DDi - October 2011 - (Page 36)

36 | Right Light Photos: Courtesy of Rosco Inc. All-out LED Christian Dior’s 57th Street boutique in New York glows elegantly with an LED façade By Vilma Barr ocated steps away from Fifth Avenue on a block of 57th Street that is home to other world-class designer brands, the façade and awning of the Christian Dior boutique in Manhattan makes a glowing exterior fashion statement created by customized LED light panels. Following the 5-month-long redesign of the store interior by New York-based architect Peter Marino, the 5,300-sq.-ft. boutique opened in time to catch the end of the 2010 holiday season last December. Manhattan fashionistas watched the dismantling of the construction barricade, a two-story-high version of a classic Dior handbag design. When the entire new illuminated façade was switched on and came alive, the result dazzled onlookers. One local fashion blogger wrote: “The front of the boutique sparkles as though the entire façade is covered in diamonds, which brightly illuminate the immaculately merchandised window displays.” Credit for the evocative façade design goes to New York-based Barteluce Architects & Associates. Their assignment was to extend the elegant contemporary environment being created for the store interior into a signature exterior statement. They envisioned an even field of light across the surface of the building’s lower two floors, with a system to fit within the façade’s existing struts. Initial testing with typical LED tile systems produced unwanted hot spots. A solution was offered by Rosco, a century-old theatrical lighting and equipment supplier, which had established an LED specialty division, Rosco Architectural, to serve the fast-growing solid-state lighting market. “We suggested that Barteluce’s designers consider Rosco’s LitePads, a slim-profile, low-voltage LED light source that provides even, indirect illumination,” says Amé Strong, who heads Rosco Architectureal. LitePads, she indicates, are energyefficient white LEDs that are recessed into the edge of an optical-grade acrylic sheet. A system of light channels evenly distributes and amplifies the light output across the surface. White reflective backing directs light forward, producing a sheet of illumination. The architects were able to alter each panel to fit within the existing struts and customize the light level according to the plan’s requirements. Mounting holes were added for installation. To achieve the visual effect, LEDs were positioned to replicate Dior’s signature quilted diamond pattern. To cover the façade, doorway and columns, Rosco supplied 455 LED LitePads, measuring approximately 11 in. by 13 in. to 12 in. by 16 in. For the awning and marquee, 16 larger 20-in.-by-18-in. LitePads were installed. All of the 25-watt LitePads are four-edge lit, rated at 5300˚K. “Rosco has supplied lighting for thousands of stage settings,” Strong says. “The Dior façade demonstrates how theatrically inspired LED illumination can be integrated into architecture.” To e-mail this article, visit www.ddionline.com/magazine. L | October 2011 www.ddionline.com http://www.ddionline.com/magazine http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - October 2011

DDi - October 2011