Lincoln Center has long been one of New York City’s—and the world’s—great cultural destinations for music, theater, and dance. The complex of buildings and outdoor spaces was a product of its time when constructed in the 1960s, and the design turned itself inward rather than completely engaging with the surrounding city. But that has changed with a new comprehensive master plan that has touched every part of the complex in general and reinvigorated the outdoor spaces in particular. Using a series of new architectural elements, including canopies, water features, outdoor seating, and new planting areas, the public is invited into the campus regardless of whether one is attending a performance or not.

The most striking revision is in front of the Vivian Beaumont Theater, with its Illumination Lawn, a sloping green space that is, in fact, the roof of the building that houses a restaurant, the Film Center, and Lincoln Center’s offices. Here, public space is reinvented, and even more so at night when it is “moonlit” with eight 150W metal halide spotlights located on the roof of a nearby building. As with all of the new interventions, lighting is that extra something that gives the space a heightened sense of drama as staged and unscripted performances play out.

Jury Comments: Each lighting “move” stitches the center’s buildings and outdoor spaces together, and back to the city. • Lighting becomes a placemaking device while respecting the existing architecture.

About the Author

Elizabeth Donoff

Elizabeth Donoff is Editor-at-Large of Architectural Lighting (AL). She served as Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2017. She joined the editorial team in 2003 and is a leading voice in the lighting community speaking at industry events such as Lightfair and the International Association of Lighting Designers Annual Enlighten Conference, and has twice served as a judge for the Illuminating Engineering Society New York City Section’s (IESNYC) Lumen Award program. In 2009, she received the Brilliance Award from the IESNYC for dedicated service and contribution to the New York City lighting community. Over the past 11 years, under her editorial direction, Architectural Lighting has received a number of prestigious B2B journalism awards. In 2017, Architectural Lighting was a Top Ten Finalist for Magazine of the Year from the American Society of Business Publication Editors' AZBEE Awards. In 2016, Donoff received the Jesse H. Neal Award for her Editor’s Comments in the category of Best Commentary/Blog, and in 2015, AL received a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Media Brand (Overall Editorial Excellence).Prior to her entry into design journalism, Donoff worked in New York City architectural offices including FXFowle where she was part of the project teams for the Reuters Building at Three Times Square and the New York Times Headquarters. She is a graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Me., and she earned her Master of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.

Related Topics

More from Architect Magazine

Trending

Upcoming Events