The firm has worked on some of the most historic and instantly recognizable places in the country that include the US Capitol Dome, the Empire State Building (Lobby Restoration) and Philadelphia City Hall. TLP's accolades are long listed, well deserved and include dozens of IES Certificates and Awards of Merit.
The representative agency for Philadelphia, Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey is Illuminations, Inc.
Four of our favorite Lighting Practice projects include the Ayer building, Ben Franklin Parkway, the Rodin Museum and Fairmount Water Works.
The Lighting Practice believes in providing lighting solutions that balance aesthetics with sustainability and operational concerns. The conversion of ten of the Ayer's office floors into luxury condominiums (2006 – 2007) under the direction of Wesley Wei Architects is such one project.
The Ayer Building's buttresses are lit by eight custom 64" and four 80" Sign Star, Style 'C' luminaries.
The fixtures all utilize a PAR30 70W Metal Halide Lamp.
According TLP's website the lighting designs for the exterior, entry, lobby and spa required efficiency yet needed to emphasize the building's historical art deco style, warm stone and bronze details. To light the massive sculptural buttresses along the top of the 1929 building, eight custom 64" and four 80" Sign Star Style 'C' fixtures were specified. All utilize a PAR30 70W Metal Halide Lamp for clear color and dependability. The figurative details are cast in sensitive light resulting in a very "gothamesque" effect. TLP proves how great lighting gently applied can create powerful and memorable scenes even a hundred and fifty two feet above a city's skyline.
Our second TLP project is the Ben Franklin Parkway which includes over fifty custom fixture products. The most common fixture types are 6", 18" or 24" Sign Stars, Style 'C' though Everest™ Series Metal Halide (PAR20) and K2™ Series Metal Halide (PAR38) are also heavily used.
The mile long boulevard is littered with cultural centers, civil buildings, monuments and public art installations. The Lighting Practice worked closely with the Center City District of Philadelphia and the Fairmount Park Association to light nine building facades and fourteen sculptures.
Eakins Oval, looking Southeast towards Philadelphia City Hall.
The façade lighting tasked to TLP was to enliven the Parkway fostering invitation to the many historical buildings including the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, City Hall, Foundation Free Library, the Franklin Institute, the Shakespeare Memorial located in Logan Circle and the Rodin Museum.
The Rodin Museum, which houses some of the greatest and numerous collections of the famed sculptor, including the Gates of Hell, is located on the Ben Franklin Parkway between 22nd and 21st Streets. Access to the museum is through the Meudon Gate, seen below, which uses custom surface mounted fixtures based on the Shasta™ Series.
The Rodin Museum's Meudon Gate (front). Custom Shasta™ fixtures c1909-90 through c1909-92 were utilized.
Image courtesy the Lighting Practice.
The Rodin Museum's Meudon Gate (backside). Image courtesy the Lighting Practice.
The backside of the gate along the wall is illuminated with four custom c1848-15 based on the HP2 Series Precision2® In-Grades. A PM4RM 35-150 Watt Metal Halide (Magnetic) Remote Ballast was also used. The in-grades feature a unique internal shield to regulate light emanating from the fixture lens which helps to maintain an otherworldly atmosphere at the site. The fixtures are centered below each of the gate's arched portals.
The Lighting Agency also did extensive lighting renovation on the Fairmount Water Works located just off of the Philadelphia Art Museum's hillock at the end of the Ben Franklin Parkway. Be sure to catch our "Best Shot" featuring this fascinating piece of Philadelphian history; click here.
Fairmount Water Works. Image courtesy of the Lighting Practice.