The Basque Parliament

Built in the Historicist style of architecture, the monumental, yet simple, Basque Parliament headquarters received a new lighting system in September 2020 to celebrate the Basque Parliament’s 40^th Anniversary. The idea was to give the building a renewed image for the future, enhance its presence at night, and - through a dynamic lighting system – enable the building to actively participate in city events.

Part of a program to reduce energy consumption and improve operational efficiency, Parliament selected LEDs for the new lighting system because of their low energy and maintenance costs and ability to produce dynamic lighting effects. The previous system’s HID lamps consumed so much energy, the lighting was seldom turned on, and they were expensive to operate and maintain. 

A Color Kinetics lighting system was specified for the project due to its superb brand reputation, extensive experience in architectural lighting, and exceptional quality - including the ability of Color Kinetics proprietary IntelliHue technology to provide a full spectrum of highly accurate, precisely controllable light, including millions of saturated colors, pastels, and uniform white light from the same luminaire.

Color Kinetics Blast Powercore IntelliHue OptiField luminaires, 100-277 VAC (30), with an asymmetric optic, were installed on the ground and used to generate soft, uniform light on the façades. Mounted on the window sills, Color Kinetics ColorGraze IntelliHue Powercore (57) provide accent lighting to enhance the balconies and windows of Parliament:

• 10 units ColorGraze IntelliHue Powercore, 100 to 277 VAC, 10° x 60°, 610 mm (2 ft)
• 40 units ColorGraze IntelliHue Powercore, 100 to 277 VAC, 15° x 30°, 610 mm (2 ft)
•  7 units ColorGraze IntelliHue Powercore, 100 to 277 VAC, 15° x 30°, 914 mm (3 ft)

Using a Pharos TPC controller and powered by Data Enabler Pro (12), the new lighting system has become a powerful communication vehicle for Parliament. Unique façade light scenes have been created for a variety of events, including international days of public awareness: Women's Day, recognition of undervalued sectors, as well as other events of the Community of the Basque Country, such as Basque Language Day.