Performance of light can be experienced without the distraction of obvious hardware, emphasizing the quality of the architectural materials, surfaces and forms. Wallwashers with 500-watt medium flood lamps vertically illuminate the louvers and cross. The 240-watt narrow spot lamps accent the ambo and altar. A twenty-zone preset dimming system controls every layer of light to accommodate specific church functions. Daylight and electric lighting are dynamically balanced.
Natural daylight is focused to the altar as louver positions are angled in response to the sun.
The church is experienced as a lantern and becomes a spiritual focal point for the community. The proper balance of light is essential for the church's soft warm, nighttime identity. When the blue doors are open in the evening, an even wash of light illuminates the wooden box, but the altar in the background remains the focal point. The lighting design responds to the purity and symmetry of the bridge structure, which was originally designed by Cass Gilbert and engineered by Othmar Ammann. The top sections of the towers are made perceptibly brighter to provide a visual crescendo to the structure.