NYC Lights Design Competition

January 6, 2004 2:16 PM

New York City Lights Design Competition (via Gothamist). What are the existing examples of urban illumination that impress? Are there unused designs or interesting ideas from art and movies floating around?
posted by liam (13 comments total)

Martin Richman is one lighting designer I would like to see involved.
posted by liam at 2:21 PM on January 6, 2004

This is weird--I thought they had already decided on retro designs? And although not practical as streetlights, the twin pillars of light downtown were incredibly powerful and successful. Maybe something embedded in the street itself, or gutters, beaming up?
posted by amberglow at 2:21 PM on January 6, 2004

What are the existing examples of urban illumination that impress?

I love Hector Guimard's Metro entrances, especially the lights.

They used some pretty cool futuristic lights at the 1939 NY World's Fair, too.
posted by ukamikanasi at 2:31 PM on January 6, 2004

Paul Marantz, who designed the twin pillars, is on the jury.
posted by liam at 2:32 PM on January 6, 2004

This looks interesting. I might enter this. So I'm not going to say much. ;-)

I would like most to see a winning entry (or at least some finalists) successfully address the problem of street lighting as related to light pollution. And not just as a large scale urban problem (i.e. washing out the night sky) but also at the smaller end of the scale (i.e. where street lighting creates uncomfortable glare for 2nd floor homes).
posted by Dick Paris at 2:35 PM on January 6, 2004

i like the way that dim orange glow emanates from the eyes of crackheads after sunset.
posted by quonsar at 2:41 PM on January 6, 2004

I really like the globes lighting the bridges near the loop and the Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Homage to Frank llyod Wright I think. (Sorry, couldn't find a photo link)
posted by ahimsakid at 2:50 PM on January 6, 2004

Lights pretty. I'm sure that my beloved Queens will be the first borough to see such lights installed. So long as they provide fresh tagging space for the children (Faze & Poe especially), I think my neighborhood will be satisfied.
posted by Oddly at 3:14 PM on January 6, 2004

James Turrell
posted by LionIndex at 3:17 PM on January 6, 2004

Neon. Obviously.
posted by rushmc at 3:38 PM on January 6, 2004

Bahdeebahdu. I'd like to see one on every street corner.
posted by hypnorich at 5:46 PM on January 6, 2004

ahimsakid, the lights are more clearly an homage to Louis Sullivan and Daniel Burnham. Chicago, under Daley II, has been very much in the Beautiful City vein, and that includes deliberate contemporary evocation of Paris as well as homages back to Burnham's own Paris-inspired Plan for Chicago. (If only the city were as concerned with privately-owned 19th century architecture as it is, now, with its own public infrastructure -- but then even Sandburg said of us, Build it up; tear it down.)

Justly proud of their bridges (especially the unique proliferation of bascule river bridges), they've invested millions in rehabilitation, replacement, and beautification lighting. The city has implemented "standard" architectural plans for neighborhood police stations, libraries, park fencing, and even fountains.
posted by dhartung at 10:45 PM on January 6, 2004

DHARTUNG:the lights are more clearly an homage to Louis Sullivan and Daniel Burnham
I agree on the most part, especially the lights on the bridges in the loop. But I was particularly citing the large globes (~5 ft wide) that sit astride highways and look like they were taken from the Robie house.
posted by ahimsakid at 9:05 AM on January 7, 2004