Over half a century on, New Yorkers still lament the destruction of the initial Penn Station. In the 1960s, the old Beaux Arts structure, with vaulted ceilings and dramatic skylights, was changed with a cramped building bereft of natural light. As architecture historian Vincent Scully said at the time, “One went into the city like a god. Now one scuttles like a rat.”
Scully’s problem may still be true for those going into the city through Penn Station, though remarkable improvements are underway. But for those coming to New york city City through Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal A, a godlike entrance is now on offer. This is thanks in big part to the innovative lighting and lighting control services offered by Skill Brands Lighting (Skill), which permitted Grimshaw Architects and STV to recognize their luminous vision when they revamped the terminal in 2023.
The new Terminal A is the largest design-build infrastructure task in New Jersey history. The project, which was provided as part of a design-build consortium led by Tutor Perini/Parsons JV for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), had a spending plan of 2.7 billion dollars. Grimshaw and STV, who served as style designer and executive architect, respectively, recognized an ambitious design that commemorated the airport’s modernist legacy while making the most of New Jersey’s plentiful natural light. Glass, steel, sharp lines and, many of all, open areas define the concept. When I flew into Terminal A from O’Hare this past winter season, it seemed like entering the future.
Incito ™ cylinders by Gotham ® deliver high-intensity, tightly regulated distribution that includes contrast, depth, and visual hierarchy within a space. Narrow field optics and multiple beam angles make it possible for precise light instructions, creating crisp highlights and layered illumination while maintaining strong visual convenience through reliable glare control. A large choice of mounting types, trims, sizes and finishes uses flexibility for seamless architectural integration.
“New Jersey is among the sunniest states in the United States, and light is a consistent theme for the brand-new terminal,” discusses Grimshaw. “Large, diamond-shaped skylights and a gently folded, metal ceiling permit filtered daylight throughout the terminal experience.”
Daytime, nevertheless, is only offered for, at most, 15 hours a day in New Jersey, and 9 hours at winter season’s nadir. Terminal A, meanwhile, gets travelers 24 hours per day. The magic of Terminal A truly depends upon the fluid transition between day and night– the truth that the spaces are filled with radiant, healthy light even at midnight. And this would have been difficult to achieve without the imaginative partnership of Acuity Brands Lighting.
Gotham ®’s cylinder downlights do much of the heavy lifting in the locations where individuals tend to remain: ticketing, security and gate seating. These are areas that can easily become aesthetically chaotic, particularly at peak hours. Here, the light is even, controlled and bright, yet never glaring; practical and unobtrusive.
Lighting an area as big and complex as a major airport terminal is about more than simply choosing appealing components and deciding on brightness and temperature levels. For a lighting system to work effectively, the lights must automatically respond to changing light conditions within the space. And whatever needs to be easily controlled by a centralized platform.
At Terminal A, this obstacle was met with a collaborated system that sets thoroughly chosen luminaires with a flexible and optimizable networked lighting controls system. Components from Gotham ® and MARK Architectural Lighting ™ specify the look of the space, while nLight ® controls are developed into the fabric of the airport, helping ensure the lights operate optimally. Sensing units built into the lighting fixtures adapt to altering light conditions, promoting optimum lighting at all hours.
Available in recessed, pendant, surface and wall install, MARK Architectural Lighting ™’s SLOT is a full family of linear lighting services that can be configured with intersections to produce open or closed patterns. SLOT provides a range of lenses and shielding alternatives, consisting of top glow, baffles, flush, edge view or drop lenses; it is readily available in satin white, satin black, and satin silver finishes, or select from a custom RAL surface.
The SLOT recessed direct lights from MARK Architectural Lighting ™ take a various role. Extended across ceilings and along concourses, these direct pieces reinforce the terminal’s geometry and aid organize its large interior. Visitors follow the lines almost without recognizing it.
As Skill’s website discusses, “A complete selection of optical distributions provides lighting designers the freedom and control to form how an area is experienced. With wall graze, wall wash, batwing, and uneven optics, SLOT delivers light precisely where it’s planned, consisting of boosting surfaces, improving uniformity, and supporting the architectural intent of every project.”
Luminaires with networked ingrained controls by nLight ® are designed, made, checked, and shipped with occupancy, daytime sensors and control devices factory-installed.
The private luminaires are just part of the story. Throughout the terminal, sensors are constantly discovering changes in daytime and occupancy. As sunlight filters through the skylights, electric light recedes. As night sets in, it returns, gradually and without drama. Late in the evening, when the crowds thin out, portions of the terminal soften instead of go dark, keeping a sense of continuity without wasting energy. (Certainly: Terminal A is LEED Gold Licensed, implying it has actually made the greatest score for sustainability.) The transitions are subtle enough that most guests would never ever think of them. It simply feels right.
All of this is collaborated through the nLight ® networked lighting controls system, which connects the structure into a single network. From an operational standpoint, it enables the terminal to work as a whole instead of a collection of parts. Lighting levels can be adjusted, zones can be redefined, and performance can be kept an eye on without invasive changes to the infrastructure. Once again, what Skill offers is not just lighting fixtures however a totalizing system.
The result is a terminal that feels consistently luminescent, regardless of the hour. While there are numerous points of entry to the New York metro area, Terminal A may be the most aesthetically appealing.
All images courtesy of Skill Brands Lighting. Photography credits: © James Ewing/ JBSA. To check out the complete job and many others, see Acuity Brands Lighting’s Inspiration Gallery.
For architects looking to carefully integrate lighting into their next style, learn more about how Skill Brands can raise lighting.