Invisible Light
The studio was invited to speak at a panel discussion about the role of light in architecture with Claude Engle IV with whom we have collaborated on various projects over the last two decades both during our time at Foster + Partners and afterwards on our own public and private projects in Europe and overseas. The focus of the discussion was to explain the innovative approach that Claude and his father Claude Engle III have contributed to key public projects in the realm of architectural lighting. The discussion ranged from the early design stage concepts and their testing and documentation as the designs develop – via mock-ups and virtual testing. These were particularly important for ground-breaking schemes such as the Reichstag (the new German parliament in Berlin), Stansted airport, the Portia Winery or the Bilbao Metro system where the architects worked with the designer.
Especially relevant to both teams is the need to integrate the lighting design early in the process to safeguard the design intent and make provision for cost effective and adaptive lighting schemes – both natural and artificial.
Engle Lighting and Borgos Pieper continue to work together on a number of projects and had recently inaugurated the Parque central in Valencia where Claude had been instrumental in getting the public realm lighting to work with subtle rather than overwhelming lighting systems.