Blue Vibes at the New Cathedral of Cuenca, Ecuador, GRIVEN USA, LED Architectural Lighting Manufacturer

Financed entirely by the Fundación Iluminar Luz y Color para Cuenca, the project to illuminate the domes for the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Cuenca, Ecuador began in October 2018 in conjunction with the structural restoration of the domes themselves. The project called for energy efficient LED luminaires to illuminate the domes in white and blue light with options to switch to different colors or scenes according to the festive or religious occasions of the city.

GRIVEN’s lighting designers worked closely with the project’s design team through all phases of design, planning, commissioning, and installation of the project, including determining the best combination of optics to achieve required illumination levels. The approved lighting design delivered a static white light enhancement on the facades and dynamic color-changing effects on domes and cupolas. After the initial mockup and the conclusion of architectural renovations on the third dome at the end of April 2019, the project was completed with very effective results.

PARADE S in cool white LEDs with elliptical and elliptical wide optics were installed at the base of the facades on the smaller domes. For the central dome, PARADE S luminaires in two different lengths deliver beautiful shades of intense cool white to the lower parts of the roof structure. For colored illumination, a captivating shade of sky-blue with uniform distribution was created with POWERSHINE MK2 projectors in single and twin configurations and installed on the spires in front of the three domes. Equipped with medium optics, twelve POWERSHINE MK2 D in RGBW were strategically located in groups of four around the three domes; an additional dozen POWERSHINE MK2 single projectors complete the light distribution up to the highest part of the cupolas.

The system is managed by the Power CDI Commander, a dedicated programming software for the architectural lighting equipment. All GRIVEN products allow complete visualization of the color changing scenes, with selectable color change speeds and interval times, allowing for fast programming procedures.

"For some occasions, the Prelates of the Catholic Church asked us, for example during the Holy Week, to deliver a purple color to the cathedral and we were able to do accommodate...", said the lighting designer, very satisfied with the final result of the installation. The night view on the city is striking. The architectural perfection and alluring illumination of the colored domes captivates the skyline.