William M.C. Lam

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}}

'''William "Bill" Ming Cheong Lam (1924–2012)''' was an American Architectural [[lighting design]]er known for integration of lighting into architecture, and advocated for design-focused lighting standards in opposition to purely quantitative approaches.<ref name="auto">{{cite book | last=Malt |first=H. L. | date= 1970 | title=Furnishing the city | publisher=New York: McGraw-Hill | url=http://archive.org/details/furnishingcity0000malt | isbn=978-0-07-039845-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Donoff |first1=Elizabeth |title=William Lam 1924-2012 |url=https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/lighting/william-lam-1924-2012_o |access-date=9 June 2025 |work=Architect Magazine |date=23 April 2012 |language=en}}</ref> He began his career as a lighting manufacturer before establishing a lighting design consulting practice and contributing to over 2000 projects throughout his career.<ref name="auto2">{{Citation | last=Marquard |first=B. | year=2012 | title=William Lam, 87; Architect Made Lighting Part Of Design | url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/05/03/william-lam-dies-pioneered-field-architectural-lighting-design/cmD6GUyyFIn2cuUdDYJZnJ/story.html | access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref><ref name="auto13">{{cite journal | last=United States Patent Office | journal=Official gazette of the United States Patent Office [microform] | title=Lamp Shade In Combination With A Diffusing Shade | date= 1951 | url=http://archive.org/details/officialgazette652unit | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=MIT Technology Review 1960-06 | date= June 1960 | url=http://archive.org/details/MIT-Technology-Review-1960-06 | journal= MIT Technology Review| access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref> Billed as 'America's Foremost lighting expert' by his publisher McGraw-Hill, Lam authored several influential articles and books on lighting design, including Perception and Lighting as Formgivers for Architecture and Sunlighting as Formgivers for Architecture.<ref>{{Citation | year=1977 | title=McGraw-Hill Advertisement | url=http://archive.org/details/usmodernist-AR-1977-09 | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="auto4">{{Citation | last=Dean |first=A. O. | year=1977 | title=The Luminous Environment and Human Needs: Some Guidelines | url=http://archive.org/details/usmodernist-AJ-1977-10 | access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="auto8">{{cite book | last=Phillips |first=D. | title=Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture}}</ref>

'''William "Bill" Ming Cheong Lam (1924–2012)''' was an American Architectural [[lighting design]]er known for integration of lighting into architecture, and advocated for design-focused lighting standards in opposition to purely quantitative approaches.<ref name="auto">{{cite book | last=Malt |first=H. L. | date= 1970 | title=Furnishing the city | publisher=New York: McGraw-Hill | url=http://archive.org/details/furnishingcity0000malt | isbn=978-0-07-039845-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Donoff |first1=Elizabeth |title=William Lam 1924-2012 |url=https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/lighting/william-lam-1924-2012_o |access-date=9 June 2025 |work=Architect Magazine |date=23 April 2012 |language=en}}</ref> He began his career as a lighting manufacturer before establishing a lighting design consulting practice and contributing to over 2000 projects throughout his career.<ref name="auto2">{{Citation | last=Marquard |first=B. | year=2012 | title=William Lam, 87; Architect Made Lighting Part Of Design | url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/05/03/william-lam-dies-pioneered-field-architectural-lighting-design/cmD6GUyyFIn2cuUdDYJZnJ/story.html | access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref><ref name="auto13">{{cite journal | last=United States Patent Office | journal=Official gazette of the United States Patent Office [microform] | title=Lamp Shade In Combination With A Diffusing Shade | date= 1951 | url=http://archive.org/details/officialgazette652unit | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=MIT Technology Review | date= June 1960 | url=http://archive.org/details/MIT-Technology-Review-1960-06 | journal= MIT Technology Review| access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref> Billed as 'America's Foremost lighting expert' by his publisher McGraw-Hill, Lam authored several influential articles and books on lighting design, including Perception and Lighting as Formgivers for Architecture and Sunlighting as Formgivers for Architecture.<ref>{{Citation | year=1977 | title=McGraw-Hill Advertisement | url=http://archive.org/details/usmodernist-AR-1977-09 | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="auto4">{{Citation | last=Dean |first=A. O. | year=1977 | title=The Luminous Environment and Human Needs: Some Guidelines | url=http://archive.org/details/usmodernist-AJ-1977-10 | access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="auto8">{{cite book | last=Phillips |first=D. | title=Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture}}</ref>

==Early Life and Education==

==Early Life and Education==

==Career ==

==Career ==

===Lighting Manufacturing===

===Lighting Manufacturing===

Lam established Lam Workshop after graduating from MIT, and quickly became a well-known manufacturer of modern lighting.<ref>{{cite journal | journal=MIT Technology Review 1952-03 | title=Class Notes - 1949 | date=March 1952 | url=https://archive.org/details/MIT-Technology-Review-1952-03/mode/2up?q=%22Lam+Workshop%22 | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref> The company's advertisements featured the LL-100 floor lamp.<ref>{{Citation | year=1950 | title=Lam Workshop Ad | url=http://archive.org/details/usmodernist-AA-1950-01 | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref> The lamp, along with a wooden coffee table, were included in [[Museum of Modern Art|MoMA's]] Good Design exhibit.<ref name="auto6">{{Citation | year=1950 | title=The Museum of Modern Art presents "GOOD DESIGN" | publisher=Sandow Media | url=http://archive.org/details/sim_interior-design_1950-12_21_12 | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | title=Lam Workshop &vert; MoMA | url=https://www.moma.org/artists/64359-lam-workshop | access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref> In 1954, Lam Workshop gained further recognition for using vacuum formed plastics for lighting fixtures.<ref>{{Citation | title=Shape a Sheet | date=May 1954 | publisher=Canon Communications | url=https://archive.org/details/sim_modern-plastics_1954-05_31_9/mode/2up?q=%22Lam+Workshop%22 | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref> Lam patented a number of fixture designs under the company's updated name, Lam, Inc.<ref name="auto13"/>

Lam established Lam Workshop after graduating from MIT, and quickly became a well-known manufacturer of modern lighting.<ref>{{cite journal | journal=MIT Technology Review | title=Class Notes - 1949 | date=March 1952 | url=https://archive.org/details/MIT-Technology-Review-1952-03/mode/2up?q=%22Lam+Workshop%22 | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref> The company's advertisements featured the LL-100 floor lamp.<ref>{{Citation | year=1950 | title=Lam Workshop Ad | url=http://archive.org/details/usmodernist-AA-1950-01 | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref> The lamp, along with a wooden coffee table, were included in [[Museum of Modern Art|MoMA's]] Good Design exhibit.<ref name="auto6">{{Citation | year=1950 | title=The Museum of Modern Art presents "GOOD DESIGN" | publisher=Sandow Media | url=http://archive.org/details/sim_interior-design_1950-12_21_12 | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | title=Lam Workshop &vert; MoMA | url=https://www.moma.org/artists/64359-lam-workshop | access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref> In 1954, Lam Workshop gained further recognition for using vacuum formed plastics for lighting fixtures.<ref>{{Citation | title=Shape a Sheet | date=May 1954 | publisher=Canon Communications | url=https://archive.org/details/sim_modern-plastics_1954-05_31_9/mode/2up?q=%22Lam+Workshop%22 | access-date=9 May 2025}}</ref> Lam patented a number of fixture designs under the company's updated name, Lam, Inc.<ref name="auto13"/>

===Architectural Lighting Design===

===Architectural Lighting Design===