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Planning + Community < Previous Next > Photo: Leni Schwendinger Light Projects Photo: Leni Schwendinger Light Projects 82nd Street Partnership Lighting Strategy Location Quees, NY Client 82nd Street Partnership (Business Improvement District) Team NightSeeing ​ ​ The 82nd Street Partnership (BID), located in a Queens New York City commercial core, required strategic lighting advice and three distinct creative designs. A lighting task-force was assembled and a NightSeeing™ program was initiated to educate the public and stakeholders before workshopping an approach for the district’s nighttime environment. Leni Schwendinger and her team worked closely with the Partnership and their constituency to envision a lighting strategy to connect and unify district-wide assets, establish a unique discernible identity and reinforce the Partnership’s effective stewardship on behalf of property owners, merchants, residents, workers, and visitors. ​Site-specific lighting programs were developed during the community meetings and workshop to enhance the after-dark experience of residents, workers, and visitors through legibility, safety, and city enjoyment. All night technical measurements and observations were undertaken throughout the study area. Through the NightSeeing™ analysis, darkened gaps and on–the- ground observations identified opportunities for light to unlock potentials and strengthen area assets (subway transit nodes, building facades, public art, etc), with an eye on creating an enhanced district signature. Three model project designs were presented for funding. The “Living Lanterns” to activate public spaces with a Festival of Light, the “One Light at Night” is a storefront program, and the “Underpass Light” which illuminates the traffic corridor intersections, marks overground subway stops and enhances place identity. A set of core principles were established. - Quality of Life - Economic Development - Enhance Community Building - Placemaking - Public Health & Safety - Public-Private Partnership Guidelines were assembled in book form for future consideration.

FUSING ART + URBAN DESIGN WITH LIGHT Urban dwellers and the city spaces they inhabit during the after-dark hours deserve distinct planning and design approaches. Leni Schwendinger Light Projects offers expert services from creative concepts to full-service lighting designs that optimize nighttime experiences, resulting in safety, beauty, and sustainability. Learn More Participate in our luminous world. Don't be shy – get in touch for advisory and design services: Lighting Design for Public Space and Infrastructure Smart Lighting and Smart Cities Advisory Solving Urban Nighttime Issues Remote Educational Presentations Campus Architects, Planners and Operations Make an appointment to discuss your project Submit

Public Art < Previous Next > ​ ​ Uptown Flash Location East Harlem, New York Client Uptown Grand Central, NYC Department of Transportation and Design Trust for Public Space Team Design support: Hamilton Guillén Fabrication and installation: Craig Friedman Productions On-site braiding: Local volunteers ​ ​ Artist Leni Schwendinger has transformed a once bleak underpass into a cozy, bright and friendly plaza. In the recent past, pedestrians and commuters walked around the Department of Transportation-designated space at night rather than crossing through it. Residents and visitors now exclaim upon the luminous color and lights overhead with surprise and pleasure. The art installation is composed of simple materials made by locals and professionals. D.I.Y. string lights and community engagement work hand-in-hand. The artist’s concept is based on the design and history of hair braiding. Plaited light strands suspended below the Park Avenue Viaduct transform a desolate plaza into a luminous place to meet. To produce the artwork 150’ bulbed strands were laid out on the pavement. Neighbors and transit riders stopped by to try their hand and apply their imaginations to create the spatial and perception altering marquee. A grand opening event welcomed the neighborhood during the darkened hours of the winter solstice. Leni conducted a mini NightSeeingTM walk along the linear, raised Metro North Railway Harlem station. Guests experienced the qualities of local electrical light. Uptown Flash switched on after the observational exercise. Celebratory marching bands and free hot chocolate highlighted the event. The plaza now hosts art, theater and a market.

Public Spaces + Streets < Previous Next > Photos: Mark Johnson / Civitas Photos: Mark Johnson / Civitas North Embarecadero Vision Plan Location San Diego, Ca Client Port of San Diego Team Project Design Consultants, Civitas, Spurlock Poirier ​ ​ For the San Diego Esplanade, Leni Schwendinger Light Projects’ team designed illumination for the waterfront, gardens, and the Broadway approach. A multi-year project, the Embarcadero’s asphalt surfaces, sad kiosks, and lack of trees set against the magnificent San Diego Bay waters provided bones for revitalization. The project envisioned a gateway to San Diego’s downtown creating a regenerated destination. The consultant team worked with multiple clients, including the business improvement district, Civic San Diego, Port of San Diego, and the City of San Diego. A welcoming urban park interwoven with a working waterfront was the result of the redeveloped masterplan. Following a highly collaborative, public engagement process, Phase 1 of NEVP reclaimed a 1,000-foot long vehicular-oriented throughway and returns the Bay’s water’s edge to thousands of visitors enjoying the many cultural activities found along the water’s edge. The Light Projects’ team collaborated closely with two landscape architects, urban designer, engineers, and public artist. Amid the lush landscape of trees, paths, and plazas, visitors encounter architecturally bold ticket kiosks, artist-designed shade pavilions, and a café. The lighting, graphics, and furnishings recall the craft and heft of the maritime industries. A series of formal garden rooms are defined by the redesigned landscape with seating areas and a complement of custom light poles. An 8-foot-wide water quality band provides visible conveyance and treatment of stormwater to the harbor’s edge. Parallel to the walkway a runnel creates an incised, illuminated line at night. A grand hallway along West Broadway is created by Medjool Date Palm trees planted along the median and sidewalks. The tall, linear palms alternate with Schwendinger’s spiral light-poles, which are 30-feet high and perform both street lighting and up-light the palm tree canopies. At the end of Broadway, the Port Pavilion features Schwendinger’s Tidal Radiance a dynamic, exterior glass, metals, and public-art light wall. All elements of the project, including plant materials, ground surfaces, and furnishing designs, were based on the appropriate scale and durability for the coastal environment.

Public Art < Previous Next > Photos: Leni Schwendinger Light Projects Photos: Leni Schwendinger Light Projects (sculpture, daytime detail) Tidal Radiance Location San Diego, CA Client Unified Port of San Diego Team Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Paul Basile Fabrication, DCI-Engineering ​ ​ Tidal Radiance was funded through the Port of San Diego’s Percent for Art program. Adding drama and another focal point to the North Embarcadero, the dynamic display is visible to Port Pavilion visitors, pedestrians strolling along the Embarcadero, and motorists traveling on North Harbor Drive. For the Port Pavilion of Broadway Pier, a 45-foot by 16-foot exterior wall sculpture, Tidal Radiance, combines an environment of projections to evoke tides and sea life. To set the stage for a dramatic transformation during the night, sculptural elements - custom cast-glass and metal forms - remain neutral by day. To accomplish this, Light Projects collaborated with the architect on material selections responsive to sunlight. After sunset, Tidal Radiance becomes a shimmering, organic form, seen from near and far. The artwork is visible to boats, pedestrians, and motorists along the Embarcadero promenade. The interplay between artwork and viewer is integral to Tidal Radiance. Along the perimeter of the terminal, the spectator becomes a participant in the luminous stenciled projections. Chromatic seasonal illuminations are evocative of the San Diego Bay culture. Luminous greens represent the whale watching season and glowing golds the cruise season. During the moon cycles, the full moon is expressed by pale blues, while the new and quarter moon emanate deep blue hues. This element of controlled changeability - combined with color symbolism - allows the artist to create public art that not only pleases the eye but communicates and displays nuanced messages about the environment we live in.

Planning + Community < Previous Next > Photos: Keith Jacobs ​ NightSeeing at Myrtle Beach Location Myrtle Beach, California Client Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance Team NightSeeing ​ Download the Report Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is planning and designing an Arts and Innovation District. Nighttime designer and urban lighting consultant, Leni Schwendinger was commissioned by the Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance (MBDA) to conduct her NightSeeing™️ methodology to address nighttime and lighting issues and to set objectives for the future. The mission of NightSeeing™️ is to transform cities at night into safe and welcoming, inspiring and inclusive places. Through close collaboration with MBDA, a customized program including a LightWalk, an invited workshop, stakeholder Q&A, and an open public presentation was delivered. Stakeholders attended Leni’s talk and LightWalk tour where they experienced a fresh perspective on positive and negatively perceived night spaces, their social and physical conditions, and lighting atmospheres. The purpose was to provide a qualitative experience with a vision of the future in mind. Attendees included the Myrtle Beach Mayor, City Council, and City Operations staff. Small business owners and managers participated. Also in attendance were arts and culture representatives such as Coastal Carolina University. Vocabulary and the language of light were expanded to describe how an after-dusk vitalized district would look and feel. As a baseline, during the Envisioning Workshop, attendees identified three objectives for the District’s nighttime design. 1. Identifiable pathways for walking and bikeways that emphasize connection 2. A canvas of light with focal points designed with historic characteristics and innovative features 3. Transformable fun spaces that welcome people at night Significantly the program produced an enthusiastic community cohort through active learning through group walking and workshopping. A launch point has been established for a nighttime masterplan to improve the after-dark environment of the proposed Arts & Innovation District in Myrtle Beach.

INTERNATIONAL NIGHTTIME DESIGN INITIATIVE International Nighttime Design Initiative (NTD) www.nighttimedesign.org Together let’s learn to apply our nighttime design systems, as we have done globally, to enhance safety, economic development, and walkability to your neighborhoods. The International Nighttime Design Initiative (NTD) is a consortium of interdisciplinary experts convening, researching and piloting innovative methods of design for urban enclaves after-dark. Combined with urban lighting, our future advocacy hubs will holistically transform the way cities operate after sun down, by increasing civil, cultural and social interactions into the night hours. Projects by the Initiative have included include Smart Lighting Guidance for New York State, developing innovative pilots with think-tank, New Urban Mobility, and conference presentations about essential night-workers needs for welcoming and safe nighttime design. CLIENTS ​ Architecture/Engineer/Construction Industry Architects and Planners Transportation Engineers Urban Designers Lighting Designers Municipalities Department of Transportation and Public Works Department of Planning Department of Sustainability Department of Public Health Urban Researchers/ Academia –Mark Burton Lighting Urban Communities International (LUCI) ​ “LUCI recently commissioned Leni to compile a report about the state of the field of urban lighting in the U.S. The report submitted by Leni is excellent. It showcases her curiosity and her expertise on the topic. It uncovers interesting differences in nighttime lighting values and governance between European cities and those in America. We are looking forward to continuing our collaborations with Leni on this research."

CONTACT We welcome and value opportunities for collaboration! How did you hear about us?* Subject* Send We look forward to learning more about your project! GET IN TOUCH! leni@lslp.net 41 Union Square West, Suite 619 New York, NY 10003

Infrastructure + Bridges < Previous Next > Photo: Michael Maltzan Architects Photo: Leni Schwendinger Light Projects 6th Street Viaduct Replacement Location Los Angeles, California Client LA Bureau of Engineering Team HNTB, Micahel Maltzan Architects, Hargreaves 2022 Los Angeles Business Council Grand Prize, 2022 ACEC Engineering Excellence Honor Award, 2022 Civil+Structural Engineer Media: Most Popular Infrastructure Project, 2022 Women Transportation Seminar Innovative Transportation Solutions Award ​ Seen in movies and on television, Sixth Street Viaduct is one of America’s most famous and iconic bridges. The bridge acts as a vital connection between the Arts District on the west side of the Los Angeles River and the historic neighborhood of Boyle Heights on the east side. Leni Schwendinger Light Projects led the competition and concept-phase lighting design. Collaborating with architect Michael Maltzan, the City of Los Angeles, and our internal team of interactive designers, a concept was envisioned to display ambient patterns echoing environmental conditions.Seen in movies and on television, Sixth Street Viaduct is one of America’s most famous and iconic bridges. The bridge acts as a vital connection between the Arts District on the west side of the Los Angeles River and the historic neighborhood of Boyle Heights on the east side. Leni Schwendinger Light Projects led the competition and concept-phase lighting design. Collaborating with architect Michael Maltzan, the City of Los Angeles, and our internal team of interactive designers, a concept was envisioned to display ambient patterns echoing environmental conditions. The innovative concept, a ribbon of light, entitled “Slip Stream”, was presented through rendered video and live demonstrations to a wide variety of stakeholders. Most bridge lighting is visible and interrupts the line of vision. Although highly challenging, team criteria included a desire for concealed lighting. The Light Projects’ design incised mounting niches for under-arch illumination. Additionally, vehicular, low-positioned lighting, rather than standard streetlight poles, was proposed, tested and accepted by the LA Bureau of Engineers. Working with landscape architects, Hargreaves, Schwendinger’s team conceptualized under-bridge lighting for a large-scale park. One goal was to utilize the bridge itself as an armature for lighting, removing the need for lighting fixtures littering the ground plane. Our design set the stage for the final design which was handed off to architects and engineers for the ensuing phases. The opening for the bridge was July 2022.

Landscape + Parks < Previous Next > Photos: Mark Johnson / Civitas ​ NORTH EMBARCADERO VISION PROJECT (NEVP) Location San Diego, CA Client Port of San Diego Team Project Design Consultants, Civitas, Spurlock Poirier ​ ​ For the San Diego Esplanade, Leni Schwendinger Light Projects’ team designed illumination for the waterfront, gardens, and the Broadway approach. A multi-year project, the Embarcadero’s asphalt surfaces, sad kiosks, and lack of trees set against the magnificent San Diego Bay waters provided bones for revitalization. The project envisioned a gateway to San Diego’s downtown creating a regenerated destination. The consultant team worked with multiple clients, including the business improvement district, Civic San Diego, Port of San Diego, and the City of San Diego. A welcoming urban park interwoven with a working waterfront was the result of the redeveloped masterplan. Following a highly collaborative, public engagement process, Phase 1 of NEVP reclaimed a 1,000-foot long vehicular-oriented throughway and returns the Bay’s water’s edge to thousands of visitors enjoying the many cultural activities found along the water’s edge. The Light Projects’ team collaborated closely with two landscape architects, urban designer, engineers, and public artist. Amid the lush landscape of trees, paths, and plazas, visitors encounter architecturally bold ticket kiosks, artist-designed shade pavilions, and a café. The lighting, graphics, and furnishings recall the craft and heft of the maritime industries. A series of formal garden rooms are defined by the redesigned landscape with seating areas and a complement of custom light poles. An 8-foot-wide water quality band provides visible conveyance and treatment of stormwater to the harbor’s edge. Parallel to the walkway a runnel creates an incised, illuminated line at night. A grand hallway along West Broadway is created by Medjool Date Palm trees planted along the median and sidewalks. The tall, linear palms alternate with Schwendinger’s spiral light-poles, which are 30-feet high and perform both street lighting and up-light the palm tree canopies. At the end of Broadway, the Port Pavilion features Schwendinger’s Tidal Radiance a dynamic, exterior glass, metals, and public-art light wall. All elements of the project, including plant materials, ground surfaces, and furnishing designs, were based on the appropriate scale and durability for the coastal environment.