Client: Celebrity Cruises, Inc.
Interior Designer: Jouin Manku
Year: 2018
Aboard the Celebrity Edge, the Grand Plaza anchors the public spaces, designed by Jouin Manku, and the space is in-turn anchored by a soaring chandelier, manufactured and installed by Kalmar.
The interior designers were given the brief by RCCL to design something new and innovative – something not yet seen on a cruise ship. The intention was to portray the Celebrity brand as inventive and as a whole new class of ship.
The Paris-based design firm Jouin Manku was commissioned to design the main high-traffic public areas, including the Grand Plaza, and Sanjit Manku and his team answered the brief by bringing the central piazza – the Grand Plaza – to life through transformational lighting design.
The intent of Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku was to create spaces that would remind guests that they are on a ship, offering the luxury and comfort of a boutique hotel within an experience that speaks to the out-of-the-ordinary experience of travelling by sea. At the same time, they wanted to celebrate the craft of the shipbuilders and welders building the Edge by showing off and illuminating the forms that were structural and pleasing, allowing them to feature the ship’s skeleton within the interiors.
The Grand Plaza acts as the epicenter of Celebrity Edge, and Jouin Manku have designed a space that radiates an energy that lures guests throughout the day, as it transforms both physically and atmospherically. Guests are drawn to the space by The Chandelier, a striking lighting feature and art installation that rises over the Martini Bar to the ceiling three decks above.
By day it is dormant, a beautiful sculpture that takes on some of the reflections of the natural daylight, but then as the sun goes down, it begins to glow a warm orange, illuminating the space. Later still, it starts to pulse, dancing and entertaining into the night – a beating heart. At each moment of the day it reveals itself in a different way, transforming the space from warm and intimate, to exciting and spectacular.
Delivered and installed by the engineering expertise of Kalmar, The Chandelier is composed of five levels of 765 blades, of 350 lengths, and illuminated by 170,000 dynamic LED sources. The overall dimensions are 15m x 8m and weighs in at seven tons.
With the knowledge that this project was charged with the emotion, passion and the carefully-crafted design intent of Patrick Jouin and Sanjt Manku, Kalmar is truly honoured to have been appointed to manufacture & install this sculptural chandelier – a piece that has proven so central to the design vision of Jouin Manku, for this ship, and central to the transformative design ambitions of Celebrity.
“The chandelier is like a passive beautiful sculpture, that at night becomes a beating heart. Every time you look at it you see it in a different way and it reveals itself as a different thing.” – Sanjit Manku, Co-Founder, Jouin Manku
The Celebrity Edge is the first in Celebrity Cruises’ new series of ships. Seeking to create a more immersive experience for its guests, it is the first ship to be designed completely in 3D. Jouin Manku was among a number of international designers commissioned to design the ship’s interiors, including Kelly Hoppen and Patricia Urquiola. The Celebrity Edge is 1,004 feet long and accommodates 2,918 guests over 14 passenger decks. Kalmar is delighted to have supplied the Celebrity Apex as well and has been appointed to supply two more Celebrity ships currently under construction.
About J.T. Kalmar GmbH
Under the stewardship of 5 generations, Kalmar is a family business producing luxury luminaires and bespoke lighting solutions for projects of distinction since 1881.
Decades of know-how, technical expertise, and close collaboration with leading architects and designers has made Kalmar a trusted partner supplying marine, hospitality, commercial & residential projects all over the world.
Contact
Geoff Van Wijk
Director of Marketing & Sales
marketing@kalmarlighting.com