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DETAILS


HIGHLIGHTS Pic: JR Krauza


Projects that you would like to change: More care in aiming adjustable fixtures after relamping, and checking to see that colour filters have not faded would have a big impact. I would like to see all of our projects be better maintained.


Projects you admire:


The Grand Mosque by Jonathan Speirs, located in Abu Dhabi. Jonathan did a wonderful job and had fierce determination to maintain his design concept and complete this great project. His first concept involved LEDs embedded in the skin of the mosque that would be illuminated to show the patterns of the stars tracking across the night sky.


Projects you dislike: Pic: Ariel Wilchek Pic: Paul Warchol


Clockwise from top Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Milwaukee, WI - Focus created sixteen ‘light paintings’ based on Georgia O’Keefe’s flower paintings; Paul Gregory with his great friend Jonathan Speirs; 40/40 Club, New York, NY; The Times Square Ball, New York, NY - Gregory was chosen to light the famous ball for the centenary of the tradition.


opposed to U.S. projects. It’s been those students who have inspired me.” “I believe that great strides have been made in lighting education,” Gregory says. “Up until about 1970, lighting was part of the teaching curriculum for building sys- tems, along with heating and air condition- ing. Then, more types and styles of lighting fixtures began to come onto the market. There were choices that could be made to relate to the design of the space, not just deciding where to put the holes in the ceil- ing for the overhead lights. That revolu- tionised everything. Now the design team has to go into the project planning phase with an open mind to collaborate and share ideas. That’s where greatness comes from: collaboration,” he believes.


“When I was starting out in the profession, many people helped me by taking their time to explain aspects of their practice, and to offer their guidance. I believe that by having accepted their help I now have an obligation to contribute to the future of those who are training for a career in lighting design. I have been a member of the IALD Education Trust and am now on the board of the Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Edu- cation. The Nuckolls Fund does a great deal to advance the quality of lighting educa-


tion by seeking proposals from colleges and universities for innovative educational ideas to integrate light in architecture. Since its establishment in 1988, $775,000 has been distributed to support many college-level lighting programs that promote students’ education and appreciation of lighting and design,” he notes.


“Each project brings with it the dual tasks of creating innovative design and relevant application of lighting technology,” he states. “People appreciate a beautiful design today more than ever before. Great design works; just look at the success of the iPhone. Of course, the lighting designer’s awareness of the efficiency and quality of light sources and the whole green move- ment is an ever-challenging aspect of the profession. To create a fabulous interior at 1 watt/sq.ft. requires ingenuity and creativ- ity. Strict energy codes or low maintenance needs have driven us to many unique solu- tions.”


Gregory concludes with his long-range vision of the lighting designer’s role: “The lighting designer is the curator of the visual image. It’s a responsibility that we all have to ac- cept.” www.focuslighting.com


I like to sit across from an owner to create something wonderful together. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to accomplish this on projects with committees, which is why I stay away from work such as airports.


Lighting Hero:


Broadway lighting designer, Abe Feder, who designed such classics as My Fair Lady, Camelot and Inherit the Wind. I’ve always looked up to him and in 1978, we met and became good friends. He was always there to provide guidance and advised me to “Never fear heroic failure”.


Notable projects:


• Times Square Ball, New York City. I was chosen among five lighting designers to light the hundredth anniversary of the historic ball.


• Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Milwaukee, Wisc. We created 16 light paintings on the exterior, based on Georgia O’Keefe’s flower paintings. • Atlantis, Dubai, UAE. With its massive open-air arch and 27-story towers, Atlantis stands as an icon on the tip of the Palm Jumeirah Island of Dubai. • Crystals at CityCenter, Las Vegas. We worked with architect Daniel Libeskind to create what is best described as an urban forest. We were able to keep the architecture free of fixtures and accent the architecture’s beauty.


• Morimoto, Philadelphia. Designed by Karim Rashid, diners eat in an architectural environment of low glass walls that very slowly change colour, but do not affect the colour of the food or your skin tone. • Science Storms at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. A wrapper of blue light envelopes the space to inspire a sense of wonder in visitors of all ages. In addition to the lighting design, we also helped to design a few of the exhibits that promote an understanding of light.


Most memorable project:


The Entel Tower in Santiago, Chile, designed in 1993, was my most memorable project as it was the world’s first automated colour-changing building.


Current projects:


Yongsan International Business District, Seoul; Space Shuttle Pavilion at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, New York City; Taipei Pop Music Center, Taipei; Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles.


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