As part of a redevelopment plan for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the Culver City, Calif., office of Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design (HLB) teamed with L.A.-based AECOM to enliven LAX’s Central Terminal Area. The area of focus for the first phase of this curbside enhancement project was the roadway and sidewalk areas in front of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Recognizing the need to illuminate an upper and lower roadway system as well as the entrance into the terminal—all under an aggressive timeline—HLB and AECOM strategized to produce maximum effect with minimal materials.
The most eye-catching improvement that the team implemented is a series of sculptural light poles at the edge of the upper level that evokes the spirit of flying, befitting the theme of the building. The light poles—high-gloss, white-finished, Y-shaped elements with embedded LEDs, uplit with LED spotlights—also cut energy use by two-thirds and fulfill the roadway lighting requirements with uniform 3500K white light across both levels. Because of the tight timeline, the team chose an existing roadway-approved optic component for use in the arms of the light poles, which, rotated 180 degrees from its typical deployment, allows for an average of 2.5 footcandles on the roads, and 8 footcandles on the sidewalks.
Along the roadway and terminal canopy edges, HLB and AECOM deployed a polychromatic light ribbon that links to LAX’s gateway pylon controls and cycles through synchronized color transitions. At the terminal entrance and passenger drop-off area, added reflective coatings within the LED canopy luminaires help bounce the light to create a soft luminous environment.
While only the first phase has been completed, the remaining planned stages will subsequently extend the light ribbon around the remaining terminals, further unifying the lighting and creating a cohesive experience.
Jury Comments
A clever, custom application of a commercially available product.
This answers the question of how light can give focus to a project.
Details
Project LAX Central Terminal Area (CTA) Curbside Enhancement, Los Angeles
Entrant Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design
Owner/Client Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)
Architect AECOM, Los Angeles
LightingDesigner Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design, Culver City, Calif.
Team Members Teal Brogden, Tina Aghassian, Clifton Manahan, Jae Yong Suk, Alexis Sclemer
Photographer AECOM
Project Size 15,350 square feet (roadway and light ribbon); 28,750 square feet (canopy)
Project Cost Withheld
Lighting Costs Withheld
Watts per Square Foot 4.11 (light ribbon); 0.409 (other areas)
Code Compliance California Title 24
Manufacturers Acuity Brands/Winona Lighting, Bega-US, Eaton’s Cooper Lighting Business, ETC, Lutron, Penwal Industries (light poles), Philips Color Kinetics
To see all of the other winners of the 2014 AL Light & Architecture Design Awards, click here.
