Light the audience as if they were on stage
On Lincoln Center’s new Grand Entry Stairs, the challenge was to light the people as evenly as the steps.
Tillotson’s lighting for Lincoln Center’s North Plaza and South Campus, with Diller Scofidio + Renfro and others, is meant to heighten the anticipation of the people arriving1. Glowing glass canopies and stainless-steel poles stacked with light fittings flank the new Grand Entry Stairs, bathing patrons in warm, sparkling light as if they were on stage1.
The difficult part, the studio says, was lighting the people and the stairs as evenly as possible1.
From the project
The hyperbolic-paraboloid roof of the restaurant doubles as a lawn, and it is lit from more than 350 feet away, a ‘moonlighting’ effect visible across the campus1. The tree bosque is lit from below and sits on continuous seating that appears to float on light1.
The people at the fountain on this issue’s cover are on the same plaza.
- Tillotson Design AssociatesLighting design
- Diller Scofidio + RenfroArchitecture
- FXCollaborative, Beyer Blinder Belle, Mathews NielsenProject team
More from the project
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these public pages. Open the original to check it, or to see more of the project.
- Tillotson Design AssociatesTillotson Design Associates — Lincoln Center North Plaza and South CampusUndated page · checked 2026-09-28
Chapter 05 · After the showRead it in the issue →
