Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, Jersey City office

Part of a federally regulated banking system, this Jersey City, N.J., office has been aesthetically reimagined as part of its transformation into the nerve center of 11 district banks and more than 8,000 member institutions. Emphasizing the well-being of occupants, Lilker Lighting Group’s design solution celebrates the interior architecture by establishing drama and a visual language inspired by organic shapes and the movement of water.

The tone is set right from the elevator lobby with a custom luminaire of nearly 300 light-emitting polymer pendant elements arranged into a large-scale waveform. In meeting and breakout areas, cylindrical and spherical luminous pendants complement curved walls, seating elements, and rounded tables. Custom alabaster luminaires serve as decorative focal points in the boardroom. The café features undulating white lacquered wood ceiling fins with integrated lighting, a nod to the shifting waters of the Hudson River that the space overlooks. In the command center, recessed linear luminaires evenly illuminate the open workstations, and a monolithic stretched fabric ceiling conceals lighting, HVAC, fire protection, and audiovisual equipment above a smooth, matte surface that controls glare and reflections.

Juror Quote
“The concept is well integrated, timeless, and also new.” —Rebecca Ho-Dion, lighting design director, ALULA Lighting Design

Details
Project Name: Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, Jersey City office, Jersey City, N.J.
Client/Owner: Federal Home Loan Bank of New York
Architect/Interior Designer: The Switzer Group, New York • Gregory Gresham, AIA, Bradley Davis, Max Kawer, AIA, Michael Braun, AIA, Robert Kellogg
Lighting Designer: Lilker Lighting Group, New York • David Cyr, Suzie Lee
Structural Engineer: Gilsanz Murray Steficek
MEP Engineer: Robert Derector Associates
Construction Manager: PTS Consulting Group
General Contractor: Henegan Construction Co.
Acoustical Consultant: Cerami
Photographer: Colin Miller Photography
Project Size: 52,000 square feet
Project Cost: Withheld
Lighting Cost: $633,079
Watts per Square Foot: 0.45
Code Compliance: ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2013
Manufacturers: 3G Lighting, Atelier Alain Ellouz, Axis Lighting, Bartco Lighting, BlackBody, Delray Lighting, Eaton, Ecosense, Electric Mirror, Eureka Lighting, Forum Lighting, Gubi, LaMar Lighting, Lucifer Lighting, Luminii, Matthew McCormick Studio, Nulux, Pinnacle Architectural Lighting, Roll & Hill, USAI Lighting, Vibia

• 2019 AL Light & Architecture Design Awards

  This year's program recognized nine projects from around the world.

  

• Gateway Arch Museum and Visitor Center

  Outstanding Achievement • Whole Building • Entrant: Tillotson Design Associates

  

• Cathedral of Our Lady and Its Surroundings

  Outstanding Achievement • Exterior Lighting • Entrant: Susanna Antico Lighting Design Studio

  

• Centro Comercial Diagonal Mar

  Outstanding Achievement • Interior Lighting • Entrant: BMLD Designing with Light

  

• RH New York

  Commendable Achievement • Whole Building • Entrant: Sean O’Connor Lighting

  

• The Peacock Room

  Commendable Achievement • Interior Lighting • Entrant: The Flaming Beacon

  

• Center Street Parking Garage

  Commendable Achievement • Exterior Lighting • Entrant: Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects

  

• Four Seasons Restaurant

  Commendable Achievement • Interior Lighting • Entrant: Tillotson Design Associates

  

• Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, Jersey City office

  Commendable Achievement • Interior Lighting • Entrant: Lilker Lighting Group

  

• Whiteout

  Commendable Achievement • Exhibition Lighting and Temporary Installations • Entrant: Erwin Redl