Re-Light

Congratulations to Michael Salib and Leanne Li, recipients of the Energy+Design Award.

The Fort Niagara Light is an old and inactive lighthouse steps away from the historic site of Old Fort Niagara in Niagara Falls, NY. This fortification was originally built by the French in 1726 and served as a military base for American soldiers during WWI and WWII. Re-light is an adaptive reuse of the inactive Fort Niagara Light. This small residential property is an off-grid research station for two researchers hired by the city to study the military and maritime history of the site and its future. Re-light creates a clear balance between preserving as much of the existing lighthouse while adding an extension that directly responds to the site on material, formal and programmatic scales.

By reusing an existing structure, Re-light drastically reduces its embodied energy. Coupled with passive design, renewable energy sources and resilient strategies to combat region-specific climate threats, Re-light prioritizes sustainable design, critical to mitigating the negative impacts of the construction industry on the Earth.