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Arup’s Florence Lam becomes the first woman to be awarded the Society of Light and Lighting’s President’s Medal

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Ria Patel Ria Patel UKIMEA Press Office,London
24 May 2021

20th May 2021: Florence Lam, Arup’s Global Lighting Design Leader has been chosen as the recipient of the 2020 Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) President’s Medal. Florence will be the first woman to win the prestigious award in its 11-year history.  

The award, which is the highest accolade presented by the lighting professional body, recognises a significant and lifetime contribution to lighting. Florence, an internationally award-winning lighting designer, is recognised as an expert in daylight, visual perception, and urban lighting masterplanning, with over 15 international and national awards to her name.  

The SLL is part of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers and is recognised worldwide as an authority on all aspects of light, lighting and its applications. The Society represents the interests of all those practising in the application of light and lighting as well as research and education. 

Florence co-founded Arup’s lighting practice in 2000. Under her leadership, the lighting team grew from four members based in London, to a global practice of over 120 designers across twelve countries. The practice offers a broad spectrum of creative design and technical capabilities. In 2015, Florence was appointed an Arup Fellow by the Trustees Board in recognition of her talent, design, technical excellence and vision – not just at Arup – but across the global industry. Florence is also a Visiting Professor for Lighting Design and Engineering at the UCL Bartlett’s Institute of Environmental Design and Engineering. 


Speaking of the achievement, Florence Lam, Global Lighting Design Leader at Arup said:

“

It is an honour to be awarded with the Society of Light and Lighting’s Presidents Medal. It is particularly exciting to be the first woman to receive this award and I am humbled by the recognition. This acknowledgement is a testament to Arup’s lighting practice, and I hope it inspires the next generation of designers to spotlight the important role of lighting in the built environment. My commitment to bridging research into design, broadening the influence of the industry from human to humanity-centric and driving innovation to light our way towards a sustainable and regenerative future remains as strong as ever. ” Florence Lam Florence Lam Director

Florence Lam Florence Lam
Florence, is an award-winning lighting designer, with over 15 international and national awards to her name.

Over her 30 years of working in the industry, Florence has been responsible for delivering a wide range of lighting projects from museums to airports, bridges to city precincts and public realm projects all over the world. Some of her major projects include number of sport venues for the London Olympic Games 2012, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and The Acropolis in Athens. The latter of which won Florence an Award of Excellence, as well as Award of Sustainability at the International Association of Lighting Designers Awards 2010. In 2013, Florence became the first woman to win the coveted ‘Lighting Designer of the Year’ at the Lighting Design Awards. 

Outside of project work, Florence led a ‘Lighting in the Urban Age’ campaign to address the ‘over-illumination’ issue cities of today are facing. As part of the campaign to raise awareness about lighting’s role in promoting sustainable development, an exhibition was designed that allowed visitors to understand the challenges with urban lighting and how these could be overcome, as well as a report which emphasised the need for a more context-sensitive design approach and holistic integration of lighting into urban areas. The campaign was recognised in 2016 by the Management Consulting Association (MCA) as highly commended for the ‘Best Use of Thought Leadership’

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