Photo Credit: Lisa Reed
Batting a Thousand: Lighting Excellence in St. Louis By RANDY REID
Last month, a special occasion arose – my father-in-law, Dick Thomas, was celebrated by the St. Louis Cardinals and given the honor of throwing out the first pitch at a game against the Washington Nationals. My family and I had the pleasure of staying at the Live! by Loews hotel, located in Ballpark Village where the impressive lighting design caught my eye. The innovative genius responsible is Lisa Reed and her Envision Lighting Design team, prior to her collaboration and merger with Randy Burkett to form the lighting design firm RBLD. During the IES Annual Conference, I sat down with Lisa, who educated me on the intricacies and artistry of the Loews lighting design.
40 Foot Banners Fans of the St. Louis Cardinals recognize the iconic red banners adorning the exterior of the PwC Pennant Building, each of which displays a year when the Cardinals triumphed in the World Series.
Photo Credit: Randy Reid
Unlike typical fabric banners, the World Series banners are designed with one-inch-thick letters on each side, necessitating specialized lighting to ensure legibility without casting shadows. The solution? A theatrical treatment employing cross-aiming techniques. Beneath each banner, a pair of fixtures with eight heads were installed, four of which point toward the banner on the left, and the other four pointing to the right. This cross-framing technique ensures that the fixtures under one banner light adjacent ones, creating a consistent illumination across all. Ecosense’s RISE F080 Quad was selected for its precision and quality. Mounted underneath each banner, the fixture stands about 10 to 15 feet off the ground at the second-floor level. The precise coordination of fixtures was vital, as the pre-stressed building construction required accurate location. The selected fixtures were 3000K, providing a warm and welcoming glow that highlights the red color. The effect is both graceful and elegant, raking across the building façade and illuminating each banner. Above the hotel entrance, a beautiful, 6-story bas-relief presented a similar challenge – how to light the entire piece from a single vantage point. Lisa described how this sculpture seamlessly intertwines the floor plans of both the old and new ballparks: “The sculpture represents the simultaneous construction and demolition of the old and new Busch Stadiums, because Loews sits on the
Photo Credit: Lisa Reed
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designing lighting