annual Enlighten Conference, and has twice served as a judge for the Illuminating Engineering Society New York City Section’s (IESNYC) Lumen Award program. In 2009, she received the Brilliance Award from the IESNYC for dedicated service and contribution to the New York City lighting community. Over the past 11 years, under her editorial direction, Architectural Lighting has received a number of prestigious B2B journalism awards. In 2017, Architectural Lighting was a Top Ten Finalist for Magazine of the Year from the American Society of Business Publication Editors' AZBEE Awards. In 2016, Donoff received the Jesse H. Neal Award for her Editor’s Comments in the category of Best Commentary/Blog, and in 2015, AL received a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Media Brand (Overall Editorial Excellence).Prior to her entry into design journalism, Donoff worked in New York City architectural offices including FXFowle where she was part of the project teams for the Reuters Building at Three Times Square and the New York Times Headquarters. She is a graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Me., and she earned her Master of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.

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