BOSTON – Century-old Boston Symphony Hall reopened its arched clerestory windows, shuttered since World War II, introducing daylight into the venue for the first time since the 1940s. That also served as the catalyst for an upgrade to the lighting for the upper hall. Horton Lees Brogden worked on the lighting design with Ann Beha Architects. To bring natural light into the Hall during the day, existing covers on arched clerestory windows were removed, original glass panes were replaced, and new exterior covers for light control were installed.
"This provided a wonderful opportunity to uplight the arches, highlighting these architectural details," said Carrie Hawley, HLB associate principal. LED uplights in a warm color temperature were mounted along the bottom of the arched windows and set back within the window openings to conceal them from view. The addition of a wood fascia, painted the same color as surrounding trim, conceals the fixture.
To properly light the statuary, three layers of light were added – key light, fill light and back light. Key light from halogen narrow spot lamps recessed from a high side angle in adjacent coffers creates the impression of daylight hitting each statue. Fill light for each statue was achieved through the use of halogen narrow spot lamps recessed in alternate corners of coffers from the key lights, balancing the strong key light and enhancing a 3D effect.
For ease of relamping, the key and fill lights are accessible from the attic above. Specular bronze reflectors help the fixtures blend in visually with the ornate plaster coffers. Previously installed accent lights were also replaced with new warm white LED strip lights carefully concealed behind each statue base. This resulted in the highest quality of white light to blend in with the rest of the interior lighting.
The lighting design for this project was been honored with an IESNA Award of Merit as well as an IESNA Boston Section Award.
For more information, please visit www.hlblighting.com.
