SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 12, 2003) AUERBACH GLASOW, Architectural Lighting Design and Consulting, announce the completion of their work on the Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Opening on September 12, 2003, the Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall was a recital hall when Carnegie Hall opened in 1891. It has gone through numerous changes over time and now returns to its original purpose. The new Hall supports multiple configurations for performances, rehearsals, and educational functions.

AUERBACH GLASOW began collaboration with Polshek Partnership Architects in 1998 in the early schematic design phase. The firm provided architectural lighting design for the Hall's public spaces including the Hall itself, the exterior canopy and street level entry, mezzanine and parterre lobbies, and back of house dressing rooms.

The exterior canopy is reminiscent of the lighting in the existing historic canopies of Carnegie Hall and maintains the spirit of the original period façade. Beyond the entry, the new lobbies move to a more contemporary language but still maintain elements reminiscent of the historic nature of the building. Due to restricted overhead space, much of the lighting comes from the walls. A luminous quality to the space was also desired, in part to deflect the perception that the visitor is below street level. Architectural features are strongly emphasized, particularly the canted elliptical wall, grazed with light, that forms the division between the lobby and audience chamber. A curving elliptical canted wall is a major feature of both parterre lobby spaces.

In the audience chamber, a series of movable overhead lighting trusses allow access and flexibility to both stage and house lighting, sustaining the multiple configurations of the space. Rich architectural finishes are revealed through careful illumination of surfaces. Jewel-like custom sconces, featured on the balcony edge, were designed in collaboration with Polshek Partnership Architects.

All architectural lighting sources in the lobbies and audience chamber are dimmed through a control system that may be linked to the theatrical lighting system or operated independently. Architectural lighting settings are fully automated and move from one configuration to the next with the push of a button or as a pre-programmed timed event. The overall flexibility of the lighting and controls allows for many different moods to be achieved in the lobby and audience chamber.

FACT SHEET: AUERBACH GLASOW

INTERIOR LIGHTING

AUERBACH GLASOW worked closely with the design team of Polshek Partnership Architects, LLP.

Exterior Canopy and Street Level Entry

For the new entry on 7th Avenue, an exterior canopy has been fabricated to replicate the look of the existing historic canopies for the main hall. The new Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall is situated directly underneath the existing Carnegie Hall theater. Patrons enter the new Hall through the street level lobby and are transported down to the Mezzanine and Parterre lobbies via escalator or elevator.

• AUERBACH GLASOW provided the design for exterior canopy lighting that is reminiscent of the lighting in the existing historic canopies. In addition to a backlit glass edge detail, recessed downlights are incorporated into the canopy "ceiling". Asymmetric throw uplights are located on the top of the canopy to gently wash the historic façade above.
  
• The street level 7th Avenue entry lobby is simply illuminated with recessed pin hole MR16 downlights. All circuits are dimmed on a central dimming system.
  
  
• As there is little or no ceiling depth anywhere in the lower lobbies, most of the illumination of the space comes from the walls. Traveling down the escalator, illumination glows from dimmable fluorescent fixtures with frosted glass lenses that are recessed into the finely detailed wood wall.

Mezzanine and Parterre Lobbies

The Mezzanine level lobby is located one floor below street level. Exiting the escalator at this level the patron views a curving elliptical canted wall, a major feature of both lobby spaces. The Mezzanine floor is pierced with openings to the Parterre level below, accentuating the overall height of the space. At the entry to the upper level of the theater, a rear illuminated glowing glass wall rises from the Parterre level below through the Mezzanine floor and onward to the ceiling. A feature bar is enclosed by the curving elliptical wall at the end of the ellipse on the Mezzanine level and a larger main bar is located outside of the wall on the Parterre level.

• Ceiling depth in the lobby spaces is very limited, preventing the use of recessed fixtures in most instances. Glowing dimmable fluorescent fixtures recessed into the wood wall continue down the escalator and carry further into the west side of both lobbies.
  
  
• Opposite the escalator is a double height illuminated glass wall. The wall is inaccessible for most of its height and is backlit with TIR Light Pipe. The dimmable light source is an ETC Source Four ellipsoidal spotlight located behind an access panel at the floor. This glowing wall is mirrored in the east lobby.
  
  
• The curving elliptical wall is grazed from the Mezzanine ceiling with continuous PAR38 spot lamps equipped with spread lenses. This custom curved housing with parabolic baffles by Edison Price is dimmed in sections to allow complete control over the illumination of wall surfaces.
  
  
• Recessed accent lighting, where ceiling depth allows, is accomplished with MR16 small aperture downlights and adjustable accent lights.
  
  
• An exception to this is the east wall of the east lobbies. These walls are designated for special art exhibits and the ceiling houses a very shallow custom MR16 adjustable slot made by Lite Lab.
  
  
• Where wood walls are featured, they are illuminated from dimmed MR16 wall wash fixtures recessed in the ceilings.
  
  
• Wall mounted, sleek picture lights are located to illuminate historic photographs of the featured past performers at Carnegie Hall.

Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall

The audience chamber of this new performance space can be configured in several different ways. Utilizing a sophisticated system of lifts and chair wagon platforms a traditional end stage configuration, mid stage configuration and flat floor configuration can be achieved. A series of movable lighting trusses overhead allows access and flexibility to both stage and house lighting.

• General distribution T4 incandescent downlights, made by Kurt Versen, are mounted in the trusses and dimmed in selected groups to allow flexibility for the many stage and floor configurations
  
  
• A secondary system of PAR 38 metal halide fixtures, also truss mounted and made by Kurt Versen, are designed for use as rehearsal lighting and general work lighting.
  
  
• Featured wood walls at the rear and sides of the balcony and side seating areas are washed with recessed MR16 wall washers.
  
  
• General distribution lighting in the balconies and under balcony areas is achieved with recessed MR16 downlights.
  
  
• At the base of the curving elliptical interior walls, a low voltage incandescent accent is hidden within the toe rail.
  
  
• On the balcony front, a custom fabricated sconce featuring edge lit glass blades was fabricated by Shaper Lighting. The glass is edge lit by dimmable white LEDs slightly color corrected through the use of a custom dichroic filter.

AUERBACH POLLOCK FRIEDLANDER Press Release