Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Hervé Descottes - A Friendship Between Two Greats

By Randy Reid

Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a legendary chef, restaurateur, and culinary visionary, was born in Strasbourg, France in 1957. Raised in a family of bakers, he developed a passion for cooking at a young age and honed his skills at the finest culinary schools in France. Known for his philanthropy and dedication to sustainability, Jean-Georges has brought his latest venture, the Tin Building in Manhattan, to life.

Once the bustling hub of commerce and culture at the Fulton Fish Market, the Tin Building had served as a vital part of New York's East River for nearly 200 years. After its closure in 2005, it underwent extensive restoration and has now been reborn as a culinary center, housing numerous markets, bars, and restaurants, anchored by a fish market.

When it came to lighting, Jean-Georges collaborated with his friend of thirty years, Hervé Descottes, founder of the lighting design firm L'Observatoire International.

Hervé has received awards from the IALD, IES, IESNYC, AIA, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Municipal Art Society of New York City. In 2008, Descottes was named Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture for his work in lighting design.

Descottes and his team have designed the lighting for 90% of Jean-Georges' restaurants worldwide. For the Tin Building, Carlos Garcia served as the project leader.

On a recent foggy evening, I approached the building and was greeted by exterior lighting featuring barn light luminaires, which added to the building's historic character. The next day, Descottes shared that the new signage on the exterior of the building was created by RW and was based on the signs from the original building. The signage coupled with the canopy and barn lights help push the building backwards in time.

For our discussion, Descottes was very gracious in taking my call as he and his family were on vacation with Jean-Georges and his family.

The Tin Building's interior is a celebration of global cuisine, inspired by recipes from France, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.S., and Europe. The goal of the lighting design was to capture the essence of the Fish Market while creating a space that's both a market and a dining destination. Hervé spoke to the complexity of the project, saying, "It was important to have a common theme throughout the 64,000 square foot building while giving each of the ten restaurants their own unique look—the goal was to create a cohesive and inviting atmosphere for guests from the moment they entered the building.”

Pockets of design create self-contained experiences, and custom luminaires throughout help define the unique destinations within the larger space. Carlos added, “Each restaurant needs to have its own little mood, yet they are interconnected—they need to talk to each other.” Theatrical lighting projectors from ETC are used in the seafood market to create pools of illumination, and the lights are color-changing and can be adjusted to a warm white color temperature when needed. The lighting changes frequently, creating different moods and atmospheres throughout the day.

The Crestron control system is used throughout the building and organized around four scenes - morning, noon, early evening, and late-night - and is seamlessly integrated with the building's audio-visual and sound systems. Color-changing lighting is synched to the media screen, splashing vivid hues onto surrounding surfaces and activating the overall atmosphere.

The Spoiled Parrot candy store is defined by a custom chandelier by HBA Lighting of exploding globes that are reflected on the copper ceiling. These globes create a playful and whimsical mood. Linear lights by Aion Lighting are carved into the millwork and discretely regressed into the shelving. They are unseen, making the products appear as if they are art. These luminaires have a very important feature in that they are custom designed to provide higher heat dissipation, insuring that the candies don't melt.

Backlit glass marquees define a more intimate scale and beckon patrons. These marquee structures also host accent lighting for merchandise and decorative lighting fixtures, illuminated signage, and neon for sizzle.

The color temperature used in the candy store is 2700K, which is slightly brighter and cooler compared to the rest of the building, set at 2400K. The House of the Red Pearl stands out at 2200K and 1800K.

The wine bar features a variety of lighting fixtures that are designed to create different layers of light at different heights. The lighting system includes a suspended track with headlights aimed at the counter surface, a flexible track system by Litelab, a brass pendant light that highlights where food is ordered, and mini spotlights behind the marquee that provide accent illumination in front of the counter.

The lighting design process took 7 years, and Carlos explained that the commissioning took around six months, starting in May 2022. Carlos finished commissioning in November when the Tin Building opened. The process included adjusting and precise aiming of thousands of fixtures, including miles of linear LED strips, and setting multiple scenes.

The Tin Building by Jean-Georges stands as a testament to diversity by mixing markets and restaurants while preserving the identity of the Seaport. With ten Jean-Georges restaurants, each with its own unique flavor, the Tin Building shines as a beacon of culinary excellence and innovation with warm and inviting lighting. The only thing left to do is visit, taste, and be transformed. ■

• The Frenchman’s Dough (Italian with a Twist)

• Shikku (Sushi & Sake)

• Sandwich & Salad

• House of the Red Pearl (Chinese-inspired)

• Double Yolk (Breakfast & Lunch)

• Fulton Fish Co. (Seafood)

• Seeds & Weeds (Vegan & Vegetarian)

• Taquito (Mexican)

• T. Café (Coffee & Pastries)

• T. Brasserie (French)

Interior Designer: Roman and Williams

Architect of Record: Cass Calder Smith

MEP Engineer: WST

Client: Jean-Georges Management

Client: The Howard Hughes Corporation

Lighting:

• Aion LED - Linear LED, strip light, retail and bars millwork integrated light

• Lucent - Recessed downlights

• Litelab - Track mounted spotlights

• Lumenture - Canopy mounted spotlights

• ETC - Framing projectors

• Eklipse - Millwork miniature lights

• Nanometer - Backlit surface panels

• LED-NER - LED bulbs

Controls:

• Crestron