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Permanent Architectural Installation in the Carribean
by HES
The Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is ablaze with 36 High End
Systems EC-1 architectural wash luminaires, with another 36 soon to be
installed in phase two of the project. Not only is this the first permanent
architectural installation in the Caribbean, it's also the largest installation
of EC-1s since High End entered the architectural market. Willie Cortes
of Switch Lighting Performance of Levittown, Puerto Rico, was in charge
of the project.
Architect
Pablo Quinones, engineer/contractor Jose Kercado and the governmental decision-makers
got their first look at the capabilities of the High End Systems products
in a special Christmas light show this past December. Produced by Switch
Lighting and High End Systems, the event featured the brilliant color washes
of the EC-1s with Cyberlight automated luminaires projecting holiday patterns
onto the Capitol building. The spectacle drew in 1,000 attendees and received
front-page coverage in the news media. Quinones and Kercado were happy
with what they saw. But for a continuously-running architectural look,
however, Quinones and Kercado wanted a soft-edge look to highlight the
historic marble structure, so EC-1s were considered.
'The EC-1s have a superior IP-66 rating, the highest in any waterproof
architectural luminaire', Cortes explains. 'They also liked the fact that
they could get the fixtures painted in a custom white color to blend in
better with the environment. EC-1 also has a superior corrosion finish,
which was important because of its location. They also thought the beam
shaping capabilities and variable lense options were added bonuses. They
changed out lenses for the medium flood lenses on the lower portion of
the building.' The 17-minute programmed architectural show of subtle color
washes and blends runs continuously on a 12-hour time period from sunset
to sunrise. An astronomical clock in Status Cue tighting console adjusts
the variable start and stop times by adjusting to the latitude and longitude.
High End Systems' Brad Schiller designed the lighting and programmed the
project. Schiller also created an easy way to control the lighting by developing
High End's Architectural Control Environment (ACE) System used with the
Status Cue. 'The software runs the system without entering into the controller's
cue list or hardware. For non-technical employees in a retail or architectural
environment, it's as simple as pushing a button to run the show, which
is a real benefit, says Schiller. The system 5 installed in the building's
basement.
Switch Lighting Performance is a family-owned business operated by
Victor Allende and Edgardo Allende. Since 1990, the company has focused
on servicing the production needs in the Caribbean.
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