The interior of Freds restaurant
Scott Frances/Otto The interior of Freds restaurant
A view of the spiral stair looking toward the Accessories Department
Scott Frances/Otto A view of the spiral stair looking toward the Accessories Department

A sculptural, spiral staircase surrounded by a glass-walled atrium is the focal point of the Barneys New York Downtown Flagship designed by local firms Steven Harris Architects and Lalire March Architects. Completed in February 2016, the contemporary store spans multiple levels—all illuminated exclusively by LEDs.

The Jewlery Department
Scott Frances/Otto The Jewlery Department

Challenged by existing architectural conditions that included large floor expanses, irregular column grids, and low ceiling heights, New York–based lighting design firm Cooley Monato Studio approached each display area as a distinct entity while aiming to create “cohesive, spacious, and dynamic” spaces. The designers opted to use recessed and regressed fixtures, as well as those with beveled trims, so that apertures “practically disappear from view.”

The stair landing at the Fragrance Department
Scott Frances/Otto The stair landing at the Fragrance Department
The Cosmetics Department
Scott Frances/Otto The Cosmetics Department

With the goal of celebrating—not upstaging—the architectural feature that is the spiral stair, the team embedded flexible LED tape into handrail coves to act as a visual wayfinding cue and decorative “ribbon of light.” Accent lighting within the stair treads “softly enhance contours” of the structure. Illuminated ceiling coves nicknamed “amoebas” provide ambient lighting while lit accessory shelves highlight products on display. Thin, stem-mounted adjustable accent luminaires showcase fine jewelry, while trackheads illuminate surrounding perimeter wall niches.

The Accessories Department
Scott Frances/Otto The Accessories Department
Jewelry case at the window-wall
Scott Frances/Otto Jewelry case at the window-wall
A view looking across the atrium to the Men's Department
Scott Frances/Otto A view looking across the atrium to the Men's Department

Jury Comments
Everything you would expect to find in a high-end retail setting. • A well-balanced use of illumination.

Details
Project: Barneys New York Downtown Flagship, New York • Client: Barneys New York • Architects: Steven Harris Architects and Lalire March Architects, New York • Interiors: Reese Roberts + Partners, New York • Lighting Designer: Cooley Monato Studio, New York • Lighting Team Members: Emily Monato, YuSun Hwang, Carol Castillo-Kuberski • Photographer: Scott Frances • Project Size: 52,425 square feet • Project and Lighting Costs: Withheld • Watts per Square Foot: 1.91 • Code Compliance: 2014 New York Energy Conservation Construction Code (ASHRAE 90.1-2010) • Manufacturers: Acuity Brands/Aculux, Amerlux, Eklipse Architectural Lighting, Feelux, GE Lighting, LED Linear, Loupi Lighting Systems, MP Lighting, Optolum