GateWay Community College Turned into Dynamically Lit Landmark with Lumenpulse

When students returned to the GateWay Community College in Arizona last fall, they were greeted with the brand-new Integrated Education Building (IEB). Designed by the architecture firm SmithGroupJJR, the modern structure’s transparent layers play with natural light during the day. At night, the facade comes alive with animated lines of light that slowly crawl across the IEB’s rounded exterior. The effect was created using Lumenpulse’s NGL award-winning Lumencove XT luminaire.

“It becomes a billboard, not only as a destination within the campus, but as a landmark of the building towards the community,” says SmithGroupJJR’s Lighting Design Studio Leader Rodrigo Manriquez. “We used technology to show dynamic movement, to express technology and dynamic learning on the inside of the building.” The Lumencove XT fixtures are DMX-controlled to dim, producing a gradual movement. They’re programmed to be constant but ever-changing.

“The effect is one of the most unique we’ve seen,” says François-Xavier Souvay, President and CEO of Lumenpulse. “This building is a singularity in the Arizona landscape, and the ‘scratches’ of light are just mesmerizing. I’m thrilled Lumenpulse was chosen to be a part of this.”

The Lumencove XT’s IP66 rating was an important consideration when choosing fixtures for this project. The luminaires had to be able to endure Arizona’s extreme temperatures and sandstorms. The form factor and embedded driver of the Lumencove XT also swayed SmithGroupJJR to choose Lumenpulse. It made it easier to install on the facade’s narrow edge, while also avoiding remote ballasts.

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