Auerbach Glasow French designed the architectural lighting for the Contemporary Jewish Museum’s interior public areas, event spaces, galleries, education center, administrative offices and the inaugural exhibitions. The museum was designed by Daniel Liebskind in association with architect of record, WRNS Studio.
Incorporating the adaptive reuse of the landmark Willis Polk 1907 Jesse Street Power Substation, the lighting for the Koret-Taube Grand Lobby employs a multi-level strategy to address the dual functions of the space: an introduction to the Museum and event space. Using the historic truss as a mounting location, contemporary theatrical-style fixtures provide general lighting for the lobby as well as specialty display lighting. Along the same truss, fluorescent uplights illuminate the historic ceiling and skylights, while suspended pendant lights recall the historic substation. The PaRDes wall, an architectural installation incorporating an abstract representation of a Hebrew acronym, is outlined in light with linear fluorescent fixtures integrated into the wall design.
The Koshland Gallery also incorporates the old with the new architecture. Part of the gallery retains the ceiling trusses and skylights from the historic power substation while the other part features a new architectural footprint with sloping walls and a high ceiling. The system is comprised of lighting track suspended from the ceiling and recessed into the sloping soffit and architectural beams. On the historic side, the track is mounted to the underside of the original trusses.
The Roselyne and Richard Swig/Swig and Dinner Families Gallery is a rectilinear space with an exposed, unfinished ceiling. The lighting system is comprised of parallel lengths of lighting track which connect to a perimeter track configuration. Large windows across one end of the gallery are carefully filtered to control visible and ultra violet light to allow for art display.
The lighting for the distinct Stephen and Maribelle Leavitt “Yud” Gallery was designed to illuminate the soaring 60-foot ceiling and balance the light from its 36 skylights.
The Sala Webb Education Center’s common area encompasses a variety of lighting looks to suit the different uses of the space. The architectural and theatrical lighting system for the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Hall, a multi-use assembly area, had to accommodate the versatile requirements of the space and fit within the dynamic linear design of the ceiling.
Auerbach Pollock Friedlander provided theatre consulting.
