May 2011 - Illuminating Engineering Society

BAR BASQUE/FOODPARC
Photo: Philip Koether Architects
Photo: Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design
The futuristic concept continues even in the stairwell, where white LED strip highlights the threedimensional
architecture to represent turbines turning.
Color-changing LEDs illuminate window wells
to enliven the façade.
ing through tree branches. In Mead’s world,
even trees, it seems, can be high-tech.
SIGNS OF LIFE
With so much attention to detail paid
to both restaurant concepts, the design
team didn’t want the experience to end
when guests stepped into a corridor. As
a result, the connective areas between
the restaurants, including the shared
tiered seating area, two entrances and
stairwells, multiple hallways, and elevator
banks, all bear Mead’s mark.
For example, the northeast stairwell is a
continuation of the red Bar Basque theme.
Along the wall, a three-dimensional red band
and oversized circle “represent machinery,
like turbines turning,” says Bettridge. In
Mead’s sketch, the turbine radiates spokes
of light to suggest movement. To achieve
the look, CBBLD used white LED strip to
highlight the edge of the band and circular
turbine element. Amber LED indicator lights
create the impression of machinery.
The stairwell gives guests a taste of the
upstairs interior as they enter from Sixth Avenue.
But the design team wanted to create
the same appeal even before guests enter
the building: “It has a clean, minimalist façade
and we wanted people to get excited
about what’s behind it,” says Bettridge.
Grazing the 16-ft-tall windows along Sixth
METRICS THAT MATTER
Avenue, color-changing LED lights are positioned
inside walled-off window wells to
“enliven the façade and create a beacon that
pulls people in,” adds Hennes. Like Mead’s
futuristic interiors, the façade is a sign of
things to come. ■
Bar Basque/FoodParc Restaurants
Watts per sq ft: 1.3 (complies with ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-2004 and New York State
Energy Code 2007)
Illuminance Levels: target lighting levels at dining and general areas at FoodParc and Bar
Basque = 10-30 fc (different light level presets were created for different times of day);
food preparation area = 50 fc
Lamp Types: 11
Fixture Types: 11
THE DESIGNERS
Francesca Bettridge, LC, IALD, Member IES (1980), is president
and principal of Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design
in New York City.
Michael Hennes, LEED AP, Member IES (2008), is a senior
associate and project director at CBBLD.
Nira Wattanachote, DLF, Member IES (2000), is an associate and project designer at CBBLD.
www.ies.org LD+A | May 2011 67