façade lighting focus
2
1
3
have been too much. We found ways to put a very
on it, it’ll be LED and it will be wonderful’, then
added accenting where we felt it was required. In
down. And we came back a few weeks later and they
where the original lighting was located.
wanted us to be the bad guy. He knew it had to
conduits concealed, to come from inside the
Perhaps the biggest challenge for this project was
were going to be, but because the buildings were
such as this, it’s not uncommon to be given several
possible in many cases. Instead, those exposed
for FMS, the timeframe of just eight months meant
behind parapets or cornices, and whatever we
“We had to develop a point of view and a concept
exactly the colour of the stone. Similarly in some
no backpedalling,” said Garcia Carrera. “Once the
they’re also painted.”
it was just about implementation and overcoming
can’t find a conduit, because we had scene painters
Stone added: “That’s one of the reasons people
building, painting them to match the colours of the
professional you don’t question a decision that’s
Garcia Carrera continued that, during the refurb,
challenging, but also kind of fun in retrospect.
hardware and equipment that had previously been
line, there’s no going back. You couldn’t get out to
the Bank building was illuminated with a bunch of
maybe not, we should do it another way’,
flies circling around the dome. We got rid of that,
“And the projects really do look like the renderings
the boulevard by the river and erect new poles so
continued. “They were very true, there was very
from the building to let the building breathe.”
implementation, and that’s rare. When you have
do believe a lot of people involved thought ‘we can
the way you had it originally, but after going
soft wash of light on the main façades, and then we
we’re out there saying that it all has to go, take it all
many cases, that wasn’t in the same locations as
had taken it all down – maybe the owner just
“We also wanted to have most of the wiring and
come down – we had a great client.”
buildings to the exact location where the fixtures
the very limited timeframe. For large-scale projects
occupied with active office spaces, that wasn’t
years to complete such extensive re-lighting, but
wires and conduits were integrated into groups
that everything had to move very quickly.
couldn’t fully conceal, was painted to match
and just be sure of it right away, because there was
cases the fixtures themselves are exposed, but
concept was developed and signed off by the client,
“Without the benefit of shadows from the sun, you
the obstacles.”
in bosun’s chairs slipping down the façade of the
come to FMS, because we adopt the view that as a
stone,” Stone added.
well made. So yes, a compressed timescale was
FMS called for the removal of unnecessary, dated
“But Enrique’s point is we had to go in a straight
used to light some of the buildings. “The dome of
the field on the second mock-up and say ‘well,
out-rigged arms and light fixtures that looked like
everything had to go in a straight line.”
and convinced the client to go on the other side of
that we presented early on,” Garcia Carrera
that we could get a proper aiming angle and be away
little that changed from day one to the final
“It’s one of my favourite stories,” Stone added. “I
time, you change it a lot, and maybe you go back to
just use those brackets, we’ll just put new lighting
through a whole process. We didn’t have time to go
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1 & 2. The relit Custom House (1) and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (2) are cast a warm white light, showcasing each building’s history, and the rich colour of the stone. 3. When selecting the correct shade of white, Fisher Marantz Stone presented a range of options to the client, from a very low colour temperature to a more crisp, modern white, before eventually landing in the middle.