Four vacant floors in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood were transformed into a series of meeting spaces, galleries, and recording studios for the Red Bull Music Academy. The architecture and lighting created an atmosphere of experimentation intended to spark creativity and collaboration among top musicians around the world for this month long venture of learning and producing music in an entirely new way. The interior lighting was essential in dramatically transforming the space from day to night while supporting the many events, from gallery exhibitions to concerts, held within.

On the 7th floor, a central corridor divides the floor plate into eight collaborative studio pods. Fluorescent uplights hidden above the ductwork in the corridors elevate the ceiling and draw the effect of daylight into the interior. At night, the lighting transitions to halogen accent lights in the corridors and studios, creating an intimate environment during the often all night recording sessions conducted by the participating musicians. The lecture hall ceiling is formed by rows of PVC tubes cut in half. Fluorescent uplighting above washes through the gaps in the tubes and down the walls making the space feel open and light. Halogen accent lights between each tube provide dimmable, low glare lighting for use during screenings and interviews.

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