May 16th saw the UNESCO International Day of Light 2020 commemorate sixty years after the first successful operation of the laser in 1960, by physicist and engineer, Theodore Maiman. This day is a call to strengthen scientific cooperation, foster peace and sustainable development.
To celebrate this year’s International Day of Light, the Nordic Lighting Organisations announced the nominees of the Nordic Lighting Design Award 2020.
Projects eligible for the Nordic Lighting Design Award were the national winners from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden from the past two years. These projects represent the best of Nordic Lighting Design to the Nordic lighting organisations. The purpose of The Nordic Lighting Award is to celebrate the unique qualities inherent in Nordic lighting culture.
History of the Award
Nordisk Lyspris or The Nordic Lighting Design Award was created by the Nordic Light Committee in the year 2000. The Nordic Lighting Award is primarily awarded to especially remarkable lighting installations, daylight and artificial light that in an exemplary way combine aesthetics, architecture, technology, quality, energy, colour, image, profile etc. Originality and creativity are also given significant weight upon evaluation.
The Nordic Light Committee consists of the lighting organisations; Dansk Center for lys in Denmark, Suomen Valoteknillinen Seura in Finland, Ljóstæknifélag Ísland in Iceland, Lyskultur in Norway and Belysningsbranschen in Sweden. The award is handed out biannually and the purpose is to highlight and celebrate the special characteristics of Nordic lighting design.
Aurora Experience, Saariselkä, Finland. Lighting Design: WhiteNight Lighting, Finland.
Photo credit: WhiteNight Lighting Oy and Jaakko Posti
Restaurant Frantzén, Stockholm, Sweden
Lighting Design: Sofie Bamberg & Anna Ekberg
Photo credit: Erik Lefvander, Stefan van der Kwast, Martin Botvidsson
Ekonomikum by the University of Uppsala
Lighting Designer: Jonas Kjellander
Photo credit: Åke E:son Lindman and Mikael Silkeberg
Holmestrand station, Norway
Lighting Designer: Rambøll Norway AS
Photo credit: Tomasz Majewski
Helsinki Metro Stations, Lighting design: VALOA design Ltd
Photo credit: Koivusaari by Kuvio Oy, Petri Vuorio, Indav Timo Kauppila
Restaurant Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
Lighting designer: Studio David Thulstrup, in dialogue with Anker & Co.
Photo credit: Irina Boersma and Jason Loucas
The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon, Iceland
Lighting Designer: Liska ehf., Guðjón L. Sigurðsson, Reynir Örn Jóhannesson, Sandra Dís Sigurðardóttir og Rósa Dögg Þorsteinsdóttir
Photo credit: Gunnar Sverrisson, Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson and Blue Lagoon.
Gamla steinbryggjan (The old pier), Reykjavík, Iceland
Lighting Designer: Andri Garðar Reynisson, Mannvit
Photo credit: Guðmundur Ólafsson
Under, Norway
Lighting designer: Light Bureau
Photo credit: Tomasz Majewski
Chair of jury: Ourania Georgoutsakou, General Secretary of Lighting Europe
Jury members: Iceland – Ágúst Gunnlaugsson, Norway – Birgitte Appelong, Denmark – Rune Bugge Jensen, Sweden – Lars Fredén, Finland – Ari Peltola
More information on each of the nominees can be found here.