Introduction
The importance of lighting design and the expertise that lighting designers bring to projects has never been more evident than in this year’s group of AL Light & Architecture Design Awards winners: 14 projects selected from an international pool of 159 entries, the largest number of entries the awards program has received in its 14-year history.
This year, the program bestows three Outstanding Achievements, nine Commendable Achievements, one Best Use of Daylighting, and one Special Citation. This iteration’s jury (see page 46), as with all of the juries in past years, continues to be highly selective in choosing the best of the best in lighting design.
There is no shortage of excellent work being done by lighting design firms. This year’s projects display a particular agility and deftness in their design responses, each showcasing technical skill coupled with artistic inventiveness as well as, perhaps most importantly, an awareness about light and its ability to be the defining element that completes a project. •
To see all of the other winners of the 2017 AL Light & Architecture Design Awards, click here.
2017 AL Design Awards Jury
Kelly Roberts, LEED AP BD+C
Senior Associate, WALD Studio, New York
Roberts draws on her background in theatrical design to create inviting and engaging spaces. She is responsible for managing WALD Studio’s workflow, production documents, controls, and energy code compliance—across the United States and overseas. She has experience with a wide range of projects, including high-end residential, upscale retail, and boutique hospitality. She is also a leader in the New York and national groups of Women in Lighting + Design (WILD), and recently participated in judging on the IES Illumination Awards.
Gregory Hoss, AIA, NCARB
Principal and President, David M. Schwarz Architects, Washington, D.C.
Hoss has been with David M. Schwarz Architects since 1997 and has been a registered architect since 1994. He is a graduate of the Catholic University of America—where he earned a dual degree in architecture and civil engineering—and now serves on the School of Architecture and Planning’s Design Council and its Development Board. He is a member of both the American Institute of Architects and the District of Columbia Building Industry Association. His portfolio includes performing arts centers, stadiums, and academic campuses.
Rhomney Forbes-Gray, IALD, IES, LC
Principal, Lightbrigade Architectural Lighting Design, Toronto
Forbes-Gray has been a practicing architectural lighting designer for 28 years, a line of work that was a natural extension of her theatrical lighting beginnings and her degree in theatrical lighting design from York University. She is a recipient of the IES Toronto section’s GG Cousins Award and has been on the Toronto IES board of directors for the past 22 years. Lightbrigade’s work has received more than 20 international illumination design awards, including the IES Illumination Award of Excellence and the GE Edison Award of Merit.
Ronald Kurtz, IALD, IES, LEED AP
Associate and Senior Lighting Designer, Randy Burkett Lighting Design, St. Louis
Kurtz has been with Randy Burkett Lighting Design since 1990. His project portfolio, for which he has won a number of lighting awards, includes the design of large public spaces, hospitality and conference facilities, offices, and exterior landscapes. A member of the IALD, he is currently serving on the organization’s board of directors as treasurer.
Also involved in the IES on both a local and national level, he participates on the Energy Management Committee and was a member of ASHRAE 90.1 Energy Standards Committee from 2001 to 2011.
