Jonathan Speirs' masterclasses at PALME 2005 will focus on three RIBA Stirling Prize (the UK Building of the Year award) projects, profiling the Swiss Re Tower by Foster and Partners, London, The Gateshead Millennium Bridge by Wilkinson Eyre Architects and The Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham, also by Wilkinson Eyre Architects. Speirs and Major Associates were the Lighting Architects for these highly prestigious, important UK projects. Spiers' presentation will give a unique insight into the creative thinking behind the projects, featuring excerpts from the client presentations along with details, and of course images, of the final projects.
Spiers has worked internationally on projects including the Millennium Dome and Bluewater Retail Park in the UK, and the Jumeirah Beach Resort (interior and exterior), the exterior of the Burj Al Arab tower and the Bur Juman Centre - all in Dubai. Recently completed projects include the Swiss Re Tower, London, the new Copenhagen Opera House in Denmark and the Museum of World Cultures, Gothenburg, Sweden. Current projects include The Eden Project (Cornwall, UK), Dresden Main Railway Station (Germany), the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque (Abu Dhabi), St. Paul's Cathedral, Terminal 5 Heathrow and Her Majesty's Treasury (all in London).
Recently inducted into Architectural Lighting Magazine's Hall of Fame, and with projects that have been featured in Architectural Record, Archi-Tech, Interior Design, Interiors, Architecture & Light, Lighting Dimensions, Metropolis, Hospitality Design, Design Week, New York Magazine and the New York Times, Paul Gregory's presentation will look at the crucial first principles behind a successful lighting design. This will include analysis of details, budgets and the all important final results for diverse projects such as the Nobu Restaurant (New York), Toys R Us (Times Square, New York), Le Cirque 2000 Restaurant (New York), Sushi Samba Restaurant (Chicago), Morimoto Restaurant (Philadelphia), FAO Schwarz (New York) and Tourneau in The Forum Shops (Las Vegas).
This year's PALME event, already a sell-out, is set to build on the success of PALME 2004, which attracted 30% more exhibitors than the 2003 event. This year sees a 100% increase in occupied floor space, with over 400 companies represented, say IIR.
(Lee Baldock)
