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.
