Florence Lam (holding her award) celebrates her win with colleagues and comic Ed Byrne
(c) Phil Weedon
Florence Lam is the first woman to receive the accolade of Lighting Designer of the Year at the Lighting Design Awards
The presentation of Lam’s award at London Hilton, Park Lane on March 27 resulted in her colleagues at Arup storming the stage in celebration, causing LDA host and comic Ed Byrne to liken the spectacle to a football pitch invasion.
In her acceptance speech, the global leader for lighting for Arup paid tribute to her team as the secret of her success. As a daylight and electric lighting specialist, Lam’s portfolio is broad and includes sporting venues, culminating in the Aquatics Centre and Handball Arena for the London 2012 Olympic Games. She has also worked with a number of artists, including Anish Kapoor to create the scheme for the ArcelorMittal Orbit in the Olympic Park.
ArcelorMittalOrbit (c)ArupThomasGraham
“She believes in the concept of total architecture and that lighting plays an important part, not just in revealing the architecture of a space, but also in delivering a healthy environment for the occupants,” said one LDA judge.
A great encourager of talent, Florence works with graduates and lectures undergraduates on courses such as product design at Brunel University. She has also sat on the SLL Technical and Publications Committee.
“The award recognises not just a portfolio of excellent work but also her efforts in nurturing new talent and the way she constantly gives back to the industry,” said another judge.
Lam began with the practice in 1989. As global leader for lighting for Arup, Lam has more than 50 designers in Europe, the US, the Far East and Australia.
