The Illuminating Engineering Society New York Section (IESNY) announced the recipients of the 2006 Lumen Awards for excellence, professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design at the 39^th annual Lumen Gala on June 13 in New York City.

The ten awards were be presented in three categories: The Lumen Citation, a special recognition for an art installation, technical detail, portion of a single project, temporary installation or other work; and the Lumen Award of Merit, in recognition of a permanent architectural application, and the Lumen Award of Excellence, which is not necessarily given annually, but when a project is so superior that the jury feels it deserves the highest honor.

Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design’s (CBBLD) was honored with the Award of Excellence for 7 World Trade Center. From its inception, the design team of architects, designers, manufacturers, and the client sought to create a building with the presence, dignity, and energy to herald a new beginning for the World Trade Center site. The specific challenge of the lighting designers was how to mask transformer vaults in a seven-story base. The solution was the creation of a custom shimmering light and metal screen that wraps around an entire city block and is one of the largest interactive LED walls in the world.

For additional Live Design coverage on this project see Lucky Number Seven

The illumination of the iconic Coney Island Parachute Jump, designed by Leni Schwendinger Light Projects and CBBLD’s lighting design for the Minneapolis Central Library’s Children’s Reading Room received Lumen Citations. A special Citation for Daylighting was awarded to Tanteri + Associates for the Museo de Arte de Ponce.

For additional Live Design coverage on this project see Colors on Coney Island

Awards of Merit were presented to the Renfro Design Group for the 21C Museum Hotel, Tillotson Design Associates for the lighting of the Alessi Flagship Store, Fisher Marantz Stone’s Georgia Aquarium, Arc Light Design’s Millennium Hilton Bangkok, Sachs Morgan Studio’s lighting design for Temple Emanu-El, and Ann Schiffers lighting of Third Point.

“The New York lighting community literally shines when it comes to creativity and technical savvy, says Randy Sabedra,” president of the IESNA, New York Section, and RSL Lighting. Receiving a Lumen Award has become a highly regarded honor in the lighting industry, especially in a section, like New York, that has so many talented designers.”

The Lumen Awards program is not a competition per se, as each project submitted is evaluated on its own merit. Joan Blumenfeld, FAIA, LEED, IIDA, principal, Perkins+Will, 2007 AIA/NY Chapter President, Ken Douglas, IALD, IES, LC, principal, Illumination Arts, Ann Kale, IALD, president, Ann Kale Associates, Joanne Lindsley, FIALD, FIES, LC, president, Lindsley Consultants, Caleb A. Mackenzie, IESNY, LC, senior associate, T. Kondos Associates, William Menking, founder and editor, The Architect’s Newspaper, and Shawn Sullivan, principal, Rockwell Group, comprised this year’s jury.

The Lumens Awards are sponsored by the IESNY and are part of the International Illumination Design Awards (IIDA) program of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). Lighting projects that receive Lumen Awards or Citations of Merit from the New York Section become eligible for Regional and International IIDA Awards.

Some 40 years ago, the IESNY got the idea to create an annual program around projects being sent on to the IESNA for further judging. The first few Lumen Award presentations were one and two table events at a local restaurant. By 1977, it had grown to six tables and by 1996, 16 tables. The 2007 Gala, has over 70 tables reserved for celebrants from various sectors of the industry – manufacturers, consultants, lighting designers, interior designers, architects, and academics.

A special Section Service Meritorius Award was presented to the Lumen Committee co-chairs and IESNY members of the board of managers, Carrie Knowlton Hawley, associate principal and Shoshanna Segal, associate, both of Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design for growing the Lumen Awards and Gala into the successful program it is today.

The festivities stopped momentarily to posthumously honor Jules Horton, a recognized leader and innovator in the architectural lighting arena and founder in 1968 of Horton Lighting Design, now Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design. Jules Horton who died at age 87 this past winter was responsible for a number of large-scale lighting projects for mentoring over 100 lighting designers throughout his career.

The IESNY is a non-profit membership organization and a partner organization at the Center for Architecture. The New York Section is part of the IESNA whose mission is to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and by translating that knowledge into actions that benefit the public and to promote the art and science of lighting to its members, allied professional organizations and the public. Last year, the IESNY celebrated its 100^th year of service to the community.