Battle for Texas: The Experience

This project received a 2018 Award of Merit, Society Award, from the Illumination Engineering Society (IES).

Client: Flying Doghouse Productions

Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA

Key Team Members: Kate Furst, Lisa Passamonte Green

Description: Museum and Experience Center

Owner: BASE Entertainment

Scope of Work: Architectural Lighting Design

Photographs provided courtesy of Battle for Texas: The Experience.


The museum and experience center tells the story of the Alamo. A truly historic American battle. The challenge was to support the storytelling with lighting. The project was installed in a converted shopping mall basement containing existing facility infrastructure in the ceiling and a modest equipment budget of under $10.00 per square foot. As guests travel deeper into the museum, the environment becomes more immersive as the scenery transforms into the site of the historic battle. The lighting transitions with the scenery, mimicking a fade into a nighttime environment, incorporating more saturated colors and decorative lantern sources programmed to flicker like flames. Exterior environments were washed in blue light and dappled with patterns. The experience intensifies as guests make their way though narrow winding corridors now surrounded by the epic battle. A cacophony of coordinated sound, lighting, and fog enhances the scene. Color-changing lights with motorized zoom effects concealed within the scenery and mounted above the wood slat ceiling are programmed with sound effects to mimic the explosions and movements of the approaching army. As guests emerge from the battle, the lighting returns to more conventional architectural downlight sources.