Public input sought on Terra Hall illumination

Nov. 19

CENTER CITY DISTRICT

For Immediate Release          Contact: Elise Vider, 215-440-5546
 
Permanent Broad Street Lighting Uses Subdued Colors with Vibrant “Shows” Every 30 Minutes as CCD Seeks Public Comment
 

(November 19, 2007) – With the successful launch of its “Night Lights on South Broad” on November 7, the Center City District is now taking advantage of the infinite variations possible with computer-programmed lighting technology to create dynamic two-minute “light shows” that occur every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour at the University of the Arts’ Terra Hall at Broad and Walnut. In between shows, the new, light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures on Terra Hall are now programmed with quiet, slow changing, subdued colors and patterns.
 
“Our goal is to demonstrate the range of lighting alternatives that we now have at our disposal,” said CCD President Paul R. Levy. “The LED lights can illuminate a building façade in plain white light or muted color tones, but they also have the potential for vibrant, multi-colored and festive presentations, as seen on opening night, November 7, 2007, a video of which is available on our 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 occur for special events, every hour, or be timed for curtain-call at various theaters. Since this is a new technology, we are learning by doing and welcome public comments.”
 
As it prepares to install LED lighting on 11 more South Broad Street buildings, the CCD is therefore asking for public reaction and suggestions on the Terra Hall lighting. Send comments to lighting@centercityphila.org <mailto:lighting@centercityphila.org> .

“We invite the public to come to South Broad Street across from Terra Hall on the hour or half hour to see the brief shows and then observe the light patterns for the next half hour,” Levy added.
 
The festival-style color changing shows are now running on Terra Hall’s Broad Street façade (on the southeast corner at Walnut Street) every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour, starting at 5 pm and extending to midnight on weekdays and until 2 am on Friday and Saturday nights.
 
In addition, using a different lighting technology, the CCD has lit four other buildings on South Broad Street through early December with projected light images. Those buildings are: the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia (Broad and Chestnut), The University of the Arts Merriam Theater (Broad between Locust and Spruce) and on opposite sides of Broad and Pine Streets, The University of the Arts’ Dorrance Hamilton Hall and Anderson Hall.
 
Terra Hall is the harbinger of nearly a dozen more South Broad Street buildings to be illuminated with LED fixtures in spring 2008, potentially making Philadelphia the first American city to light multiple buildings this way in a coordinated plan.
 
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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