The CN Tower can now light up the Toronto skyline at night like never before and be more energy efficient in the process.
Technology
The CN Tower can now light up the Toronto skyline at night like never before and be more energy efficient in the process.
“It was paramount for us to achieve an energy-efficient, sustainable lighting installation for Canada’s National Tower, and Color Kinetics’ LED (Light Emitting Diode) based system proved the ideal choice,” says Jack Robinson, CN Tower chief operating officer. “Our landmark will have a visually striking, modern new look to serve as a beacon of tourism and of our city.”
At sunset last night the 1,815 foot high CN Tower put on a $2 million light show displaying its new LED lighting features. Over 1,300 LED-fixtures, each no larger than a shoebox, were installed on the tower over the last year. The original light fixtures were the size of a washing machine. LEDs are small semi-conductor devices which convert electrical energy directly into light colour.
“We are very excited to be a part of the highest tower in the world,” says Kevin Dowling, Color Kinetics innovation vice-president. “This is an icon for Canada and there was a lot of testing.”
The LED fixtures were installed within the tower’s elevator shafts and project light all the way up its antenna mast. Each fixture is individually programmable and can produce millions of colours and changing effects. There are 36 LEDs for every fixture which enable the tower to display various colours according to national events and holidays. The LEDs have a life expectancy of up to 75,000 hours and use 10 per cent less energy than the current lights.
“LEDs do not fail like translucent lights, they gradually dim as they near the end of their life,” explains Dowling. “LEDs love the cold; they do not radiate heat and perform even better.”
One of the biggest challenges faced by the project team was overcoming the frequencies the CN Tower emits because it is a transmission tower. The frequencies initially affected the lights. Also, a lot of discrete testing around 4 a.m. was done to not alert the public of changes to the tower, notes Dowling.
Color Kinetics is recognized as the first to deliver complete, integrated systems for LED-based illumination and has done over 15,000 installations worldwide. Examples of Color Kinetics projects include the British Airways London Eye, FAO Schwartz, LAX Gateway at Los Angeles International Airport, the Time Warner Center and the sets of Wheel of Fortune and Deal or No Deal.
The computer which runs the lighting system is equivalent to a personal computer and the illumination software can be upgraded. The software can design an “infinite number” of shows as “garish or as sublime as you want,” says Dowling.
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