Every day brings new challenges and opportunities. We're energized by all of them, some of the newest of which are listed below.

Penn State University Berks Classroom Building

A celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony held on November 3^rd marked the completion of the new Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building, located on the Berks campus of Penn State University in Reading, Pennsylvania.  The academic center houses classrooms, lecture halls, labs, faculty offices, public study areas, and a café, which will double as a teaching kitchen.  Faculty has moved into their offices, and classes will officially begin for students in January of 2012, when the primarily commuter student population studying engineering, business, and information technology will be able to take advantage of the informal collaborative study spaces integrated with the building corridors.  The two-and-a-half story glass atrium admits streaming daylight through a sparkling, wavelike suspended installation piece by renowned Philadelphia glass artist Ray King. Illumination Arts transformed the building’s translucent façade into a welcoming, luminous landmark for students and staff to gravitate to by night.

SUNY-Alfred College of Ceramics

Students and faculty at the SUNY-Alfred College of Ceramics in Alfred, New York, started off the fall semester in a newly completed building that meets LEED Silver certification criteria.  All are eagerly awaiting the first show in the expanded two-story gallery and multi-media space, where Illumination Arts provided a flexible lighting system that can be easily customized for any type of exhibit.  The interior includes a suspended “black box” multi-media room and an bridge connecting the stairwell to the media room and upper level gallery, both of which were highlighted to expose the forms of these architectural and structural elements.  The exterior curtain wall, an intricate structure consisting of a random pattern of elongated porcelain “baguettes”, serves as a point of visual distinction for the building. Illumination Arts showcased the nighttime appearance of the façade by silhouetting it against a variably lit background wall.  

Cypress Avenue Bridge

City of Redding, California can now boast of a widened and beautified bridge connecting the shores of the Sacramento River, following a ribbon cutting ceremony commemorating the bridge’s opening this past spring. Illumination Arts designed a cold cathode lighting system within a series of eight dichroic glass lanterns to demarcate the pedestrian overlooks located along the bridge pedestrian paths. The creation of the 18’ custom glass fixtures demanded multidisciplinary collaboration between bridge architects, structural engineers, light fixture manufacturers, a specialized glass artist, and the IA team of lighting designers. Additional lighting delineating the edges of the arched superstructure and grazing the textured pier surfaces connects the bridge to the surrounding environment through the mirrored reflections of the arches on the water’s surface.

kcICON Christopher S. Bond Bridge

The aesthetic lighting of the Christopher S. Bond Bridge in Kansas City, Missouri was revealed to the public in a dramatic Fourth of July event.  Programmed dynamic video content coordinates color-changing LED panel displays mounted to the bridge structure to celebrate events and holidays with custom light shows.  Lighting designed by Illumination Arts throws the sheer height and stature of the cable stays and frame into relief against the night sky.  The bridge was featured in the November issue of Civil Engineering magazine.

GE Edison Award of Merit for The Peddie School

Faith Baum and Illumination Arts were honored with the GE Edison Award of Merit for the lighting of The Peddie School’s Ian Graham Athletic Center during a gala awards ceremony at The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA on May 16th.

The award recognized Illumination Arts’s success in achieving the aesthetic, architectural and functional goals of the project, as described in the award submission: The Peddie School wanted to create a gathering place for students and athletes while improving the facilities for their sports teams and physical education program. With its variety of recreational opportunities, the new Athletic and Aquatic Center is tied together visually with the use of a cohesive lighting concept throughout the public spaces. The centerpiece is the natatorium, which has become a visual landmark for students, faculty and visitors. At night, the Athletic Center becomes a softly glowing presence on the Peddie campus, creating a sense of place and inspiring school spirit and pride.

Kings County Courthouse Update:

A visit to Rambusch Lighting to view the restored historic luminaires for Kings County Courthouse was an exciting indication that the project is moving into the final stage of the renovation. General illumination in the public areas and arraignment courtrooms has been improved and the historic chandeliers have been cleaned, repaired and restored to their original design. Once the chandeliers have been installed, a mockup will be performed to determine the most effective low wattage, high efficiency lamp to replicate the original Edison lamps. The FXFOWLE-designed project is expected to be complete in late 2011.

Newark Regional Business Partnership Elects Faith Baum to Board of Directors:

Faith Baum was honored with her election to the Board of Directors of the Newark Regional Business Partnership, continuing her volunteer work with the organization. Her personal goal is to help spread the word about the value of the NRBP to other business owners and to work with the other board members to attract outsiders to Newark, the home of the NJ Devils, NJ Nets, NJ Symphony Orchestra, NJPAC, Prudential Center and the 2010 Dodge Poetry Festival!

SUNY Stony Brook Students find a new Home:

The new 600 Bed Residence Hall and Commons Building at SUNY Stony Brook welcomed its first residents for the 2010-2011 school year. The dynamic new building, designed by Goshow Architects, features a conference facility that can accommodate up to 350 students, a café, classrooms and offices, as well as six-person suites and apartments for married students. The LEED paperwork is now being completed, with the expectation that the project will achieve LEED Gold certification.

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Peddie School Athletic and Aquatic Center Opens:

The Peddie School's new Aquatic & Athletic Center has opened, providing the students and local community with a state of the art natatorium and athletic facility.

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AASHTO Publishes Bridge Aesthetics Sourcebook:

Three years ago, Faith Baum joined the Transportation Research Board’s Bridge Aesthetics Subcommittee (of the TRB Structures Committee). Coming into the midst of the development of the Bridge Aesthetics Sourcebook, Faith was able to contribute her lighting expertise to the final text. That document has now been accepted and published by AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) as an official AASHTO Guide, as aesthetic guidelines to be used by transportation designers across the United States. Congratulations to all the subcommittee members for their hard work in achieving this significant accomplishment!

Rockefeller Brothers Fund Earns LEED Platinum:

Continuing their mission to “build a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world,” the Rockefeller Brothers Fund designed their new offices to meet LEED-CI 2.0 criteria and then increased their commitment to meet the more stringent requirements of LEED-CI v3. FXFOWLE Architects designed the contemporary space and ensured that aesthetics were not compromised in the pursuit of a sustainable design, which was awarded LEED Platinum certification. Illumination Arts designed all of the lighting for the space, helping to earn several lighting related points for energy efficiency and lighting controls.

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