Checking in with stylish, functional light
In April 2007 the Dublin Airport Authority unveiled a new, state of the art check-in facility, called Area 14, at Dublin Airport. The space is expected to accommodate approximately two million Aer Lingus passengers per year, and counts intelligent LED lighting by Color Kinetics among its high-tech design touches.
Given its location in the airport's basement, Area 14 required a lighting scheme that would be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The design team conceptualized a series of illuminated disks that measure approximately 3 m (10 ft) in diameter and hang from the ceiling. The interior rim of each disk is lit by iColor Cove® QL (now specified with PureStyle Compact Powercore, IntelliHue) — a low-profile, low-maintenance luminaire that's well suited for the tight and difficult-to-access niches. Approximately 610 meters (2,000 linear feet) of iColor Cove QL was installed across the 58 disks. Each 30 cm (12 in) length is individually controllable via DMX, allowing the disks to change color in unison or independently.
ColorPlay® authoring software was used to create various light shows, which include the corporate colors of Aer Lingus as well as gradual color changes that correspond to the typical amount of time required for passenger check-in. As such, passengers are treated to a colorfully transforming environment while they go through the check-in process. The light shows are stored on an iPlayer® device and easily triggered with a Controller Keypad.
