Boat Tour: Architecture and the Lights of Gotham

In the “City that Never Sleeps” this recently added boat tour capitalizes on the remarkable skyline of Manhattan after sunset. Since the dazzling string of lights first illuminated the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883, architects and lighting designers have understood the importance of presenting their buildings in the night environment. Prominent examples include the Statue of Liberty from 1886, the Woolworth Tower in 1913, the 1931 Empire State Building, Hudson Yards, and NYC’s latest super tall building, One World Trade Center.

Technology and aesthetics have changed radically in the last hundred years, of course, and today’s designers have a sophisticated array of sources, palette of colors, and endless programs to run these lighting systems. Contemporary lighting designers also have a responsibility to carefully consider t energy efficiency, protection of bird life, and controlling light trespass in the public realm and the night sky.

Join AIA guide Joseph Lengeling for a departure from Chelsea Piers on the west side of Manhattan and proceed out to the Statue of Liberty, up the East River to Roosevelt Island then return following the waterfront to view the Financial District, Battery Park City, Chelsea, Hudson Yards and the shoreline of the Hudson River on a two hour cruise.

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