Glowing portal leads the way to innovation
In Burlington, Massachusetts, the Color Kinetics headquarters — the leading global research and development center for Signify's entire LED luminaires business — is a one-of-a-kind showcase for innovative uses of the company's LED lighting technology. One example: the dynamic "portal" passageways lined by 24,350 individually controllable LED nodes.
The portal passageways were designed to showcase some of the endless dynamic effects that Color Kinetics' LED systems can create.
Two 26-foot long portals lead to opposite wings of the office building, and each features the same lighting schematic and materials.
The portal design called for semi-transparent acrylic panels to be back-lit by individually-controlled LED nodes. The 1-inch thick panels provided the desired level of diffusion, while still allowing the nodes to appear as "pixels" for intricate designs and low-resolution video shows. The product specified for this effect was iColor Flex SL (now specified with Flex Compact gen3, RGB) a strand of light comprising 50 individually-addressable RGB nodes.
Approximately 11,000 Flex nodes with clear, flat lenses line the opposing walls of each portal. The nodes were installed 6.5 inches behind the acrylic panels in vertical runs on a mounting track. This maintains linear alignment and cable management for the runs of Flex. To achieve the desired resolution, the nodes were spaced in 2-inch increments both vertically and horizontally.
The portals are an inspiring highlight of the space that provides a conversation starter for employees and visitors alike.
