Project: Hilton Hotel

"The placing of light sources is an intrinsic and by no means secondary part of the design process: it involves planning and envisaging the quality and quantity of light to achieve desired effects. A true case history could be outlined regarding this theme. In fact, these days lighting acts as a compositional texture that is flowing, periodic or diffused. Sometimes it stands out in the space, at other times it highlights special moments or events, creates contrast or pauses and can thus be used to identify different areas. At times, lighting is used as an illusion, through refraction and mirrors and the altering of actual sizes; at times it creates veils and shadowed passageways; at times it stresses the preciousness of materials and reflective surfaces. This is not exhaustive, but enough to prove the expressiveness of these particularly important devices, considering that in a great many cases, natural light can hardly be controlled at all, due to fixed pre-existing openings, or to the fact that it is insufficient - if it exists at all." Gianfranco Frattini