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Revving up the Ft. Lauderdale Skyline at 110 TOWER
Ft. Lauderdale has a thriving tourist economy due to its world famous beaches and the phenomenon that is Spring Break. (Remember "Where the Boys Are" ?) But the locals are a pretty hip bunch, year-round, and they like their skyline to contain some creativity, not just sit there and reflect the beautiful sunsets. 110 Tower, at the intersection of Andrews Ave and SW 6th Street has been a major part of that skyline since the mid-80's but it used to be lined in neon tubes until hurricane damage and new ownership combined to create an opportunity for innovation and a bit of artistic expression as well. The remodeling forms a fantastic case study of not only how LED illumination can improve dramatically on the neon tube concept, but how Enttec's signature DMX playback and recording solution, the E-Streamer , can really open up possibilities that were previously unattainable, or only reached at the highest echelons of cost. 
John "JD" DiDomenico, of MPS Light and Sound inc., is a real pro when it comes to envisioning what "architainment"-style lighting design can do for a client, and then showing it to them so they see exactly where their dollars will go, using state-of-the-art visualization software. He used Cast Software's WYSIWYG to generate a fully textured, 3-dimensional model of the 30-story building, showing the owners from Transwestern Management all kinds of variants that would be possible, for special times of day or of the year, even sporting event-related themed color schemes. Using this kind of advanced modeling also enabled them to determine the proper resolution for the LEDs on this project, which turned out to be 2-foot lengths for each controllable RGB "pixel". This was not difficult to achieve using Philips Color Kinetics' Accent Powercore, and a setting of 2 feet for the resolution. To make sure that this would do the job, MPS installed 100 feet of product for a period of 1 week as a demonstration. MPS was working as a subcontractor for Advanced Power Technologies (APT), a commercial lighting and sign company with plenty of installation experience but less strength in the area of DMX control and programming. 
Perhaps because they made the right call on the fixture, the job was awarded to them, and soon they were installing it as a joint project between APT and MPS. This included finding both electrical and structural (as in, "hurricane-resistant") solutions to a unique problem. There was plenty of careful coordination between MPS, whose team also featured Stephen Gerhart as Project Manager, and APT, especially with Tony Manganello, VP of Sales at the sign company. Installation occurred during August 2009, which included the removal of over 1100 feet of hurricane-damaged neon. Then JD got to start programming looks, a job he probably didn't think of as much of a chore, given that he could sit a mile away in his car, or at a bistro, or in a park, to see the building from many different angles while this was occurring. It may have been challenging work requiring an advanced skill set, but the job conditions were such that most people would be envious. It was unveiled by the Mayor of Ft. Lauderdale at a ceremony on September 24th. 
The result is a landmark piece of real-time artwork that people all over the city can view. Even passengers on airplanes flying into Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood Airport have remarked on this distinctive bit of colorful accent lighting. Transwestern Management, owners of 110 Tower have received many compliments on the new look, and the main contact for the installation team, Ellen Rivera, appears to be a very satisfied customer. Interesting Facts about the Job:
Equipment list:
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E-Streamer Screens:
Photo Credits for 110 Tower: (C) 2009 John DiDomenico. Used by permission. | |||
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