114 West 47th Street Portal

This building on New York’s “Corporate Row” was struggling to stand out with an outdated, 1980s-era entranceway that read as dark and unwelcoming. To breathe new life into this building while still honoring some of its original characteristics, FXCollaborative created a lobby full of warm marble and wood tones. But to really open up and modernize the space, the key necessity was light.

Nanometer created this backlit glass entrance portal to welcome visitors immediately, leading them into the refurbished lobby as the panels transcend the exterior glass wall. Using the NanoBoard fixtures mounted behind 100% recycled glass, the portal bathes each visitor in light as they step inside. Because NanoBoard fixtures are pre-mounted and pre-wired, they can be easily integrated into even the most challenging of configurations, and their low profile mean that in this case, the size of the original portal did not have to be compromised.

Elements of the original design were maintained, such as the medallion over the main entrance. But now, that medallion can be seen much more clearly from the street thanks to the NanoBoard installation. The luminous portal brightens the rest of the interior as well, and gives a better sense of height and openness when compared to the “before” photo.