New Colors Signal Spring at the Terra Building
(March 24, 2008) – With the long winter over, the Center City District (CCD) is celebrating spring with a new, seasonal palette for its lighting on the University of the Arts’ Terra Hall on the Avenue of the Arts.
CCD re-programmed the light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures on the building in a one-hour cycle that opens with 15 minutes of white, fading into 15 minutes of blue. At this point there is a slow 15-minute buildup of aqua and lavender, followed by 10 minutes of animated color changes incorporating aqua, lavender, gold, yellow, pink, purple and orange, capped with a five-minute show of festive spring colors
“We continue to experiment and try different color palettes and patterns at Terra Hall and are anxious to hear from the public,” said CCD President Paul R. Levy. Send comments to lighting@centercityphila.org.
The LED lights can illuminate a building façade in a virtually infinite array of colors and patterns, ranging from plain white and muted color to the type of vibrant, multi-colored and festive presentation seen on opening night, November 7, 2007, a video of which is available on CCD’s Web site (www.CenterCityPhila.org). What may be appropriate on one building may not work on another building, given its use or architectural style. Color changing shows can be programmed for special events, every hour, or be timed for curtain call at various theaters, among other possibilities.
Terra Hall is the harbinger of nearly a dozen more South Broad Street buildings that CCD plans to illuminate with LED fixtures this year, potentially making Philadelphia the first American city to light multiple buildings this way in a coordinated manner.
The lighting at Terra Hall was designed by The Lighting Practice, a Philadelphia-based firm, using a product known as LED Linear, which was launched by Philips Lighting last May. LED Linear can be dimmed and dynamically controlled to produce 16 million color options while using minimal energy. Keeping Terra Hall illuminated for one hour consumes the same amount of energy as running a home clothes dryer for an hour.
The new Broad Street lighting is funded by: Center City District, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The William Penn Foundation, The Lenfest Group, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development, Avenue of the Arts, Inc. and Broad Street property owners.
The Center City District, a private-sector sponsored business improvement district dedicated to making Center City Philadelphia clean, safe and attractive, is committed to maintaining Center City’s competitive edge as a regional employment center, a quality place to live, and a premier regional destination for dining, shopping and cultural attractions.
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