by ArchitectureWeek

The annual GE Edison Award Competition celebrates the importance of light in architecture by acclaiming outstanding achievements in lighting design. At a gala reception in Las Vegas in May, 2001, this year's awards recognized an international roster of excellence.

The highest honor, the GE Edison Award, went to George Sexton Associates for a simple yet striking lighting design for the Herz Jesu Kirche (Heart of Jesus Church) in Munich, Germany.

"Religious sanctuaries generally present serious lighting challenges," said May Beth Gotti, manager of the GE Lighting Institute. "Lighting designers face the difficulty of enhancing the beauty of the facility while keeping its integrity, history, and functionality. George Sexton was able to accomplish these tasks with amazing beauty — and efficiency."

Competition judges selected this project and five more award winners for design excellence across a range of judging categories: functionality, architectural compatibility, effective use of state-of-the-art lighting products and techniques, energy and cost effectiveness, and good color, form, and texture revelation.

Herz Jesu Kirche

To render the rich materials of the ultra-modern Herz Jesu Kirche, Sexton used a system of layered lighting in which the progression of surfaces and their response to light determines the articulation of the design.

The GE Edison Award went to George Sexton Associates for their simple yet striking lighting design for the Herz Jesu Kirche in Munich. Photo: Florian Holzherr Exterior, Herz Jesu Kirche. Photo: Florian Holzherr   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.