A Luminous History

Richard Meier’s 1983 addition to the High Museum of Art gave the institution exactly what it wanted: pleasant, daylight-filled public spaces. In fact, the design gave too much. In some places, as much as 1,000 footcandles of sunlight streamed into galleries that held light-sensitive paintings. It became a curator’s nightmare. In 2004, Atlanta-based Lord, Aeck & Sargent worked with Arup Lighting on a renovation to the building. With the knowledge gained from 21 years of material and technological developments, Arup employed passive and active solutions to mitigate the daylight and to prevent ultraviolet transmission, glare, and light strikes. A range of films was applied to the building’s glazing to cut light transmission to between 70 and 4 percent. These films work in conjunction with white static shades at the top and bottom of window modules that diffuse daylight, bringing the galleries well within stringent footcandle requirements.