The idea was to create an illuminated beacon to act like a magical, 21st century lighthouse, radiating interest and drawing people into the building - in addition to making a dramatic visual statement. Building owners Delancey approached PAI with the brief to make the tower come alive with an exciting lighting scheme. PAI's Paul Adams invited i-Vision's Geoff Jones to help realize the illumination of this unorthodox space. PAI are also involved in working for Delancey on several other ongoing lighting projects within the Plaza, and have already provided the sound and lighting integration for Regent Inn's Jongleurs/Bar Risa comedy club within the complex.
It was agreed that a dynamic chasing light effect, which divided the glass blocks into different coloured panels, and could be used to create a single shade wash, would provide an interesting and eye-catching visual display for the tower. CYMK colour-changing technology was originally considered, but the development of high-powered LEDs resulted with a modification to the original thinking. LED's were chosen based on aesthetics, cost and maintenance. "There was really no comparison when it came to the crunch and decision making time," says Geoff Jones.
Extensive tests were conducted in advance of any commitment to a final integrated design that includes a custom-built lighting controller incorporated into the building management system, which is maintained by Lorne Stewart, the original electrical contractor for the complex. The fixtures illuminating the Tower consist of i-Vision IV600 RGB LED strips, located in custom protective housings, designed and fabricated by PAI, fixed to the floor of each storey within the stairwell. Eight strips and 144 LEDs are used per floor. Lighting for the entire tower draws just 7A of current
When set to 'auto' mode, the controller loops through 287 scenes of different effects, chasing and cross fading, etc. This provides plenty of variety, whilst additional flexibility is supplied by a client override facility, offering the choice of eight individual programmes accessible at the press of a button.
(Lee Baldock)
