Project Index

Austin’s long time public television station, KLRU teamed up with Austin Community College to build state-of-the- art broadcast studios that will increase community engagement and offer enhanced workplace development programs. The largest is a 6,500-square foot studio with retractable seating that can deploy to create a wraparound studio audience of more than 400 for a variety of events, including community forums, film and lecture series, and filming and screenings. Motorized lighting battens in the studio will add to its flexibility and ease of changeover. The second studio of 1,550 square feet has an open floor and lighting pipe grid above. The third studio of 2,500 square feet is operated by ACC. The studio has an open floor plan, lighting pipe grid above, and a built in green screen area.

Schuler Shook provided planning for audience areas and studio infrastructure and production consultation. New production systems by Schuler Shook include retractable audience eating, staging platform systems, studio lighting fixtures and control, studio grids, and rigging systems.

This exhibit takes visitors on Malala’s journey from her home in the Swat Valley of Pakistan to her tireless global crusade for the right of all girls to have an education, despite harsh Taliban threats and repressive retaliation. The immersive show tells her inspiring story of perseverance and courage in the face of life-threatening opposition and eventual triumph as the youngest person to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.

The new outdoor amphitheatre in Nelson Park is part of the Decatur Park District’s long-term plans for development of the town’s lakeshore.

In need of major upgrades, State Farm began a multi-phase renovation process involving several projects on its campus. Schuler Shook provided lighting design for State Farm’s Tower E and for a vast, four-story atrium.

The new Music Education Complex at Texas A&M University-Kingsville includes a 500-seat performance hall, 100-seat recital/lecture hall, four large ensemble rehearsal rooms, practice rooms, classrooms and offices, collaborative spaces, and a recording studio. The building replaces the existing music building that was acoustically and spatially inadequate for TAMU-Kingsville’s active and growing programs. Schuler Shook provided programming and theatrical planning and design. Both the performance and recital halls include theatrical lighting systems for general concert illumination and atmospheric lighting effects, controllable through lighting consoles or accessed as pre-programmed presets for simple operation.

The performance hall, recital hall, and four large rehearsal rooms have curtain systems to adjust the acoustical characteristic for different types of ensembles. Additionally, the performance hall features two motorised, tilting reflector panels over the platform for further acoustical adjustment. These systems are motorised in the two halls for easily repeatable operation.

The renovation of the 3,500 seat Pavilion included acoustical, lighting and rigging upgrades. The new orchestra enclosure consists of wall panels and overhead panels, which are required to shift quickly from orchestra concert mode to popular concert mode. The wall panels both pivot and track into storage positions, and the tilt mechanism for the overhead panels can be remotely activated without lowering the panels to the floor, which saves many hours of stage setup time.

The new orchestra lighting consists of a combination of halogen and ceramic metal halide — this system is energy efficient and also requires less air conditioning to keep the stage cool in the summer heat. The renovation also included new house lighting, which was arranged in a radial pattern to match the seating layout.

In concert with JCDA, Schuler Shook provided the lighting design for a tunable white linear art installation. ​“Horizon Light” is connected to the arrival canopy of the O’Hare Consolidated Car Rental Facility (CONRAC), a multi-modal transit centre where air travel connects with light transit, rail, bus and vehicular travel.

Originally constructed in 1927 as a World War I memorial, this 3,500-seat reconfigurable auditorium provides a home for concerts, ceremonies and events serving the City of Sacramento. Memorial Auditorium was renovated as part of an initiative to improve convention and performance venues in an effort to attract visitors and events to the city.

Southbank Park serves as the ​“front door” to the seven-acre Southbank planned development along the Chicago River. The design team focused on landscaping for a natural habitat open to the public yet maintained by the private owner. The parkland connects to an accessible riverwalk via multiple gently curving walkways. Schuler Shook’s lighting design approach was to work within that ecosystem, creating spaces for people to gather while controlling illumination in areas intended for bird migration and wildlife.

As a part of the University of Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, Breasted Hall serves as a space for the institute’s events and lectures, as well as lectures and admissions tours. A renovation to the 1931 hall was conducted to restore the historic space and improve lighting and accessibility. The room now complies with UChicago’s ADA+ standards.

In 2018 the new Student Life Center opened at St. Agnes Academy, a Catholic high school for young women in Houston, TX. The project included both new construction and adaptive reuse of an existing stage to a black box theatre. The new centre houses Sr. Jane Meyer, O.P. Assembly and Performance Hall; Arthur W. Buckley Theatre; 125-seat studio theatre; Jamieson Family Dance Studio; student commons; and additional classrooms. 

To help the school maximize use of the 1,300-seat theatre, the balcony can be closed off from the remainder of the audience chamber to create a 240-seat lecture room.

Schuler Shook provided full theatre consulting services for the proscenium theatre and studio theatre including planning, designing and specifying audience seating and sightlines, stage rigging and curtains, variable acoustic curtains, stage lighting power and control systems, stage lighting fixtures, concert enclosure, portable platforms, and pit filler platforms. We also specified portable platform systems for future purchase for the 125-seat studio theatre.

Caruth Auditorium is a 490-seat concert hall used by Meadow School of the Arts. The auditorium is used for recitals, symphonic and choral concerts, and as a teaching space. The star instrument of the room is Opus 101, a beautiful C.B. Fisk pipe organ.

Schuler Shook provided design services for new organ lighting, new house lighting, and performance lighting upgrades. Color-changing LED wash lights highlight the organ and minimize heat gain on the pipes. New LED house lighting provides even illumination throughout the audience areas. Color-changing lights wash the side walls and uplight the ceiling reflectors. Circulation lighting was added to improve safety. Replacement theatrical lighting fixtures were tested, selected, and installed based on their photometric performance, power-saving LED technology, and flexible power control for silent operation. Motorized electrics battens were added for easy access to theatrical lighting instruments over the performance platform and audience seating. The result is a flexible, visually appealing room having lower heat and power loads, colour-changing capabilities throughout, and simple operation. 

Originally constructed in 1937, this Art Deco visual and performing arts building was renovated and enhanced, with the addition of a new 100-seat black box theater, make-up and dressing rooms, arts studios and music rehearsal rooms. The historic decorative details of the 800-seat auditorium were restored, including the ornate seat standards. The audience experience was improved with air-conditioning and an electro-acoustic system.

River Spirit Casino and Resort underwent a major expansion project. The massive project included a Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant, Paradise Cove Theatre (which is a 2,500+ seat showroom for live entertainment and sporting events), a 22-story 500-key upscale hotel tower, a world-class spa, convention and meeting centre, and new restaurants. 

Schuler Shook provided theatre planning services that included performance and architectural lighting control systems design, theatre seating including the VIP suites with open ​“Party Decks”. Seating is flexible to accommodate arena-style seating for MMA events. Schuler Shook also provided the rigging control system for in-house and touring production hoist control and conjunction with advisory services for rigging support steel and for catwalk layouts. 

Architectural lighting design services included house lighting for the theatre and VIP area, main casino lobby and floor, guest rooms and suites, fitness centre, hotel corridors, pool bar, ballroom and associated pre-function space and meeting rooms. 

After nearly 70 years, the lighting of the clock tower at the Minneapolis Municipal Building was restored to the original design intent. Using the architect’s drawings as a guide, the glass and the support structure was restored to look as it did when the building was built in the early 1900’s. Minneapolis Architects Long and Keys designed the Municipal Building as a landmark structure, drawing on neo-Romanesque themes of Boston architect H.H.

Richardson. The tower is the crowning jewel of the building, with four clock faces that measure 24 feet in diameter. It is the largest four-faced, chiming clock in the world. The tower also serves as a symbol of great city of Minneapolis.

Using a technique taken from theatrical lighting, Schuler Shook used a ​“bounce drop” – a highly reflective curtain hung behind each clock face. A bank of highly efficient LED floodlights illuminate the drop, and the reflected light provides an even wash of light that back-lights the clock face, without shadows from support structure.

The glowing glass silhouettes the clock hands, allowing citizens to read the time-of-day from miles away.

Named in recognition of its neighbourhood, the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston is better known as MATCH. The nonprofit group was formed expressly to create new space where artists around Houston could come together to collaborate and present their work. The MATCH facility is custom designed with input from over 40 arts groups. The resulting structure contains four performance venues referred to as MATCH boxes located in two buildings — North and South — connected by a sweeping breezeway to the plaza. MATCH supports dance, music, theatre, visual art, film, performance art, and others in the new facility.

Each ​“box” is slightly different. MATCH Box 1, a flexible theatre with seating for 100 in the round, has white walls that allow it to easily serve as an art gallery. Blackout curtains help return it to a performance space. MATCH Box 2 is an end-stage dance theatre with a permanent resilient dance floor and seating for 159. MATCH Box 3 can seat about 140 and is a more traditional black box theatre. MATCH Box 4, an end stage proscenium space with seating for 329, has catwalks for theatrical support and adjustable acoustic curtains. Boxes 1 through 3 feature pipe grids for overhead support. 

Ballet Memphis’ new studio space replaced an abandoned French Quarter hotel located in Overton Square. The building is approximately 30,000 SF and includes five studios, community spaces, costume shop and offices. The building features large windows where passerbys are be able to watch ballet dancers and students rehearse.

A.D. Players is a professional, resident theatre company founded by Jeannette Clift George in 1967. Mrs. George’s vision for the company included having a performing arts complex in the Houston Galleria district to produce and present theatre from a Christian perspective.

Walton Arts Center greatly expanded and modernized their facilities to be able to more easily fulfill their mission as a major community arts centre. Schuler Shook provided theatre consulting and architectural lighting design services.

Schuler Shook provided architectural lighting design services for a new, four-story glass box processing centre with a mostly open office floor plan. Demountable partitions were used extensively in the project so the lighting system had to be flexible enough to accommodate the reconfiguring of the space. 

The control system allowed each fixture to have an individual address so that when walls changed position lighting control zones could be reconfigured to provide discrete control for the newly enclosed space. The project was first designed with fluorescent fixtures for budget reasons, but during the bidding phase the owner decided that the upgrade to all LED was worth the additional cost. 

The McAllen Performing Arts Center hosts a variety of Broadway shows, Valley Symphony Orchestra, local music and popular entertainment acts, dance, and dramatic productions for McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley. The theatre seats about 1,800 patrons on three levels and features a generously-sized stage, orchestra pit with lift, motorised/ counterweight fly system, programmable Venetian-style valance, orchestra shell, motorised adjustable acoustic curtains, and extensive theatrical lighting. Schuler Shook provided full theatre design services and architectural lighting for the performing arts theatre.

The Austin Independent School District desired a new performing arts facility that would be available for use by all schools in the district. The centralized facility houses a multi-purpose proscenium theatre seating 1,200, a 250 seat black box theatre, dance studio, multi-purpose room, kiln room, and an individual recording studio.

This new performing arts centre replaced the significant Fine Arts Auditorium on campus. The new building include a 1,000-seat auditorium and music rehearsal rooms with planning for a future recital hall. 

While primarily used for music performances, including the Valley Symphony Orchestra, the centre also supports dance performances, especially folkloric dance with mariachi accompaniment.

Schuler Shook provided full theatre design services and architectural lighting for the theatre, main lobby, grand stair, second floor lobbies, first floor side gallery spaces and the building façade.

Located on Goose Island in the heart of Chicago, UI LABS’ new Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) is the product of a collaborative initiative among government agencies, key universities, and industry partners. 

DMDII is a comprehensively equipped technology hub, seamlessly blending the manufacturing areas with adjacent open office and support spaces. The 94,000 SF facility is organized around themes of openness, transparency, industrial might, and environmentally friendly strategies, linking together a manufacturing floor, classrooms, a lecture hall, and flexible work spaces to foster collaboration and spur innovation. 

This new 1,000 seat theatre serves the larger community with a wide variety of performance activities, and it also supports Bendigo Senior Secondary College. The project made possible the sustainable re-use of the former Sandhurst Gaol, which was re-purposed and renovated to serve as the front of house public space to the new adjoining theatre, providing historic character to the venue.

Schuler Shook collaborated closely with Y2 Architecture and Acoustic Studio in the planning and equipping of the new theatre. Ulumbarra Theatre is the largest regional venue in Victoria and is capable of presenting theatre, musical theatre, music, dance, cinema, community ceremonies, and a variety of audio-visual productions, for local and regional artists as well as touring productions. 

Built in 1957, Swathout Hall was renovated in 2015 to expand the platform size, provide better ADA access, upgrade the performance technology, and update the hall’s finishes. The performance hall is well-equipped to host solo and chamber music performances, as well as occasional chamber opera productions.

A re-development project integrated lighting, across the exterior façade of an entire block, to re-vitalize a fading landmark, address security issues, and add excitement to the area.

Color-changing LED fixtures were implemented to uplight the perforated metal mesh façade with a series of 5 to 8 minute light shows. The colour washes and patterns cross-fade, wrapping around the block in a planned sequence, creating an impressive
street vibe. When local sports team are playing home games, the team colours are featured in a sequence that starts with single colours, and progresses to moving blocks of colour and change with increasing frequency.

The Hattiloo Theatre is a Black repertory theatre that began in 2005. The new theatre building includes two theatres, a lobby used for public performance and private events, dressing rooms and concession areas. Construction for the new building began in June 2013 and opened in July 2014. There are two black box theatres including the large main stage theatre which is a flexible space able to seat up to 180 audience. The second theatre can seat up to 58. 

Schuler Shook worked closely with Cuningham Group and the Alexandria School District to design a state of the art performing arts centre for their new high school. The 1,000-seat auditorium has a generously sized stage to support a wide variety of performances including vocal and instrumental music, drama, musical theatre, dance, lectures and assemblies 

The Langham Chicago is the international luxury brand’s third hotel in the United States and the first to be built within a Mies van der Rohe skyscraper. The Langham Chicago was named #1 in the continental US by Travel + Leisure magazine’s 2014 ​“World’s Best” awards.

The hotel is located on 13 floors of the protected structure, originally known as IBM Plaza. Architects at Goettsch Partners collaborated with Interior Designers Richmond International to create new, two-story volumes, lending height and daylight to the primary public spaces.

Guest rooms and suites feature warm indirect LED light coves, dedicated reading lights, glowing built-in vanity fixtures, and a guest-friendly control system that allows users to easily control individual zones, or all fixtures at once.

Our lighting scope included the hotel entry canopy, ground floor entry lobby, hotel reception lobby, lobby lounge, hotel guest rooms and suites, ballroom and meeting facilities, Pavilion tea lounge, Chuan Spa and the Health Club with special pool lighting.

The entry canopy and first floor lobby were designed in collaboration with Lohan Associates, and included a full scale canopy mockup that was reviewed and approved by the Landmarks Commission. Long life and energy efficient LED sources were used to create a rigorously ordered marquee announcing the main entry into the hotel.

Schuler Shook provided lighting design services on this fast-tracked project at the historic Hilton Chicago. The hotel’s restaurant, the bar/lounge area, and the grab-and-go retail space were renovated or entirely re-concepted, requiring new lighting designs as part of the brand and ambience for each of the three food and beverage areas.

This Target store location competes with other mall tenants, with a lower level entry from a busy mall atrium, and needed a unique identity to stand out from the crowd and draw shoppers in. Schuler Shook helped Target create an energetic lighting design to do just that. Bright, backlit side walls and graphic panels, combined with random parallel light slots on the entry ceiling, guide shoppers down escalators from the mall atrium above. The entrance is immersed with colour, energy and a bit of excitement. 

The new performing arts centre at the Lone Star College — Tomball campus replaces a smaller performance facility and provides students and faculty with a fully outfitted space for theatre education and performance. 

Schuler Shook provided theatre consulting services for a 425-seat multi-purpose theatre with orchestra shell for music concerts. The theatrical equipment includes 16 single purchase counterweight sets and seven motorised lineshaft rigging sets, adjustable acoustic curtains and orchestra pit with filler platforms. Schuler Shook also designed the theatrical lighting systems and advised on the seating.

River Spirit Casino, located on the Arkansas River, captures elements that are significant to the Muscogee Creek Nation’s culture: farming, community, water, air, sky. Along the front facade, specialty light poles guide guests to the entry. 

Inside the front entry, guests are greeted with a beaded curtain, highlighted to sparkle and shimmer like rain. Large cloud shaped elements, using LEDs, mimic the sky over the Nation and draw the guest into the casino. The lounge has a bubbly glow from various sized pendants suspended at random heights. Bordering the gaming area, vertical tree elements are internally illuminated, giving the suggestion of native trees lining the side of the river bank. 

Schuler Shook collaborated with the design team to provide integrated architectural lighting that reinforces the tribal themes and the concept of the casino.

Schuler Shook provided architectural lighting design for MB Financial Park at Rosemont, now Parkway Bank Park, a new multi-season park in the entertainment district of the Village of Rosemont, Illinois. The lighting design scope includes the skating rink, plaza, pedestrian paths, and seven new restaurant facades. 

The park is situated in a nine-acre development that includes several busy restaurants and pubs, providing a welcome outdoor activity area in combination with dining and retail spaces for a true multi-season entertainment environment.

The 333 West Wacker building is a post-modern office tower well-known for its distinctive green glass façade that curves along the Chicago River. This 1983 structure has two separate entry lobbies connected by three elevator lobbies. Pre-renovation, the lobby had dark ceilings, walls, and floors. Spaces felt dim and imbalanced — particularly when compared to the bright, daylit windows beyond. The primary goal of the renovation was to transform the lobbies of this timeless classic into a bright, inviting entry.

Schuler Shook, Perkins+Will and the owner worked together to identify new fixture locations and types that respond better to the dark stone of the lobby. The new lobby lighting features compact fluorescent downlights that bathe the walls with light. Wall panels are polished, so fixtures have regressed lamps in order to minimize reflections in the panels. Floor and ceiling tiles are now white to increase overall light levels and the perception of brightness.

Northwestern University completed significant renovations to this 1928 student residence hall, creating the first LEED Gold certified green student living space on its Evanston campus.

Schuler Shook’s lighting designers strategized and documented new lighting for this renovation, including lighting for the first floor lounges and corridors as well as the building’s dorm rooms and washrooms.

Eckstein Hall is a four-story, 200,000 SF contemporary building for modern law. Schuler Shook provided lighting design for the four-story central atrium, library reading room and mock court.

The central atrium required flexible lighting for multiple activities including studying, lectures, and recognition dinners. The space is highlighted with pendant clusters, providing visually comfortable ambient light on vertical and horizontal surfaces. Integrated downlights with glare shielding provide multiple light level options for the variety of activities in the space. Indirect uplight completes the space.

A linear sconce at the stair tower visually reinforces the strong vertical architectural form and helps illuminate the stair treads

The lighting design in the spacious third-floor library reading room provides users a visually comfortable experience through a combination of slender bookshelf task lighting, downlights and wall wash accents, and custom pendants that acknowledge the traditional chandelier of the former Law School. In addition, the pendants create a beacon for the school visible from surrounding neighbourhoods and freeways.

Schuler Shook provided lighting design and theatre planning services for the new 450-seat Tower Auditorium in this Global Communications Hub in Charlotte. The room is designed for video production and teleconferencing as well as live lecture and assembly.

Working closely with the architects at Perkins+Will, we created a seating layout and appropriate lighting of the onstage presenter and the audience that works well for those in the room and for those experiencing the room through the bank’s Knowledge Channel video broadcasts.

Sam Houston State University is known for its strong theatre and music curricula. The school sought a new centre that would bring together music, dance and theatre while providing distinct performance areas attuned to the needs of each art form.

Through Schuler Shook’s programming and planning effort with the design team and performing arts departments, we helped create performance spaces specific to each art form. 

Herbert W. Armstrong College was founded in 2001 and several years later construction began on a new 823 seat auditorium. The new eight-story concert hall is located on the campus of Herbert W. Armstrong College and was built to serve the community by hosting various professional Broadway-style performances. The building also serves as a space for the Philadelphia Church of God services and provides classrooms for Armstrong College music department.

Alexander Calder’s steel stabile ​“Flamingo” was the first work of art commissioned under the General Service Administration’s Art in Architecture Program in 1974. The sculpture’s vermilion colour and 53-foot tall organic form serves as a counterfoil to the surrounding three prominent Mies Van der Rohe federal office buildings in Chicago’s Federal Plaza. In its initial installation, it was not lighted for viewing after dark.

The lighting of the ​“Flamingo” was implemented as part of a program to improve the plaza and increase security. The primary challenge was to illuminate as many surfaces and facets as possible using a reasonable quantity of fixtures. All lighting fixtures are buried in the plaza pavers and are identical: PAR38 adjustable uplights with positive locking mechanisms. Schuler Shook performed site testing to test and select the incident lighting angles, source colour, and fixture locations and quantities. All of the lighting emanates from the plaza, shining up on the sculpture, which reinforces the weightless nature of the sculpture and suggests that the sculpture floats above the plaza, barely touching the ground.

The initial renovation project won an IALD Award of Merit and an IES International Illumination Design Award. IALD judges remarked that, ​“The graceful and beautiful pattern of the form comes alive…”

The original design used 150 watt halogen PAR lamps with spot and flood distributions. In the second renovation of the plaza, Schuler Shook replaced the lights with more energy efficient ceramic metal halide.

Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago’s Tony Award®-winning home for new plays, had outgrown its space in Lincoln Park. Victory Gardens turned to Schuler Shook to lead a programming effort, identifying their goals for an expanded theatre. We worked very closely with the Artistic Director and Managing Director at that time — Dennis Zacek and Marcelle McVay — to refine Victory Gardens’s goals for a new home.

When the nearby Biograph Theatre became available for purchase, Victory Gardens saw a unique opportunity in their own neighbourhood. They purchased the famed cinema and began an extensive adaptation, developing a new 299-seat theatre that offers their playwrights a larger, more capable stage.

Schuler Shook advised Victory Gardens on theatre and backstage planning, designed the stage rigging and lighting systems, and assisted during construction of the project. In addition, Robert Shook designed lighting for the opening production of Charles Smith’s Denmark.

An extensive renovation of the Concourse B Rotunda provides an energetic and light filled environment for travelers.

The renovation focused on a Memphis Blues theme and is supported with dynamic lighting that emphasizes the architecture, way-finding and music elements. The atrium and concourses were enhanced with increased lighting levels integrated into the architectural design.

The Central Park Bandshell had its opening celebration and first performance on July 4, 2009. Schuler Shook provided the theatre planning services and design of the lighting and rigging systems. This new state-of-the-art bandshell replaced the existing bandshell in Red Wing’s historic Central Park.

The city’s vision was to transform this underutilized park into Red Wing’s ​“community living room.” Light fixtures and a simple lighting control system have been provided to meet the performance needs of local troupes. Infrastructure, including additional power, truss rigging points, and cable sleeves were designed to meet the needs of large touring groups.

The Humanities Center for York College of Pennsylvania project began as a study in 2001 and was green lighted in late 2005.

The study resulted in a new performing arts centre in a prominent location on the college campus, consisting of a 700-seat proscenium theatre and a 150-seat black box theatre, a scene shop, dressing rooms, and support spaces. The facility includes a full fly loft for the benefit of student and community productions, as well as educational lectures and special events.

Schuler Shook provided theatre planning and design services for the performance and supports spaces, an orchestra pit lift, and complete theatrical lighting and rigging systems. Schuler Shook also provided architectural lighting design for the lobby and the theatre.

In just one year, with construction occurring only between performance seasons, this 1926 opera house received a renovation and expansion that reached from its 3‑story lobby skylight down to the enlarged orchestra pit.

Schuler Shook’s theatre planners brought to this fast-paced project their years of technical experience working in many other U.S. opera houses. We worked to improve both the technical systems available to the performers and artists as well as to enhance the audience’s experience from the new seating. Our scope covered stage areas and auditorium areas, the orchestra pit, new stage lighting and rigging systems, an LED-based stage titling system, and improved sightlines within a newly configured seating arrangement that allows for almost 160 additional seats.

Lighting and architecture are integrated in a minimal, timeless aesthetic for this new high-rise building. The law firm’s Chicago headquarters occupies 27 floors (672,000 SF), and our designers created lighting solutions throughout for private attorney offices, open secretarial stations, the conference centre, reception areas, elevator lobbies and corridors.

This high concept restaurant in Beverly Hills focuses on the ​“show” of food preparation and a diverse menu of international flavors in a space that brings together contemporary architecture with existing brick and wood details. Lighting design for the 6,300 SF space includes the entrance, bar, dining areas and exterior façade lighting. 

Featured elements include artwork illuminated with a framing projector and an edge lit lighting detail behind the artwork. Illuminated red polymer staircase risers add an unexpected touch of interest. A 2‑story grazing detail at the mezzanine lights the original textured brick wall. Each of these lighting elements is designed to showcase the architectural features and eye-catching finishes.

The Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra sought to enhance the sound and overall experience for their concerts held in the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (The DECC). 

Schuler Shook planned and specified a beautiful new state of the art acoustical enclosure, based upon the acoustical requirements of Kirkegaard Associates. In concert with SJA Architects, we designed the lighting control system and created new lighting positions in the cheek walls. We also added dimming capacity and specified new lighting equipment for the stage and apron.

Excelsior & Grand is a mixed-use development, with 5 story buildings consisting of residential units, retail space, restaurants, and plazas. The development is centreed along a 600 foot pedestrian-friendly, town green.

Schuler Shook developed a unique lighting approach to create a dynamic, yet unified interior and exterior lighting design for this multi-phased project. The exterior lighting design included landscape, building facades, balconies, entries, and sculptures.

Schuler Shook provided exterior lighting design services for the renovation and adaptive reuse of the Carbon and Carbide Building on Michigan Avenue. Now the home to Hard Rock Hotel, this Art Deco masterpiece originally opened in 1929 as an office building and was designated a Chicago Architectural Landmark in 1996.

The exterior is composed of black granite and dark green terra cotta, a challenge to illuminate. Our designers used on-site mockups to test fixtures against the dark cladding and worked to highlight the gold terra cotta and gold leaf trim. The 40-story building is now a 381-room hotel with restaurant, bar, conference and meeting rooms.

North Central College advanced the fine and performing arts on campus with a series of projects involving new construction and adaptive reuse. Opened in the fall of 2008, the 57,000 SF Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center is now a beacon for the arts on campus and in the greater community.

To further foster learning, practice and performance. North Central College included a flexible performance space in their plan as well. The College renovated the 95-year-old former Grace Evangelical Church for this purpose and helped preserve an important part of the College’s and the community’s history in the process.

Schuler Shook provided theatre consulting and architectural lighting design services for the new Fine Arts Center, including the 650-seat Wentz Concert Hall and the 150¬seat Madden Theatre. The studio theatre includes flexible seating and staging options, providing the perfect setting for theatre, dance and music performance. We worked closely with Talaske Sound Thinking, the acoustician, and Loebl Schlossman & Hackl, the architect, to create an appropriate concert hall for groups such as North Central College’s Concert Winds, Women’s Chorale and Concert Choir. Our lighting designs are seen in the concert hall, studio theatre, lobby and gathering spaces.

The Carlyle is a 39-floor residential tower on the Mississippi riverfront in the historic Mill District of Minneapolis. This new tower was designed with art-deco design themes reinterpreted using modern methods.

The lighting design considerations included the downtown location within a historic district, energy consumption and cost, and the building’s architecture. The lighting design draws the eye up the façade to the spires at the top of the building. 

T‑Rex is an interactive and immersive themed restaurant and retail attraction. Life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, mammoth and other creatures are found in specially themed spaces or ​“zones” such as the Geothermal Kitchen of Fire, the Shark Bar, Fern and Sequoia Forests, and the Children’s Archeological Dig Site. The lighting scheme provides drama and task illumination, complex show programming, and sustainable maintenance.

In the Geothermal zone, natural gas flames erupt from rock fissures. Enhanced impact is provided by flame-effect motion projectors illuminating themed elements. Geothermal activity continues with the fiery LED animation of translucent sculpted lava, juxtaposed behind a cool blue ​“ice melt” waterfall.

The Shark Bar’s giant octopus has animatronic tentacles and provides task lighting through end-emitting fiber optics mounted in its suction cups. LED’s animate the bar in subtle waves.

Other lighting elements include water ripple-effects and ocean tones, internally lit jellyfish providing table lighting, the ice cave’s translucent glowing walls, projected fir and pine cone images in the Sequoia Forest, luminous planets, and internally lit asteroid fixtures in the retail space.

The Midtown Exchange development transformed the former Sears building on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Schuler Shook provided the lighting design for the public lobbies, corridors, and building façade for this mixed-use residential, retail, and office development. 

Collaborative Design Group served as the project architect with Ryan Construction as the lead developer. Shea Architects provided interior design services.

McKendree University added to its campus a new facility for the arts – the Hettenhausen Performing Arts Center.

Schuler Shook’s theatre planners were involved early in the project to discuss with university leaders the precise needs that the new facility would fulfill. We worked closely with architects at Mackey Mitchell to design an appropriate new home for the arts while remaining sensitive to tight budgetary constraints. 

The beautiful 500-seat theatre anchors a 34,000 sf building. The facility includes a large band room, large rehearsal spaces, ensemble practice rooms and simple backstage accommodations. 

Hyatt unveiled an upmarket concept hotel branded as Hyatt Place. The focus is on the frequent traveler who requires an extended stay. In addition to spacious guestrooms, Hyatt has focused design efforts on the public areas called Hyatt Place Gallery. The Gallery blends contemporary décor with distinctive architecture, stylish furnishings and unexpected touches to create an atmosphere of casual hospitality.

Schuler Shook worked closely with Aria Group Architects to design the lighting and control systems for the Gallery, starting with a prototype for Hyatt and then designing the lighting for the Hyatt Place in Lombard.

The new 27,000 SF Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) houses Loyola’s Martin D’Arcy Collection, along with other local and international exhibitions. Schuler Shook provided lighting design services for all of the museum’s galleries, which included integrating recessed tracks and sleek track-heads into a visually quiet ceiling. Also included in the scope was the design of the gift shop, which exhibited refined sloped shelves that were internally illuminated to present the merchandise.

The building’s two main lobbies lead to different parts of the building. The east lobby leads to the museum’s galleries and gift shop, and the north lobby leads to the offices and classrooms elsewhere in the building. Both lobbies were illuminated to characterize the spaces they precede. 

The north lobby depicts a more formal environment with dark panelized wood walls, a vaulted ceiling, a lounge area, and an information display. Schuler Shook’s lighting design for this space accentuates the architecture, reveals the materials, and introduces decorative sconces to provide a visually comfortable environment that is conducive to socializing.

Schuler Shook provided the interior and exterior lighting design and custom lighting fixtures for this new retail shopping centre and plaza. The lighting design was carefully crafted with the development of the retail centre to create a warm and inviting quality that responds to the architecture. The lighting fixtures took their cue from the Prairie style architectural vernacular. 

Illumination of ceiling planes, architectural details, and decorative fixtures provides a comfortable and engaging environment.

Chicago’s historic Water Tower was completed in 1869 and was one of only several buildings to survive the great Chicago fire. Over the years, the tower’s limestone facade became very dirty and the lighting scheme was in need of modernization.

Schuler Shook’s new facade lighting consists of ceramic metal halide spotlights that graze light up the various turrets and towers. Fixtures are located close to the building, allowing the texture of the rough-cut limestone to be revealed, while the 3000K colour temperature of the lamps renders the warmth of the stone. 

The new lighting for the historic Water Tower gives new visual impact to North Michigan Avenue’s ​“Magnificent Mile”, one of Chicago’s most visited destinations for tourists and residents alike.

This complete renovation of the old New Yorker Theatre is almost all new construction. Working closely with architects Martinez + Johnson, Schuler Shook designed new lighting and theatre systems for the 665-seat theatre and provided input on catwalk placement, sightlines, and the data and power cable distribution.

The Paramount Theater renovation and expansion restored the theatre from a dilapidated facility to a thriving performing arts centre. The 1,000-seat venue is producing and presenting a wide variety of arts, education, and entertainment events with the goal of reaching diverse audiences.

Schuler Shook was involved in the original pre-design of the facility, the shaping of the theatre and support spaces, and the design and specifications of the technical equipment systems.

This new 7,500-seat worship centre in South Barrington replaced the 4,500-seat facility that the church had outgrown. The new facility houses a 94′ W x 57′ H proscenium and 3‑axis LED screens that can project live feeds as well as pre-recorded scenes.

One of the main goals for the new worship facility was to retain an intimate feel and sense of closeness while almost doubling the overall seating capacity. Schuler Shook designed a forestage lift as part of the design solution to create intimacy in the new worship centre. The lift lowers from stage level to audience level, bringing the pastor closer to the congregants. The lift also lowers 20′ below stage level, providing access to the scene shop located on the lower level.

Schuler Shook also designed manual and motorised stage rigging, including five motorised light bridges for the church, and provided general planning assistance.

Hyde Park Bank has long been recognized as an integral part of the historic community of Hyde Park. Over the years, the space had become impersonal, dark and was not providing the welcoming environment that the Bank wanted to offer its clientele. Through architectural and lighting revisions, the Bank hoped to create a modern, flexible workspace that complemented, rather than obscured, the past. Florian Architects was enlisted to restore the banking hall while introducing a contemporary aspect, more in keeping with a 21st century financial institution.

The renovation included the restoration of three monumental existing chandeliers that contribute to the ambiance, and ambient lighting, of the banking hall. Terra-cotta reliefs and bronze shields detailed by focal lighting make a striking impact. 

DeVos Hall, the premiere performance space in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is home to the local Ballet, Opera, and Broadway Theatre Guild. Renovation work for the 2,500-seat hall was completed in 90 days in the summer of 2004. Schuler Shook worked closely with Progressive A/E to design new lighting for the perimeter of the house, and patrons seated in the side balconies.

A new control system integrates existing stage and house lighting controls with colour-changing controls. 15+ presets can be recalled or changed via a wallstation, laptop, and/or console. The new house lighting is integrated with the architecture, makes the space feel larger, better connects patrons to one another and the stage, and enlivens the space through colour.

This 43,000 square foot building sits on 52 acres and features an 1,100-seat sanctuary. The worship space will be expandable to 1,800 seats by reconfiguring the balcony as the congregation grows. The church’s program includes theatrical performances, contemporary Christian music and multimedia presentations.

The church also houses educational space and administrative areas. Additional education, child care, chapel, and youth centre spaces have been planned for future phases.

Schuler Shook provided theatre planning and architectural lighting design services for this new venue. A collaborative design approach with the owner and architect provided integrated systems, flexibility, and expandability.

Valparaiso University’s Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources is a four-story, 115,000 square foot building featuring a wide variety of spaces, including library stacks, reading rooms, computer labs, writing centres, classrooms, a café, a community room, and a conference room. Schuler Shook designed the lighting for all of these spaces to provide a warm, inviting place for students and faculty.

The Heritage Room, a 30-seat conference room, features a custom rectangular pendant suspended from the curved wooden ceiling. A combination of halogen lamps within the pendant and linear fluorescent uplights can be independently controlled. The pendant can be raised and lowered by a motorised winch to accommodate A/V projections.

Awards: AIA Chicago Citation of Merit 2005 IES IIDA Regional Design Award 2004

Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall was originally constructed in 1918 in a record 4 months and 4 days. Saved from the wrecking ball by a renovation in the 70’s, the DSO moved back downtown to Orchestra Hall in 1988. This most recent project commenced in 1997 and included completing the restoration of Orchestra hall and constructing 135,000 square feet of new space.

Schuler Shook provided full service theatre consulting. We provided programming, space planning guidance and equipment design services for the refurbishment, re-seating and equipping of the 2,064-seat Orchestra Hall, the Music Box – a variable-form second hall that seats up to 450 – the Jacob Bernard Pincus Music Education Center and the Robert A. and Maggie Allesee Rehearsal Hall. We also worked closely with the architect to provide much-needed public, backstage and administrative spaces.

Orchestra Hall now includes a refurbished orchestra shell and motorised rigging, a new forestage lift, a proscenium super-grid and new lighting system and mounting positions – all designed and specified by Schuler Shook. The Music Box includes a flexible lighting system for its multiple forms and uses, as well as extensive automated acoustical adjustment systems. 

The ​“Wild Reef” exhibit at the John G. Shedd Aquarium features the various animals, fish, coral and people of the Philippine coral reef — the world’s richest aquatic ecosystem. The $47 million, 27,500 square foot exhibit was completed after seven years of planning, design and construction. Habitats total more than 750,000 gallons of saltwater and feature over 450 species of coral, 2,500 different species of fish, over 30 sharks and live coral. The exhibit also educates visitors about life on Apo Island, a traditional Philippines fishing village.

Schuler Shook worked closely with the architect, exhibit designer, engineers and Aquarium Fishes, Facilities and Special Events staffs to design, specify, focus and program lighting and control systems that meet all of the aesthetic, integration, code, maintenance and budget requirements of the project. The lighting systems in the public areas are dynamic and enhance the colourful signage, interactive displays and exhibitry. The tank lighting is resistant to the corrosive saltwater, but also sympathetic to the colour temperature and colour rendering needs of the various fish and coral.

Bet Shalom is a new 35,000 square foot worship and education facility in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The 500 seat sanctuary is equipped with six 4‑ton panels, which form the walls of a hexagonal sanctuary. Three of these panels slide into the ceiling and floor, opening to the adjacent Social Hall, increasing the sanctuary seating to 1,300 people.

Schuler Shook designed the architectural lighting in collaboration with the architects. A flexible lighting control system allows the space to be adjusted in intensity, as well as to define different areas of the sanctuary.

MCTC uses fluorescent perimeter cove fixtures to uplight into wooden coffers, giving it a warm established street presence on Minneapolis’ Hennepin Avenue. Excellent stack lighting ensures student’s visibility of book shelves’ bottom row. Decorative pendants are randomly located in the main conference room, giving the space a festive atmosphere

MCTC’s illuminated parking ramp provides a dramatic entrance to the college and Minneapolis Arts District. Schuler Shook also designed the lighting for MCTC’s library located directly across from the parking ramp.

The refurbished bridge resting at the CTA Red Line 35th Street ​“El” stop carries pedestrians across the Dan Ryan expressway and connects the Illinois Institute of Technology with the US Cellular One Baseball Park. What was once a very utilitarian structure has been transformed into a stunning piece of modern architecture. 

The backlighting of the transparent canopies highlights the beauty of the stainless steel structural hardware and provides the general transit lighting for local commuters, students, and sports fans using the bridge. Also, backlighting is provided for signage on each side of the bridge making an interesting backdrop for automobile commuters to enjoy as they pass beneath on the expressway.

In December of 2002, the new Proscenium Theatre addition presented its first performance. The 250-seat theatre is the anchor venue of this new arts centre for theatre, music, and dance. 

The facility includes a black box theatre and a recital hall which are new performance spaces that are located in the existing arts building. The three performance spaces are connected with a new lobby and supported by dressing rooms, scene shop, costume shop, storage, loading, and arts classrooms. The theatre has a full fly house, orchestra pit lift, and state-of-the-art technical systems.

The Mapparium, a three-story stained-glass globe found in the heart of The Mary Baker Eddy Library in Boston, has been a popular attraction for over 60 years. It was originally lit in 1935 with 300 60-watt lamps attached to the frame on the outside of the globe. 

The new Schuler Shook designed lighting scheme uses 206 LED colour-mixing fixtures to illuminate the white walls of the enclosing room while saving energy, reducing heat, and providing the option of programming and storing colour sequences to create stunning effects on the globe. The LED fixtures and all associated wiring were meticulously installed along the outer bronze framework to avoid fixture and wiring shadows. 

This unique, three-dimensional perspective is enhanced by A World of Ideas, an artful and penetrating multimedia presentation, which gives visitors insights into how our world is connected and shaped by ideas.

The Minneapolis Convention Center expansion began in 1998. Included in the expansion was a large flexible 3,400-seat auditorium to be used for large assembly events. Because it was recognized that a 3,400 seat auditorium would have limited use due to its size, a space capable of reconfiguration from a single large house into multiple smaller spaces was designed.

The lighting design challenges presented by the flexibility of the space were met with the use of dual downlight systems, custom wall sconces located in movable and stationary walls, and a meticulously programmed lighting control system. Area lighting and accent lighting integrated into the room design afford flexibility, task lighting, and accenting of ceiling and wall planes.

Schuler Shook’s theatre planning scope included the auditorium, its lighting control systems and stage rigging. Schuler Shook provided additional architectural lighting design for all public spaces, meeting rooms, and exhibit halls within the expansion.

InnerSelf provides intimate apparel for women. The lighting design is warm and inviting, giving the shopper a secure feeling. Accents throughout the store attract the customer’s eye, making it both appealing to shop and accentuating the architecture.

A cluster of light cylinders highlight an area and draws people into the space.

The Hilde Performance Center, an open air amphitheatre, opened in July of 2002 with a special performance by the Minneapolis Orchestra. The attendance for this grand opening drew over 12,000 patrons for the concert and festivities.

The amphitheatre includes several innovative and functional design features to accommodate a variety of programs including live music ensembles, amplified concerts, and drama. The facility stands 45 feet tall with a raised stage and acoustically tuned walls and ceilings. The flexible lighting control systems was designed for orchestra use and includes provisions for touring lighting, rigging, and audio equipment that can accommodate visiting groups. 

As part of the renovation of the Allerton Building, the Art Institute of Chicago commissioned lighting designs for Fullerton Hall and the Prints and Drawings Study Room. The hall’s main feature is a leaded stained glass dome that was originally installed by Louis Comfort Tiffany Studios in 1898. 

The dome exhibits a variation of glorious, warm colours that are cleverly lit by Schuler Shook’s design. Its dense and colourful characteristics provide the elegant room with an enchanting visual element, but posed a challenge for designers in delivering the adequate illumination levels for the auditorium. Additional sconces were provided to supplement the light emitted by the dome’s stained glass. 

The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art is located on the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park campus. The museum showcases special exhibits and a permanent collection of more than 10,000 objects, including paintings by the Chicago Imagists and artifacts from ancient China, the Medieval era, and Renaissance Europe. University students play an active role in the maintenance and preservation of the museum.

In order to simplify the focusing process for students, Schuler Shook provided a reference matrix that explained how much light would be provided by various combinations of lamps, mounting positions, and light-blocking screens. This has been a useful tool when the museum focuses the lighting for new exhibits, particularly when artifacts cannot be exposed to too much light.

The lighting design for the remodeling and expansion of the airport consisted of several phases. The retail concourse was repositioned to serve the users circulating through the facility. Schuler Shook designed custom lighting fixtures to accent the architecture and provide a brighter and better defined space. Custom pendants, informed by an aeronautical expression emphasize particular areas throughout the facility.

The lighting design supports the architectural expression and is designed to be maintenance friendly, long life fluorescent, metal-halide, LED and fiber-optic systems are utilized.