The winning work in the 2014 class of the AL Light & Architecture Design Awards is yet another incredible group of projects in the portfolio that has become this program’s archive. This year’s judging was equally as rigorous as past years, if not more so; out of more than 100 entries, only 10 projects were selected.
The work you see in this package reconfirms light’s critical role as more than just a singular design element. Light is the continuous design thread that weaves its way through the spaces in which we live, work, study, and play. Never has light been more important in making the difference to the success of our natural and built environments and the way in which we interact with them.
This year’s projects are not limited by aesthetics, technical investigation, or boundary of scale. They set a benchmark for excellence in architectural lighting design and serve as a guide for others working with light.
To see all of the other winners of the 2014 AL Light & Architecture Design Awards, click here.
Meet the Jury

Claude R. Engle, III, PE, IALD, IES
Founder and Principal, Claude R. Engle, Lighting Consultant, Chevy Chase, Md.
Engle’s five-decade career includes a portfolio of international landmark projects. A graduate of Princeton University’s Engineering School, he worked in New York City in theatrical and television lighting, first at Century Lighting and then in the United States Army Signal Corps at the Army Pictorial Center. In 1968, Engle established his firm. He is a founding member of the International Association of Lighting Designers and past chairman of the Capital Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society.

Jason Abbey, AIA, LEED AP, GRP
Senior Associate, FXFowle Architects, Washington, D.C.
Abbey directs design and planning efforts for the firm’s D.C. office. His recent work includes the renovation and expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York, The New York Times Building, the commercial high-rise Eleven Times Square, the redevelopment of Lincoln Center’s North Plaza Landscape, and a green roof installation at 250 Hudson Street, all of which are in New York City. Abbey previously served on the board of directors for the Blue Water Group, a sustainable development company in the Atlanta area.

Kimberly Mercier, PE, P.Eng., LEED AP, IES
Principal, Lighting Design Innovations, Batavia, N.Y.
Mercier is a lighting designer and professional engineer in the United States and Canada. She has managed electrical departments for consulting engineering firms in Calgary, Alberta; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Rochester, N.Y. She has served as the president of the Illuminating Engineering Society (2007–2008) and as an adjunct instructor for lighting in the M.Arch. program at the University of Calgary. She currently serves as vice chair of the Interior Design Department Advisory Board at Buffalo State, State University of New York.

Christopher Cheap, IES
Founder and Principal, Dot Dash, New York
Formerly a principal with Tillotson Design Associates, Cheap founded Dot Dash this January. His design approach includes analysis of the project’s architecture, materials, and programmatic requirements. His portfolio includes the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in Dallas; Milstein Hall at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.; and the Red Bull Music Academy in New York City. His work has been recognized with an IALD Award of Excellence, an IES Lumen Citation, a GE Award of Excellence, and an AL Light & Architecture Outstanding Achievement Award.