Audain Art Museum

Whistler, British Columbia
Canada

The abstract museum structure, designed by Vancouver-based Patkau Architects, blends into the site’s surrounding terrain. The public areas are primarily wood, creating a connection from inside and out. It was a goal of the design team to light the surfaces of the wood while preventing light trespass into the night sky and surrounding neighborhood. Warm, small-scale fixtures were selected to integrate into architectural wood slat details to create a welcoming environment.

The design team and curators coordinated specific ranges of illumination for temporary and permanent galleries which house sensitive artworks from coastal British Columbia. To deliver a pragmatic lighting system, LED replacement lamps were designed in the art galleries to include potentiometer dimmers on each fixture for fine tuning the light levels. In all public areas, concealed spotlights integrated into wood slats and linear lighting incorporated into handrails provide a warm and comfortable level of light for patrons.

• Architectural Lighting
• Cultural