Lightswitch Chosen to Design at 500 Lake Shore Drive in Chicago

Chicago folk who remember the hometown food company that made a blue box synonymous with macaroni and cheese will know right where to find a new 45-story apartment building complex that broke ground last month on the lakefront. Kraft Foods once had its offices and test kitchens on the site that will soon be home to a luxury apartment and retail store complex at 500 Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Lightswitch Architectural, the award-winning lighting design company based in Chicago, has been tapped by developers Related Midwest in joint venture with the AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust to act as lighting consultants for the multi-use building and parking garage designed by architectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz. Lightswitch Architectural is an apt choice to design the interior lighting for the 500-unit apartment building and adjacent parking garage. An imperative in the programming for 500 Lake Shore Drive is to incorporate sustainable features for increased energy efficiency, the ultimate goal being a LEED Silver rating. Work has commenced on the project, with site preparation having begun in August. Project completion for 500 Lake Shore Drive is expected in May 2013.

"We feel confident that our philosophy is a good marriage with that of the project. We understand that to create a successful modern design is to find a balance between budget and sustainability requirements while still achieving an elegant and inviting lighting environment," said Avraham Mor, partner and lead designer for Lightswitch Architectural in Chicago. "We like to think it's what we do best."