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Global engineering, procurement, and construction management firm SSOE Group has received an Illumination Award of Merit from the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) for the interior lighting design at Slidell Regional Cancer Center in Slidell, Louisiana.

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Slidell Regional Cancer Center is a 50,000-plus square-foot outpatient cancer centre which offers advanced cancer care to the greater New Orleans region.

Inspired by the client's idea of placing a grand piano in the lobby which is over two storeys high, the design team placed lantern boxes designed in a shape and pattern reflective of the keys of the piano. This brought a dramatic lighting effect at night to the main façade of the building.

The custom designed lantern boxes are designed with a light-transmitting polyester fabric stretched over a metal frame. The lightweight, fire-resistant lantern boxes feature energy-efficient, long-life, white LED light strings, which produce light transmission and even diffusion.

The spaces between the suspended lanterns was blacked out, giving the look of the ebony key while providing space for maintenance and required systems.

Accentuating the space, the visual of the keyboard of lanterns provides guidance to the vertical contour of the building.

The project was submitted in the category of The Edwin F. Guth Memorial Award for Interior Lighting Design. The awards are based on complexity of the problem, overall concept including integration into the architectural design, and design solution including energy and environmental considerations as well as budget and maintenance concerns.