Foster + Partners
Valeria Surrente
London
Overlooking the Thames and a stones throw from Battersea Park, the 2000 plus Foster + Partners employees are working on global projects and pushing the boundaries of possibility in architecture, engineering, urban and landscape design.
We know the impact good architecture can have on an area but we are also interested in the detail, more specifically the lighting. Valeria Surrente has been with Foster + Partners for over seven years now. Her background is architecture but she quickly became fascinated by the power of lighting and its ability to affect space.
Lighting has the unique ability to instantly affect mood, guide people through spaces, illuminate safety, highlight product and much more. It’s something that can be easily overlooked but should never be underestimated. Valeria explains, “There’s many different layers when considering lighting, such as understanding what the space is, how we want people to circulate it, to use it, the operational time of a space, where’s the focal point is. Only then can we start to consider the use of light and develop the quality of the space.”
There is also the impact, energy consumption and safety considerations that need to underpin the creative side of lighting design. Valeria says, “It all starts with a sketch, and then a virtual world combined with more hands on reality. So doing mockups and testing, to understand the primary, secondary and tertiary surfaces as well as understanding how the light reacts to different materials.”
The conversations about the vision are shared between many teams at Foster + Partners, so the majority of experts for many place projects are under one roof, Valeria says, “It’s great to pop over to the architecture team and discuss the feel of the space, or head over to the materials room and experiment with light, we are really lucky here.”
Valeria has a background in ballet and contemporary dance so often looks to theatre and performances for lighting inspiration. She says, “Unlike the theatre, architectural lighting isn’t temporary, but there are some techniques and inspiration that can be used. I watched the Little Mermaid, a ballet in Chicago and they used some cold, low lighting to give the feel of the sea, it was really simple but so effective, inspiration I have stored for a future project.”
The other big component is nature, “Think of a sunny day and the drama the shadows create, that movement, the depth. A sunny day can bring a place to life, it’s the same with good lighting. I will often design spotlights to shine through trees to create that romance and movement.”
Lighting can be about selecting and emphasising characteristic of spaces but it can also be about being subtle, “One of the questions I always get asked is ‘can I make it invisible?’. Minimal fittings with maximum impact, I love that challenge. You know instantly if something is wrong, but if it’s right, sometimes you don’t even notice, or you see people moving in the right direction, or the mood feels right in the space, so you know you’ve done your job right.”
Lighting can be static for the masses, or adjusted for individual preference, it can make you feel comfortable, or invite you to sit, create focal points and bring life to forgotten areas. Used well, the power of light can have huge impact on spaces.
