Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada Goes Digital with Lumenpulse

B+H Architects and designers Mulvey+Banani International Inc. used Lumenpulse luminaires to give the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada a modern, dynamic lighting system. Fully LED-based, the lighting scheme breaks from past aquarium lighting applications, which have traditionally used 150- and 250-watt metal halide fixtures.

“Metal halides degrade over time, so you’ll often end up with a scenario where only 60% of the lights are actually working. Ripley’s wanted to find an alternate solution for this aquarium, and LEDs were perfect,” said Paul Boken, lighting designer at Mulvey+Banani International Inc.

Marine-grade Lumenbeam XLarge luminaires were used for the aquarium’s large feature tanks, with tight, focused beams of lights (6° and 10° optics) and 5700K color temperature replicating shafts of light. For the aquarium’s large jelly fish tanks, Mulvey+Banani used Lumenfacade Color Changing luminaires to “graze” the jellyfish, bringing out unique features with every color.

“When we change the colors subtly, you can see different organs and layers within the jelly fish. They’re monochromatic, but when you hit them with color, they reveal themselves in different ways,” Boken said.

For Lumenpulse President and CEO Francois-Xavier Souvay, the aquarium demonstrates the versatility and practicality of LED technology.

“The control and dimming capabilities of our luminaires are ideal for buildings like the Ripley’s Aquarium, which have to balance visitor expectations and experiences with the care of thousands of marine animals. It’s an example to similar structures around the world, and we’re very happy to have been a part of it,” Souvay said.

Click here to read the case study for the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada.