Nexxus Lighting Inc. (Charlotte, NC) has completed a lighting project for the Georgia Power Wrap, an art installation created for the Georgia Institute of Technology, by Amy Landesberg Architects (Decatur, GA), with students from the Power Wrap Workshop, College of Architecture and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The substation, surrounded by the innovative enclosure and bathed in a changing light show, is part of the institute’s North Ave. Research Area. The facility, maintained by Georgia Tech and the Georgia Power Co., serves the entire campus.
When the substation was due for an update in 2005, Georgia Tech’s Planning and Facilities Design and Construction divisions wanted to further incorporate the facility into the campus. Amy Landesberg, who teaches occasional architecture courses, was asked to lead an elective workshop in Spring 2005 aimed at producing a workable plan to design an aesthetically stimulating enclosure for the substation. Students agreed that the station equipment shouldn’t be hidden, but, rather, should attract interest.
The 500-ft.-long enclosure comprises 75, 20-ft.-high panels that support steel panels with slats or louvers. The slats are set at various angles, so that the viewer sees various views depending on the orientation. Inside the enclosure, where high-voltage transformers and switches distribute electric power, colored lamps illuminate the equipment at night.
The project uses 36 color-changing LED LiveLED100’s for the light sources, and the system was controlled using the Sunlight DMX controller and software package by Nicolaudie.
The project received an American Institute of Architects Merit Award and an Award of Excellence from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission.