Longtime client and collaborator Morton Arboretum asked Lightswitch to design lighting for the expansive new Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden. This new garden was conceived as part of the Arboretum’s centennial celebration, commemorating 100 years of planting and protecting trees for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world.
Longtime client and collaborator Morton Arboretum asked Lightswitch to design lighting for the expansive new Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden. This new garden was conceived as part of the Arboretum’s centennial celebration, commemorating 100 years of planting and protecting trees for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world. The Grand Garden will now serve as a central attraction for gathering and enjoyment going into the Arboretum’s second century. This splendid addition to the Arboretum showcases the beauty and diversity of plants, alongside delightful water features and spaces for celebration and wonder.
Lightswitch worked closely with the Arboretum’s team, as well as landscape architects HDLA, garden designer 3 Fromme Design, and construction contractor Featherstone Inc. to evolve a plan that respected the tenets of the design. Conceived as a series of distinct “rooms,” the Grand Garden leads guests on a journey enlivened by brilliant plantings, thoughtful architecture, and imaginative water features.
Rather than installing simple functional lighting, we embraced the sense of play, discovery, and whimsy that HDLA and 3 Fromme Design fostered. Bold use of directional light, textural patterning, and theatrical gobo projection now transforms the Grand Garden at night, bringing drama and focus to the space no matter the time of day.
Garden design is often theatrical at heart, and The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden was no exception. By blending our team’s cross-discipline expertise in landscape, architectural, and theatrical lighting, we were able to craft a unique experience for guests, and help make the after-dark space at the Grand Garden every bit as memorable as a daytime visit!
