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INTERNATIONAL MEDIA PRAISE THE LIGHTING PLAN PILOT PROJECT

July 16, 2007

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«It's going down a storm in Montreal...» says London's Mondo Arc magazine

The pilot project, installed in July 2006 on five performance halls around the Intersection of the Mains, is getting people talking in industry publications around the world. LD+A magazine, produced by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) and the most important lighting-industry publication on the continent, put the pilot project on the cover of its July issue. Titled "Montreal Makes its Mark", the report presents all five illuminated venues. The article highlights the innovative, economical and durable design of the module that projects the common luminous signature, and emphasizes the famous red dots that they project onto the sidewalks of Saint-Laurent and Sainte-Catherine, with an evocative title: "Connecting the Dots: Montreal's Sidewalk Signature."

The world reference in all matters of commercial and architectural lighting, the British magazine Mondo Arc, includes our project in the "Future Trends" section of its June/July issue. The article, entitled "Light Spectacular", starts thus: "Could this be the future of city light planning? Common signature lighting that gives each neighbourhood a visual identity? It may not be everyone's cup of tea but it's going down a storm in Montreal…" Germany's Licht Architektur Technik-DBZ magazine also puts the sidewalks of the Intersection of the Mains on its cover, and includes a full dossier on the lighting plan inside.

Recognition from media that specialize in urban planning, lighting and design – obtained through the promotional campaign of Volume 2 and the magnificent photos of Martine Doyon – has grown in recent months. The lighting plan features in issues of Monitor (Russia), InDesign (Australia), Hinge (Hong Kong), Applied Arts (Toronto), as well as in a 10-page dossier entitled "Light's urban identity" in last April's issue of the superb Dossier LighTech (Italy) – not to mention a special issue of Quebec's own Formes, also published in April.

PRIZE To date, the Lighting Plan Pilot Project has received the Créativité Montréal prize, and two prizes from IES Montréal, the local section of IESNA: one awarded to the Partnership for the overall project and the other to Axel Morgenthaler for the luminous common signature (again with the red dots…).

WHAT'S NEXT The Lighting Plan is moving on to a new stage of its development, which will start lighting up other venues in the Quartier des spectacles thanks to financing from the City of Montreal, contributions from the venues themselves (names to be announced soon) and the creativity of their design teams. To help in coordinating this second phase, Project Manager Amahl Hazelton has brought in designer Christian Bélanger.

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