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CDA Change the Melbourne Skyline
Following a recent series of installations overseas, most notably in Hong Kong, Coemar De Sisti Australia has recently completed another high profile architectural illumination project, in conjunction with the highly regarded Australian company Laservision, though this time in their hometown of Melbourne.
120 Collins Street, as the landmark office tower is known, is one of the most significant buildings on the Melbourne Skyline. Comprising 50 levels of office space, with a total building height of approximately 264 metres, the building is topped with a 50m communications tower.
Following a collaborative approach from Laservision, Coemar De Sisti Australia’s MD Peter Kemp began initial consultations and planning for a project which involved illuminating the communications tower which sits astride the building. Initial designs for the lighting incorporated discharge-lamped colour changers spread throughout the tower with the outer uprights highlighted using the led tube system CDA have made popular and have used extensively on many buildings in Hong Kong.
When the designs were submitted to the Melbourne City Council, however, planning approval was stalled due to the council’s commitment to a “dark sky” scheme. The main issue was the high-powered light sources pouring light into the Melbourne night sky.
Thus, a new design was created which eliminated the discharge colour changers and which lit the communications tower using only LED fixtures facing downwards, thereby meeting the “dark sky” requirements of council.
However, planning issues were not the only complexity facing the project. One major factor which governed both the design and installation was the presence of numerous transmission devices on the communications tower which provide communications signal for a wide range of essential and other services (SES, Police, CFA, Mobile carriers and commercial TV stations to name a few!). This presented a number of health and related issues for the installation team as well as potential interference concerns for the lighting equipment itself. Installation required workers to be equipped with Radman radiation meters monitoring exposure to the radiation and ensuring they maintained safe working practices in this unusual environment. Thankfully, no harm came to any of the installation team and, to its great credit, the lighting has worked flawlessly even under these arduous conditions.
The equipment utilised on the project included the high quality Solar GB range of high powered LED fixtures (20 x M100 – 18 watt RGB fixtures, 24 x M200 – 36 watt RGB fixtures). Following the CDA tradition of providing specialist solutions for even the most exacting of projects, these fixtures were modified through the addition of custom front radiation grills. This created a “farad cage” for these fixtures, obviously in close proximity to the communications transmission equipment, which were used to light the external and internal skeletal structure of the communications tower.
In addition to the fixed RGB lighting fixtures, 200m of LED tubing was mounted within the internal core of the communications tower, producing four very distinguishable lines of colour changing LED lighting used to create marvellous, flowing lighting effects. Able to be seen from many kilometres away, the lighting has made a notable building even more prominent in Melbourne’s night-time skyline.
All equipment on the tower is controlled via DMX signal using an advanced Laservision DDP control system which allows for internet programming and remote access to the system.
With Melbourne as its national head office, CDA’s staff Peter Kemp and Cameron Moody managed the entire installation for Laservision. Interestingly, the installation involved not only an electrical contractor but also a rigging company capable of scaling the dizzy heights to install much of the lighting hardware. The simple plug and play facility of much of the LED lighting was the perfect solution in this difficult location.
With the physical installation work complete, engineers from Coemar De Sisti’s and Laservision took over for final commissioning of the system, followed by well known LD Rohan Thornton who programmed the design using a Compulite Spark Top console then downloaded the file onto the Laservision DDP system for flawless replay.
Despite council planning delays and the restrictions enforced by the transmission equipment adding significantly to the completion date for 120 Collins Street, the building owners were still keen to have the installation completed prior to the Commonwealth Games spectacular opening ceremony. CDA are extremely proud of their achievement in ensuring that this deadline was met. With some relatively simple fixed colour crossfade programs in place, alongside a partisan green and gold “Aussie” look, 120 Collins Street featured quite prominently in the networked television coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies, adding a new jewel to Melbourne’s night skyline.
10th April 2006
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