New Dominion Bank Sees Green in a Different Light

New Dominion Bank wanted to make a significant statement when it moved into its new corporate headquarters in midtown Charlotte, NC, September 2009. As the anchor of a 153,000 sq.-ft. office tower, the savings and loan sought an illuminated sign that would grab people’s attention – even though it was 10 stories up – yet still meet its commitment to be environmentally friendly. Thus, its corporate signage integrates an innovative acrylic sheet from Evonik Cyro LLC and a unique light engine from FiberLite Systems.
Because Sign Services Network (Virginia Beach, VA) has almost two decades of experience bringing together designers, fabricators and installers to provide custom signs and nationwide sign programs, it was called on to similarly conjoin technology providers and unique technology for the New Dominion signage.
The sign is the first to incorporate FiberLite’s flagship FiberLite® lighting system, which utilizes LEDs channeled through fiberoptic cables, and Evonik Cyro’s ACRYLITE® SignFlex™ acrylic sheet. The combination maximizes energy efficiency and minimizes maintenance. Using a special controller, the light engine’s luminosity is changed to create a “sunrise” effect in the sign, giving it an aesthetic appeal unseen in any other sign in Charlotte.
Without SignFlex, much of this illumination power and effect would be lost, according to Brian Lowry, FiberLite’s VP. “The New Dominion letters were challenging to light. They are only 4 in. deep, and they have perforated, black vinyl faces so that they appear black in the daylight,” said Lowry. “The vinyl blocks at least two-thirds of the light. We needed a face material that is durable, efficient in terms of light transmission, and also one that is a great diffuser. Evonik Cyro provided the perfect solution.”
Acrylite SignFlex sheet’s frosted appearance delivers up to 60% light transmission. Its unique optical properties allowed it to evenly diffuse light across its surface and eliminated the appearance of LED pinpoints. Additionally, the surface is durable enough to hide scratches, which should decrease maintenance on an outdoor sign that is exposed to debris and environmental elements.
The Acrylite SignFlex sheet properties complemented the technology behind FiberLite. The light engine incorporates high-illumination LEDs with fiberoptic cable that converts the raw light into a bright, uniform distributed glow that reduces the possibility of hotspots. The entire system will last 50,000+ hours without maintenance, meaning it doesn t need new bulbs every year.
“There’s a lot of wasted light in most signs, and it occurs primarily in two places – the losses due to reflections inside the can and transmission losses in the face,” said Lowry. “At FiberLite, we try to mitigate these losses by using state-of-the-art reflective material inside, and quality face materials, such as SignFlex.”

“Green” design
With maintenance and energy costs on the rise, making efficient signs is the best way to ensure ROI. Thinking “green” is not just a catch phrase used to garner public appreciation; it’s a philosophy that leads to products with improved performance and lower total cost of ownership (TCO).
Utilizing the combined FiberLite system and Acylite SignFlex acrylic sheet, the sign consumes only 580W, less than a standard hairdryer draws. The sign comprises an 8 x 8-ft. logo, plus 42-in.-high letters that spell out “New Dominion.”
“Even though most LEDs aren’t as efficient as fluorescent in terms of lumens/watt, we’ve been able to meet or exceed brightness and uniformity by thinking of the sign as a luminaire,” said Lowry. “Neon would use three to four times as much energy as our light engine. Using Evonik Cyro products help make it all possible and are tools that allows us to design environmentally friendly products.”
The “green” benefits from the sign affirm the bank’s philosophy to help the environment. In fact, New Dominion is a member of Clean Air Works!, a project of the Regional Air Quality Board, an entity that conjoins businesses, elected officials and public staff from cities and counties throughout the Charlotte area to work collaboratively on projects to improve air quality.
New Dominion’s corporate headquarters’ signage is a shining example of the bank’s commitment to the environment. It also illuminates how companies such as Evonik Cyro, FiberLite, and Sign Services Network are helping usher in a wave of greener signage and more environmentally-responsible designs.
Evonik Cyro LLC is an Evonik Degussa Corp. group company. Headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, Evonik Cyro is a leading manufacturer of acrylic sheet and molding compounds, and bulk and performance monomers. Cyro manufactures and markets its acrylic sheet products under the ACRYLITE® trade name in the Americas. These same products are manufactured and marketed under the PLEXIGLAS® trade name on the European, Asian, African and Australian continents.
Evonik Industries is the creative industrial group from Germany which operates in three business areas: Chemicals, Energy and Real Estate. Evonik is a global leader in specialty chemicals, an expert in power generation from hard coal and renewable energies, and one of the largest private residential real estate companies in Germany. Evonik is active in more than 100 countries around the world.