The 28th Annual GE Edison Awards ceremony and dinner took advantage of Lightfair’s 2011 Philadelphia locale, held in grand fashion at the National Constitution Center on May 16. To start the evening, guests were treated to “Freedom Rising,” a theatrical and multimedia performance that introduced visitors to the center’s mission of increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the Constitution.
This performance was followed by the presentation of 11 projects, representing work in the U.S. and Europe. This year, three awards of excellence, five awards of merit, two awards for excellence in environmental design, and one award for residential design were presented. The grand prize—the Edison Award—was selected from the three projects that received awards of excellence. It went to Bonn, Germany–based lighting design firm Licht Kunst Licht for their work on ThyssenKrupp Quarter, a corporate office building in Essen, Germany. This was the second year in a row that Licht Kunst Licht received the prestigious award.
Projects submitted to the GE Edison Awards are evaluated by a jury of five design professionals. This year those individuals were Brazilian architect Monica Luz Lobo; lighting designers Jonathan Plumpton, Miles J.H. Pinniger, and Sandra Stashik; and GE Lighting representative Shelli Sedlak.
2011 GE Edison Award Winners: GE Edison Award and Award of Excellence: ThyssenKrupp Quarter, Essen, Germany, Licht Kunst Licht, Bonn, Germany
Awards of Excellence: Science Storms, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Focus Lighting, New York; and David Yurman Townhouse, New York, Cooley Monato Studio, New York.
Awards of Merit: Kunstsammlung NRW K20, Dusseldorf, Germany, Licht Kunst Licht, Bonn, Germany; “Terra Mineralia” the Mineral Collections, Frudenstein Castle, Freiberg, Saxony, Germany, L-Plan Lighting Design, Berlin; Hackley School, Goodhue Memorial Hall, Tarrytown, N.Y., Goldstick Lighting Design, White Plains, N.Y.; the Collaborative Research Center at the Rockefeller University, New York, Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design, New York; and the Peddie School, Ian Graham Athletic Center, Hightstown, N.J., Illuminations Arts, Bloomfield, N.J.
Awards for Excellence in Environmental Design: Miami University Farmer School of Business, Oxford, Ohio, Tec Engineering & Design, Columbus, Ohio; and University of Oregon John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes, Eugene, Ore., Interface Engineering Lighting Studio, Portland, Ore.
Award for Residential Design: River House II, Aspen, Colo., Robert Singer & Associates, Basalt, Colo.
