Morlights Wins Major International Awards for Lighting Design on New Projects

Various honors and speaking engagements elevate the growing firm’s visibility globally; new project wins in Europe, Asia Pacific and the United States, including museums and headquarters offices; the lighting design pioneer and leader celebrates 20 years in business this fall

Photo courtesy of Morlights

Morlights, an award-winning firm creating impactful, immersive, meaningful experiences through lighting design, has announced major wins and recognition as the firm celebrates its 20th year in operation. The Chicago-based firm’s success is recognized in recent DALI Lighting Awards for its work on Ko’ula at Ward Village in Honolulu, designed with Studio Gang, as well as the reimagining of Chicago’s Le Select brasserie, now called The Wellsley.

Known for its global work with significant clients, including the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, HOK and Boka Restaurant Group, Morlights has also announced several new project wins. Among the most noteworthy is a commission as lighting designer for Chicago O’Hare Airport’s $300 million Terminal 3 project, known as ElevateT3, set to expand passenger corridors, holdroom space and reconfigured TSA checkpoints. The firm has also been tapped for the new Andretti Global headquarters, a 90-acre campus for the motorsports leader located in Fishers, Indiana, with architect RATIO and development manager Bradford Allen. Other projects are at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, a new aquarium in Mexico and the restaurant Ummo in Chicago.

At the same time that it is winning new projects globally, Morlights CEO and founder Avraham “Avi” Mendall Mor, CLD, IALD, has been presenting the firm’s work and unique project delivery approaches to varied audiences nationally and in Madrid. Upcoming talks include a session at ArchLIGHT Summit, as well as for the Illuminating Engineering Society. Mor, a leading lighting expert for museums, recently presented at the American Alliance of Museums annual meeting held in Baltimore and the interiors-focused NeoCon 2024 in Chicago this June.

“We’re glad to be at the forefront of designs for a new generation of cultural, scientific and history museums and learning environments, among the most dynamic and exacting challenges we can take on,” Mor said. “We are very proud of Morlights’ ability to handle such varied projects, inspiring with high design while balancing budget sensitivity, striking a balance between artistry and technology by breaking down the lighting process and taking a stand for simplicity, cultivating our clients’ stories and experiences–all while advocating for cost-effective solutions, energy savings and seamless team communication.”

Lighting Honors for Indigenous Community School

Among Morlights’ most celebrated successes has been its work on the Indian Community School in Franklin, Wisconsin, which was recently featured on the cover of Designing Lighting, an influential U.S. design publication. In their story titled “Unveiling Indian Community School’s Design Metamorphosis,” the lighting design is credited with “transforming educational spaces,” the magazine wrote. “They addressed challenges like outdated technology and aesthetic integrity while creating a dynamic learning environment. The project reflects a blend of innovative technology, environmental considerations and a deep understanding of the school’s architectural ethos, setting a new standard for educational lighting design.”

Mor and his team will also present the school design solutions at ArchLIGHT Summit, a program from Sept. 17-18 at the Dallas Market Center. “Our session is all about integrating lighting design with cultural values, a critical design skill today, as demonstrated in the Indian Community School case study,” Mor said. “This is where we learn the importance of creating lighting solutions that not only enhance architectural aesthetics, but also reflect and celebrate the cultural identity of the community served.”

Other projects with significant cultural underpinnings include the new aquarium in the resort town of Mazatlán on Mexico’s northern Pacific coast, led by hotelier Ernesto Coppel Kelly and designed by architect Tatiana Bilbao. There, Morlights designed the exhibit lighting, working with Space Haus.

In many of its recent projects, Morlights has assisted clients by offering its new Acquisition Services, where the firm manages lighting products, fixtures, controls and systems on behalf of the owner for a modest fee. The approach protects the owner and end-users while ensuring a full life cycle and sustainable, optimized lighting performance over the life of the facilities.