Philly Façades Aglow

 
Nine buildings along the Avenue of the Arts are now illuminated by color-changing LEDs. City Hall, at the end of the avenue, was only lit for the holidays.
Photos: Jim Abbott, Philadelphia City Center District

If you haven’t been in Philly lately, you won’t know the Center City District is now awash in color. Nine buildings along the Avenue of the Arts now have color-changing LED architectural façade lighting. The vibrant colored LEDs were introduced December 17, 2008 at a kind of coming out party with the lighting revealing itself to the music of The Nutcracker.

City Hall was only illuminated by the LEDs during the holidays, but the nine other buildings will keep the new lighting.

The LEDs produce more than 5,000 lumens and project over 500 feet, according to Philips Color Kinetics.

ColorGrazeä Powercore and ColorBlastâ Powercore fixtures from Philips Color Kinetics create all the dazzle.

“Philadelphia is the only city in North America to have organized this of type of lighting on such a large scale in their downtown, coordinating installation on cultural and civic institutions and private buildings with multiple owners,” asserted Paul Levy, president & CEO of the Center City District.

The LEDs consume just 290 watts, compared to the 1,600 watts used by metal halide fixtures in such applications. The halides, of course, would require filters to produce color.

The LED fixtures illuminate the large-scale buildings, while curbing energy use and reducing maintenance. With more than 5,000 lumens of output and light projection of over 500 feet, the fixtures brilliantly illuminate the large buildings with vibrant colors. The LEDs consume just 290 watts, compared to the 1,600 watts used by metal halide fixtures in such applications. The halides would also require filters to produce color.

The permanent lighting displays were designed by The Lighting Practice, a Philadelphia-based firm that specializes in architectural lighting and the architectural firm Vitetta. Entertainment solutions provider PRG provided system integration support and installation was carried out by Philadelphia’s Gordon Electric.