2021 IES Award of Merit: Rio Lakefront, Gaithersburg, MD

RIO Lakefront’s expansive shopping center redevelopment required multiple phases, all with aggressive schedules. Areas included: expanding the boardwalk, a performance stage, a greenspace overlooking the lake front, enhanced exterior hospitality spaces, color change façade lighting the RIO entertainment building, and a redesigned pedestrian bridge.

Legacy-sourced luminaires were replaced with LED, beating code by 70%. Dark Sky compliant luminaires along the boardwalk provide comfort optics limiting glare and contributing to the outdoor ambiance.

Restrictive mounting locations for the RIO entertainment building façade lighting required extensive studies and numerous calculations to achieve an evenly illuminated façade with RGBW color change. A mere four pole locations utilizing a specialized bracket allowed for multiple flood lights per pole, and met the client’s directive to minimize pole quantity.

Hartranft Lighting Design achieved their goal of enriching guest experiences by enlivening and drawing attention to the lake front. Guests now enjoy meeting friends for live music, strolling along the boardwalk and gathering in outdoor ‘living rooms’ in this beautifully illuminated, safe, and inviting outdoor venue.

Landscape Architect: Land Design, Inc.

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About the IES Illumination Awards
The IES Illumination Awards program recognizes individuals for professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design based on the individual merit of each entry. Judges are selected from a broad professional spectrum, representing knowledge of lighting and design excellence. The judging system is entirely based on how well the lighting design meets the program criteria. The Illumination Awards program is not a competition.

About Hartranft Lighting Design
​Now with more than 100 years’ collective experience and 2000+ projects inform our approach to responsible lighting design solutions, Hartranft Lighting Design applies specialized expertise to help architects, developers and owners realize their vision of commercial, institutional, and mixed-use spaces. Hartranft Lighting Design is a woman-owned business (WBE) with offices in Charlotte NC, Boston MA and Washington DC.