Speirs and Major Associates

Speirs + Major
Private
Industry Architecture and design
Lighting design
Brand and communications
Founded 1992
Founders Jonathan Speirs and Mark Major
Headquarters London and Edinburgh, UK
Key people
 Mark Major and Keith Bradshaw
Number of employees
 30
Website www.speirsandmajor.com

Speirs + Major is a UK lighting design practice originally founded by Jonathan Speirs (1958-2012) and Mark Major in 1993. The practice is noted for its illumination of many prominent buildings, including Barajas International Airport,[1][2] 30 St Mary Axe (‘The Gherkin’), the Millennium Dome and the interior of St. Pauls Cathedral.[3] The firm has also developed lighting master plans for several British cities, including Cambridge, Coventry, Durham,[4] Newcastle, and for major private developments including Greenwich Peninsula and King’s Cross Central, London.

Speirs + Major has been credited with helping to raise awareness of the lighting design profession in the UK.[5] Today it employs approximately 30 people drawn from disciplines including architecture, art, lighting, interior, graphic and theatrical design. Its studios are based in London and Edinburgh, UK.

Lighting architects

Both founding members Jonathan Speirs, who died in 2012, and Mark Major trained and practiced as architects before focusing on lighting design. In interviews[5][6] they have argued that light should be embedded at the heart of the architectural design process rather than applied as a ‘cosmetic add-on’.[5] This integral approach to light[7] has led them to adopt the term ‘lighting architect’ to describe their role as ‘building with light as opposed to bricks and mortar’.[5]

Notable projects


RIBA Stirling Prize collaborations
Speirs and Major Associates have designed lighting for a number of buildings that have either won or been nominated for the RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture.

Stirling Prize winners:

Stirling Prize shortlisted projects:

Recent awards

Bibliography

In 2006 Jonathan Speirs and Mark Major authored the book Made of Light: The Art of Light and Architecture, a series of visual essays on lighting design.[13] The book is co-authored by Anthony Tischhauser and published by Swiss architectural publisher Birkhäuser.[14]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Richard Rogers Partnership. "Terminal 4 Barajas Airport Madrid", Richard Rogers Partnership, 2007
  2. 1 2 Slessor, Catherine."Spanish Soft Machine", Architectural Review, July 2006
  3. 1 2 Kolb, Jaffer. "Divine Light", Architectural Lighting, November 2006
  4. 1 2 "Plan to illuminate historic city", BBC News, August 2007
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kennett, Stephen. "Setting the world alight", Building Services Journal, January 2006
  6. ↑ Mansfield, Susan. "That warm glow of success", The Scotsman, June 2002
  7. ↑ Alexander, Kaye. "Seeing the light", The Architects Journal, September 2008
  8. ↑ Basulto, David. "Beijing Airport / Foster + Partners", Arch Daily, May 2008
  9. ↑ Donoff, Elizabeth. "New Giorgio Armani Flagship Store in Toyko's Ginza District", Architectural Lighting Magazine, April 2008
  10. ↑ "News Article: Durham Light and Darkness strategy", One North East, August 2007
  11. ↑ Sadighian, David. "Speirs and Major treads lightly at the Sackler Crossing", Architectural Record, November 2007
  12. ↑ "The Magna Science Adventure Centre", Architectural Record
  13. ↑ Addy, Ben. "A little light reading", Building Services Journal, March 2006
  14. ↑ "Made of Light: The Art of Light and Architecture", Amazon.com

External links

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