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Light Projects by Leni Schwendinger is the #1 US based professional lighting studio serving global clients. For over 20 years Light Projects has been designing innovative lighting concepts and providing full-service lighting designs that optimize city, urban, and public spaces. Experts in both day and nighttime light experiences, resulting in spectacular creative visions with light offering safety, beauty, and sustainability. Public Spaces + Streets < Previous Next > Photo: Charley Lhasa Photo: Charley Lhasa 2nd Ave Subway Location New York City, NY Client New York City Transit, The MTA Team Arup for AECOM=Arup New York City’s Second Avenue Subway took nearly 70 years to build. The political, logistics, and funding coalesced in 2007 and was observed by a ceremonial groundbreaking at 96th Street Station. Two months before the New Year’s Eve 2017 grand opening, MTA Capital Construction specifically requested Leni Schwendinger, of Arup, to “add colored light” into the monumental, glass head-houses. At that point, the arched canopies were in the final stages of construction. Arup, as part of a joint venture, was the design leader, providing full design and engineering services for the first phase of the project. Schwendinger took on the design concept and implementation challenges, a near-impossible task to fit lighting fixtures into a fully extant structure. The design had to be installed in a record 6-weeks. A special team was convened on the construction side to expedite mock-ups, attachment designs, procurement, and final install. Approvals had to be obtained from MTA executives in record time. Schwendinger’s team set about locating a flexible, LED linear fixture to fit into a precise, inches-wide extrusion. She held a mock-up for decision-makers to examine fixture choices, brightness levels, and color. A crucial decision had to be made on hue – should the head-house change color over time? Should it be the official MTA colors of blue and gold? Or simply a solitary color? A singular, vibrant blue won out. Set in a wide plaza, visible from adjacent streets and sidewalks, the 96th Street station features a blue glow marking the station’s location. Visible day and night, the spectacular entryway is an often-photographed feature of the system. Frequently, news announcers stand in front of the massive glowing structure to report the evening newscast. Schwendinger also orchestrated mock-ups for VIP MTA-architects in the stations’ underground areas.

Light Projects by Leni Schwendinger is the #1 US based professional lighting studio serving global clients. For over 20 years Light Projects has been designing innovative lighting concepts and providing full-service lighting designs that optimize city, urban, and public spaces. Experts in both day and nighttime light experiences, resulting in spectacular creative visions with light offering safety, beauty, and sustainability. Public Art < Previous Next > Photos: Bryan Amann SpectraScape Location Dallas, Texas Client City of Dallas Team Thomas Balsley Associates, LUCID Glass, Lighting Science Group At the heart of downtown Dallas’s revitalization is the Main Street Garden Park–a contemporary public space of lawns, gardens, fountains, dog run, open-air shelters, and other family and visitor-friendly features such as an outdoor café. Architect-designed, inverted “L” shaped green-glass shade-structures standing along the edge of Main Street are set off by a long triangle of seasonally planted, colorful striated gardens. For the Park, artist Leni Schwendinger created site-specific interactive artwork. The artwork utilizes the narrow edge of four new study shelters designed by Thomas Balsley. When a passing visitor enters the shelter, the exterior edges of the L-shaped structure glow with vertical bands of luminous color. Connecting the artwork to the garden itself, four seasonal color palettes were derived from the nearby field of striated plantings—rusts and golds for fall, pinks, yellows, and greens for summer, and so on—striving to differentiate each combination of hues. Winter, spring, summer, and fall are announced through rhythmic sequences of colors and tones. To achieve this effect, innovative LED technologies and computer electronics were employed along with custom fabricated art-glass panels. The artwork invites participation and calls attention to the often-forgotten periphery of an everyday structure. The art installation transforms a park shelter into a compelling nighttime urban experience. SpectraScape’s light-play transforms Main Street Garden Park into an urban oasis visible day and night.

Light Projects by Leni Schwendinger is the #1 US based professional lighting studio serving global clients. For over 20 years Light Projects has been designing innovative lighting concepts and providing full-service lighting designs that optimize city, urban, and public spaces. Experts in both day and nighttime light experiences, resulting in spectacular creative visions with light offering safety, beauty, and sustainability. Infrastructure + Bridges < Previous Next > Photo: NYC Department of Transportation Photo: Leni Schwendinger Under the Elevated, Phase II Pilot Location Sunset Park Brookly, NY Client Design Trust for Public Space, New York City of Department of Trasnportaion (DOT), Industry City Team Tricia Martin, Landscape and Sustainability; Quilian Riano, Urban Design; Arup, Technical Lighting There are 700 miles of elevated infrastructure which creates darkened spaces below New York City’s bridges, expressways, and rail tracks. The New York City DOT intends to develop a set of physical design typologies to reclaim these public spaces. Design Trust for Public Space coordinated a study and pilot program with partners DOT and Industry City tapping collaborative design fellows including Leni Schwendinger for illumination at the Gowanus Expressway at 36th Street and 3rd Avenue. There are 700 miles of elevated infrastructure which creates darkened spaces below New York City’s bridges, expressways, and rail tracks. The New York City DOT intends to develop a set of physical design typologies to reclaim these public spaces. Design Trust for Public Space coordinated a study and pilot program with partners DOT and Industry City tapping collaborative design fellows including Leni Schwendinger for illumination at the Gowanus Expressway at 36th Street and 3rd Avenue. Underpasses are notorious as dividers between communities and assets such as waterfronts: daytime can feel spooky and nighttime dangerous. Our design includes a light-colored paint coating for comfort and better visibility during the day. The parking configuration was rationalized, and tiles defined a safe walkway. Features include a botanical experiment to cleanse run-off water from the upper-level road surface. For lighting, we sought to stitch together both geographical sides of the bridge, which lead to and from the Upper New York Bay waterfront and 36th Street subway stop. The lighting scope included focal points such as illumination of the unusual, splayed columns and curved beams, as well as volumetric space illumination for pedestrian waiting and crossing. Additionally, tests were conducted with green infrastructure plants and horticultural lighting. Illumination, especially the plant lighting, was called out as number one in the list of improvements by the DOT post-installation survey of visitors, residents and local workers. From the New York Times, “The murky blocks by 36th Street and Third Avenue now have brighter lighting, beautified lighting, beautified walkways and lovely planters to clean the air and filter runoff from the highway above.”

Light Projects by Leni Schwendinger is the #1 US based professional lighting studio serving global clients. For over 20 years Light Projects has been designing innovative lighting concepts and providing full-service lighting designs that optimize city, urban, and public spaces. Experts in both day and nighttime light experiences, resulting in spectacular creative visions with light offering safety, beauty, and sustainability. 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.

Light Projects by Leni Schwendinger is the #1 US based professional lighting studio serving global clients. Over 20 years of designing innovative lighting concepts, providing full-service light designs that optimize city, urban, and public spaces. URBAN LIGHTING TRANSFORMS PLACES AFTER SUNSET KEY S ERVICES Pre-Design Discovery Existing Conditions Audit Community Engagement through NightSeeing ™ Lighting Design Phases CONCEPT SCOPE - Develop concepts to enhance landscape and architectural design themes - Basis of Design Report (Schematic) - Review and Comment (Final Design) - Site Commissioning FULL-SERVICE SCOPE - Concept through Construction Documents - Site Commissioning HIGHLY QUALIFIED WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (WBE) DOWNLOADS NY STATE WBE CERTIFICATION NY CITY WBE CERTIFICATION PORT AUTHORITY WBE CERTIFICATION DESIGN PRACTICE SERVICES DOCUMENT LENI SCHWENDINGER For more than 20 years, Leni’s exploration of light has evolved into a profound understanding of the medium, which informs her unique approach across a variety of genres, including infrastructure, landmarks and the ever-changing urban environment and inclusive of community engagement practice. Her work weaves the dramatic and playful possibilities of light onto the fabric of urban life, sparking an expansion of social interaction and activity in public gathering places. She is an expert in light planning, with clients in the U.S. such as Downtown Santa Monica, City of Saratoga Springs, 82nd Street Partnership (Queens), city councils in Australia and Colombia. Recent lighting design projects can be experienced at sites such as parks, subways and bridges for architects, engineers and landscape architects. Examples include the New York MTA Subway Refurbishment, Cleveland’s Little Italy transit head-house, Hunters Point South Park (NYC) and Mulberry Commons (New Jersey). She directs International Nighttime Design Initiative which is establishing an interdisciplinary profession. Projects for the Initiative include Smart Lighting Guidance for New York State and developing innovative pilots with think-tank, New Urban Mobility.  Around the world, for a decade, people have joined in the NightSeeing™ Navigate Your Luminous City program. These “LightWalks” have been conducted in New York City, Seattle and Portland, US; London, UK; Bogota, CO; Prague, CZ; Sydney, AU; to name a few metropolitan locations. Now, an internationally in-demand speaker, Schwendinger is considered a pioneer and authority on urban lighting and infrastructure. She is the recipient of numerous professional awards and global media coverage. Her prestigious fellowships include affiliations with Visiting Research Fellow at the London School of Economics, Design Trust for Public Space (NYC) and Urban Design Forum.

Light Projects by Leni Schwendinger is the #1 US based professional lighting studio serving global clients. Over 20 years of designing innovative lighting concepts, providing full-service light designs that optimize city, urban, and public spaces. 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."

Light Projects by Leni Schwendinger is the #1 US based professional lighting studio serving global clients. For over 20 years Light Projects has been designing innovative lighting concepts and providing full-service lighting designs that optimize city, urban, and public spaces. Experts in both day and nighttime light experiences, resulting in spectacular creative visions with light offering safety, beauty, and sustainability. Landscape + Parks < Previous Next > Photo: Singleton/SWA Photo: David Lloyd Hunter's Point South Waterfront Park Phase II Location Queens, NY Client NYC Economic Development Corp Team Arup, SWA/Thomas Balsley, Weiss/Manfredi Architects Hunters Point Park South, Phase 2, along Newtown Creek, transforms 5.5 acres of abandoned industrial landscape into a new waterfront park. This park initiated a complex development that includes 5000 units of affordable housing, two schools, and an expanded ferry stop. The landscape features an illuminated, majestic, cantilevered platform. The 30-foot-high platform reaches out over the East River and provides visitors with panoramic nighttime views of Manhattan’s sparkling skyline. There are varied programmed spaces for children and adults which include a playground, picnic terraces, wooden seating areas, and a kayak launch. Each space is appropriately illuminated. Working closely with landscape architects and architects, the illumination design harmonizes with the stunning, natural, riverside habitat bordered by the city and remnants of its industrial past. Soft lighting is integrated and accentuates park furniture, walkways, and edges.

Light Projects by Leni Schwendinger is the #1 US based professional lighting studio serving global clients. For over 20 years Light Projects has been designing innovative lighting concepts and providing full-service lighting designs that optimize city, urban, and public spaces. Experts in both day and nighttime light experiences, resulting in spectacular creative visions with light offering safety, beauty, and sustainability. Public Spaces + Streets < Previous Next > Photos: Steven Brooke Photos: Steven Brooke 1111 Lincoln Road Location Miami Beach, Florida Client Robert Wennett and the City of Miami Beach Team Raymond Jungles, Kimley-Horn and Associates The illumination design for 1111 Lincoln Road–created with Raymond Jungles Landscape Architecture–aspires to be bold, simple, and timeless. The project was inspired by Morris Lapidus’ original vision of an outdoor, tropical setting for shopping, dining, and public gathering and refined by Raymond Jungles’ collaboration with architects Herzog & de Meuron. Architectural Record’s review of the site observes that “the designers refigured the street space as an extension of the pedestrian mall; its urban savanna of tall canopy trees and intricate marble pavements ... [is] symbolic of native ecosystems more than touristic preconceptions--create yet another variant of civic space in Miami.” The plaza is structured by water gardens, planting areas, and varying paving stone stripes. The pavers define pedestrian movement and visibility for the proposed and existing retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues. For public gatherings, presentations, and events, a central open space is defined by a slightly raised multifunctional platform. Lighting brings the lush vegetation into view during the active evening hours-- emphasizing the hardscape boundaries and curvy planted islands. The low-level illumination accentuates the elegant romantic feeling of the public space area and provides a connection between the shop-window street walls.

Leni Schwendinger Light Projects is a renowned US-based professional lighting studio serving global clients. Over 20 years of designing innovative lighting concepts, providing full-service light designs that optimize city, urban, and public spaces. 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

Light Projects by Leni Schwendinger is the #1 US based professional lighting studio serving global clients. For over 20 years Light Projects has been designing innovative lighting concepts and providing full-service lighting designs that optimize city, urban, and public spaces. Experts in both day and nighttime light experiences, resulting in spectacular creative visions with light offering safety, beauty, and sustainability. Landscape + Parks < Previous Next > Photo: Sasaki Photo: Leni Schwendinger Light Projects Jiading Parks Location Jiading, China Client Shanghai Jiading New City Development Company Ltd Team Sasaki The initial design brief for Jiading Park called for a radical transformation. In its existing state, the site was comprised of factories, warehouses, and fallow agricultural fields. The park is made of five Zones such as the fitness zone, community zone, and lake zone. The Zones are counterpointed by five major paths that interweave and interact with a variety of park elements. The lighting mirrored use and character of the paths, augmenting identity and wayfinding. The lighting design echoed the creative material palette and dynamic forms.