The distinct cylindrical Grade II Listed 266 ft tall high rise tower was designed by James A Roberts and originally completed in 1965 as a 25 storey office block. Last month, it was re-opened as a high profile residential development featuring 232 luxury apartments and a complete makeover by designers Urban Splash and architects Glen Howels.
London-based Mindseye Lighting was asked to come up with a dynamic eye-catching feature for the entrance to bring life, personality and vitality into the space. They contacted PID following a referral from LED manufacturer Element Labs as specialists in digital lighting and media. PID worked to the design brief of Mindseye's Rachel Jones to provide an LED lighting feature, control and media content.
The 9m, glass-fronted Rotunda atrium overlooks Birmingham's busy New Street pedestrian and shopping hub. The 45mm round Versa PIXELs are fitted into the ends of the custom built polished aluminium tubes which are arranged in a wave shape, hanging like a giant chandelier.
The VersaPIXELs are controlled from behind the reception desk via an eight-button user interface, a Pharos LPC-1 and an Element Labs Versa DRIVE C1. Eight custom video clips were created by PID following a client-designed storyboard, providing eight different lighting scenes. The Pharos LPC-1 runs a timed sequence, scrolling sequentially through the clips which can be bypassed via the push button panel.
(Jim Evans)
