Preliminary proposals
As an exterior lighting system was required to enhance the night view of the new center, many high-profile companies made their own proposal, which had to comply with the rigid parameters and pre-requisites, such as: lighting technology, lighting design, creativity, flexibility, energetic consumption, ease of installation, ergonomics, functionality of the control system as well as quality, durability and versatility of the lighting equipment.
The overall concept proposed by the experts of the light engineering company MT Electro, Russia - a team of specialists with many years of experience in the lighting field - was considered by the members of the appointed jury as the best possible solution. MT Electro was therefore chosen to design, develop and install a color changing LED lighting system at Neftyanik Palace of Arts, completely based on GRIVEN products. POWERSHINE MK2 S, DIAMOND, ZAPHIR, JADE 16 and PARADE S-RGBW-20 -40 -60 turned out to be the best lighting option for this complex installation.
Lighting concept
The lighting scheme chosen by MT Electro took into consideration the whole building as a unique huge canvass, whose many separate parts and levels, although enlightened by differently organized lighting systems, should stand out owing to a well-mixed blend of dynamic lights and colors acting in perfect harmony.
In order to simplify the lighting process, the façade was conceptually divided into several areas. One of the main attractions of the building is a huge glass façade located on the entire width of the main entrance. While in the day light this clear glass façade looks quite ordinary, in the dark it turns into a huge multimedia screen, capable of displaying color transitions, graphics and full-motion video. The rest of the building plays anyway an important role being enhanced by an amazing combination of different techniques of dynamic illumination (flood lighting, accent lighting, backlighting), always matching in color and motion with the images displayed on the mega screen.
Design and lighting calculations
During the initial development of the project, a special software was employed to recreate a detailed three-dimensional model of the building used as a base for the first lighting calculations. It namely allowed to select the best placement for the luminaires taking into account both the architectural features of the building and its technical limits deriving from the structural issues of the surrounding area.
The programme also allowed to choose the different levels of illumination and to calculate the desired uniformity or contrast in terms of illumination, brightness and color changing scenes required to identify the diverse architectural elements and their levels while delivering a peculiar readability to the whole building and its complex volume.
The overall model was divided into separate elements in order to ensure a remarkable reduction of the time needed for computer calculation and to grant the maximum attention to the perfect coverage of each of the different punctual areas.
Selecting and customizing equipment
Owing to the specific demands of the project, the GRIVEN selected fixtures had to comply with many different technical requirements:
> A particular attention had to be paid to the color mixing system. In order to achieve the required level of color brightness, intensity and uniformity on the façades presenting different textures and colors, a 6-color mixing system was considered the best choice. The fixtures were therefore equipped with LEDs in red, blue, green, warm white, natural white, and cool white.
> MT Electro developed a special fastening system capable of ensuring the utmost aiming and targeting precision of the fixtures as well as the necessary steadiness under intensive wind and vibration loads.
> All lighting fixtures have been fitted with high performance cables with a predetermined length and an IP rating ranging among IP66 and IP68.
> All the product shells have been painted in a special finishing color in order to allow their perfect camouflage on the building walls.
> According to the technical requirements, all lights have been equipped with an integrated RDM module. The RDM protocol greatly simplifies and supports the organization and configuration of the management system. Remote feedback and the ability to track the status of each of the projectors in real time allows to monitor the performance of the lighting system and react to certain changes within the given parameters.
> As the lighting fixtures must also be able to operate in the harsh and long winter typical of the city of Surgut, the vast majority of devices were delivered in the POLAR EDITION. The POLAR EDITION involves the use of an integrated automatic system of clever removing of snow and ice from the front glass and housing, the use of connecting cables from special materials (usually polyurethane) and electrical connectors with degree of protection not less than IP65.
