LEDs on Yunxi Tower light up China’s night sky

Date Announced: 13 Dec 2006LUXEON® LEDs from Philips Lumileds have been used in a lighting solution to illuminate the Yunxi Tower in China.Yiyuan is a new South-China style garden project, created in the city of Yixing, 150km south east of Shanghai. The garden is part of a larger renovation project known as ‘New Century, New Yixing’ and has become a key tourism site for the city, helping attract visitors from China and abroad.Within the garden the main building is the Yunxi Lou (Tower). Designed in ‘Tang’ style architecture and set on a lake, the Yunxi Tower imitates the ancient Chinese garden style, and is the centre-piece of the gardens. RequirementsThe architects of the tower used modern building techniques to strengthen the traditional Chinese structure, and as part of this they wanted to use the latest lighting technology to maximise the impact of the tower, particularly at night.To achieve this, the designers required a lighting solution that would highlight the intricate wooden architecture of the building, and create a unique landmark at night with the reflection in the surrounding lake.The Lighting SolutionThe Suzhou Park and Garden Architecture Institution chose to work with Primolite Co, Shanghai, specialists in LED lighting solutions, to create a $120,000 lighting system that would highlight the intricate architecture of the Yunxi Tower and help attract visitors, while minimising the on-going maintenance costs.Primolite worked with the Quanhui Lighting Company to develop the solution based on LUXEON® LEDs. The small size of the LEDs enabled Primolite to create luminaires that were compact enough to be almost unseen by visitors to the tower, but which had the power to create bright light to highlight the decorative details.At the top of the Yunxi Tower is a 2.6metre high, four-storey pagoda intricately decorated in traditional Chinese style. To light this section 100 amber LUXEON® I, waterproof MD1001A luminaires with a 110° beam angle were used, ensuring the pagoda is lit in keeping with the style of the tower and allowing it to be seen from 3km away. To illuminate the columns of each floor of the tower 50 LUXEON® I based F1002 mini floodlights with a 45° beam angle were used, producing powerful white light up to 1.5 metres and revealing the traditional design of the building.To light below each level of the stacking roof design 1200 white LUXEON® I based MD1001A waterproof modules were installed into the one-metre channels running under the roof overhang. Installed with a 45° beam angle, the light solution shows off the wooden block stacking and the texture of the architectural materials used. The edges of the roof sections have also been lit to draw attention to the profile of the traditional layered roof. Both amber and white LEDs have been used in the XS1002A signage string along each edging, providing a crisp, uniform light, with easy switching of colours.The LED AdvantagePrimolite chose to light the Yunxi tower with LUXEON® LEDs, which bring a range of benefits, in particular longevity. With a lifetime of many years, LUXEON® LEDs will help minimise the on-going maintenance costs associated with the Yunxi Tower, while the low power requirements provide enhanced energy efficiency for the project. In total the LED lighting solution consumes 8000 watts, significantly less than an alternative halogen or incandescent solution, which, it is estimated, would have consumed 21,000 watts for the same solution.LUXEON® LEDs are also a fraction of the size of incandescent or halogen lighting, allowing Primolite to create lighting solutions that are smaller, sleeker and lighter in weight than ever before, bringing new silhouettes and enhanced flexibility to the project.ResultsThe operation of the lighting system has been easily managed since its installation, with no maintenance or control issues. The feedback from the management of the gardens and from the general public has been very positive, with the Yunxi Tower one of the most visited sites of the garden. At night the lighting solution turns the whole tower into a ‘lantern’ illuminated on the side of the lake, attracting significant interest from Yixing’s residents and visitors, and creating a talking point for the city.Project Information:Project Name - Yunxi Tower, Yixing Location – Yixing, Zhejiang Province, ChinaDesigner – Primo Opto Co, Shanghai (Primolite Taiwan Investment)LEDs used - LUXEON® I Energy used - 8000 wattsFixture Name - MD1001A, F1002, and XS1002AManufacturer - Primo Opto Co. ShanghaiLighting Contractor - Quanhui Lighting Company, Yixing CityAbout Lumileds LightingLumileds Lighting is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-power LEDs and a pioneer in the use of solid-state lighting solutions for everyday purposes including automotive lighting, camera flash, LCD displays and televisions, portable lighting, projection and general lighting. The company’s patented LUXEON® Power Light Sources are the first to combine the brightness of conventional lighting with the small footprint, long life and other advantages of LEDs. Lumileds also supplies core LED material and LED packaging, and manufactures billions of LEDs annually. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California, with operations in the Netherlands, Japan and Malaysia and sales offices throughout the world.

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