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sony centre,
berlin
The Sony Center, an urban ensemble of seven buildings in the centre of Berlin at Potsdamer Platz, is a combination of a living, working and entertainment hub. Designed by architectural firm Murphy/Jahn of Chicago, Sony Center is a grand engineering achievement of steel, glass and fabric.
The main feature of the visionary design is the oval shape of the covered Forum. Captivating in its transparent quality and modern character, the roof structure floats in the centre of the complex. Serving as both a covering and projection canopy, it is illuminated after a light concept by Yann Kersale and forms one of the nocturnal landmarks of the 'new' Berlin.
The 4,000 sqm public Forum plaza is the focal point of the centre and space for cultural events, which can be staged in the open air even under inclement weather. Framed by restaurants, cafes, shops and entertainment facilities, the gigantic roof structure of steel, glass and strips of fabric hovers like an open umbrella.
Murphy/Jahn themselves comment: "Inside is a new type of covered, urban Forum for a changing cultural and social interaction of our time. The spatial dynamics and variety is contrasted by a minimal and technological attitude. Light, both natural and artificial, is the essence of the design. Sony Center is luminous, not illuminated. Facades and roof act as a fabric, which moderates the natural and artificial light. They become a screen. With its characteristics of transparency, permeability to light, reflection and refraction, there is a constant change of images and effects during day and night, effecting not only the appearance but also maximising the comfort and minimising the use of resources."
The lighting of the Sony Center roof was actually a relaunch from a previous lighting system. Lighting design company LichtVision carried out the relaunch, including project planning and quality control, without altering the original concept of the light artist. The existing fixtures were replaced with Martin Architectural Exterior 600 Compact colour-changing washlights.
LichtVision chose the Exterior 600 Compacts based on a number of factors including cost effectiveness, illumination technique, durability, maintenance issues, and electrical efficiency. A long life 575-watt lamp means the cost of maintenance can be planned and held within a visible framework, not an insignificant factor for light planners and investors as the fixtures are installed at a height of over 50 metres and professional climbers need to be called in for maintenance. Moreover, the Exterior 600 Compact is weatherproof IP 65 rated with an aluminum housing resistant to dirt, dust, water and Berlin's poor city air.
The Exterior 600 Compacts are attached at the edge of the elliptical inner ring on special mounting plates. Some 48 are used to illuminate the sails while six with narrow angle lenses are used to light up the middle of the construction. Two fixtures are used to light each sail, with the long sails requiring three fixtures each.
The lighting scheme traces the design idea of the architect, beginning with white light. But as dusk approaches the roof reflects the colours of an evening sky - night-blue, cyan and magenta.
Martin's partner A&O Lighting of Oyten realised the assembly and adjustment of the lights, as well as production of the mounting plates. A&O Lighting also handled the lighting control system - an EIB system working with a DMX recorder - as well as connection to the existing building control system.
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hong kong
exchange square
Anyone who has had the privilege to view the Hong Kong Harbour light show from the Felix bar in the Peninsula Hotel will know what a spectacular sight it is. Now, two important buildings in Exchange Square, Hong Kong are permanently illuminated by the silent functioning of 55 Studio Due fixtures, CityColors and CityBeams, ranging from 1800W to 2500W. This installation was at first thought to be used during the Christmas time only, but it has now been agreed to leave it as permanent, and now every night, at the sunset, the already striking skyline shines of a new magic light.
Created and supervised by Hong Kong Land, the permanent installation at the Jardin House has requested a long preparation for the positioning of the projectors at the base of the two buildings, according to the instructions given by the lighting designer who has projected the staging, but the success achieved in the end has gone beyond all expectations. The powerful and the perfectly blended light beams projected by the Studio Due fixtures easily wash the huge surface, while the colour combinations achievable through the dichroic filters are numberless, for unlimited effects.
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royal military academy, sandhurst
Large format projections specialists E\T\C UK supplied seven PIGI 6Kw projectors with double rotating scrollers for Major Sir Michael Parker's 'Music on Fire' extravaganza, staged at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
The event was specially devised and produced by Parker to mark the 60th anniversary of the Army Benevolent Fund, with the second night attended by HM The Queen.
Projection was a major element of the two-hour mixed media show, which also featured stunning pyrotechnics throughout, music from the Orchestra of the Royal Artillery, plus lighting and sound.
E\T\C's Ross Ashton has worked with Parker on a number of occasions in the past, including the renowned Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002, when he made history as originator of the first official projections for Buckingham Palace. Ashton also projected onto Buckingham Palace for the Brightening Up London project last Christmas/New Year, and The Queen is known to be a big fan of the medium.
Parker wanted high impact graphic accompaniment to his storyboard and specially selected music programme, which unfolded the history of the Army Benevolent Fund - narrated by Timothy West. Projection was the ideal visual vehicle, and the 120 metre wide, cream-painted Old Academy building was the perfect projection surface.
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stark a box office hit at venice film festival
Large format projection specialists Stark s.r.l. has created a spectacular multivision presentation on 'Cinema and the Cinematographic Dream' at the Venice Film Festival. With images and graphic elaborations, the show took the spectator into an imaginary dimension, on a journey into the myth of the Cinema ending in the present with an array of intriguing images.
Multivision is a hybrid language born of cinema and photography created by Paolo Buroni, who has opened new horizons for Architectural Multivision with a highly personal style - unique in the international panorama - which takes this art form into the largest, and least expected spaces.
The stunning Piazza of the Lido Casino in front of the Cinema building was the backdrop for a succession of images on the facade of the Casino and on the Cinema building accompanied by soundtracks from famous films - Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, Infanzia and Maturita, From American sex appeal to the first Fellini by Ennio and Andrea Morricone.
This six-minute projection was made possible with the use of the innovative Stark Projection system made up of 20 special professional Stark 1200 high luminosity projectors with a computer interface. A computerised production which generates quadraphonic digital audio and pilots all of the projectors in synchronisation; frame selection and image fading are controlled by software specially created for this event. Over 1,000 square metres of architectural surfaces were covered by the projection with 940 frames of imagery.
The show was directed by Paolo Buroni with Sabine Lindner taking care of the graphics. Stark s.r.l. was in charge of production as well as being the technical sponsor.