Light up! Night transformations of the Lakhta Center

    In one gray-gray city there was a dark-dark tower ...

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    They say that construction was underway in it, and then - finishing work. People worked in three shifts, and at night it was like a beacon of light. And then the complex was populated by the inhabitants of the offices. Every day, who used to be, who later, they went home, one by one extinguishing the light ... Lakhta Center gradually sank into darkness, and it appeared - a tower of Darkness ...

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    How do you like such a horror story? What will really happen to the Lakhta Center with the onset of night - read under the cut.

    Brave New World: Kingdom of the World


    Light in darkness is a friend of all living things.

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    All creatures are drawn to him - from moths, driven only by instincts, to confused travelers, rejoicing in salvation. In the dark sky we are looking for stars, in the dark nook - the nearest lantern. We are warmed by the light in our native window, and we treat the winter spleen with festivals of lights - in the vastness from London to Moscow.

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    Festival of Light in Belgium. Photo source

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    And Prague ... Photo source

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    Winter Canyon in Vancouver. Photo source

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    And the linden alley in Berlin

    We turned the night cities into a kingdom of light and no longer sleep at night - man-made radiance breaks the millennial rhythm. Life no longer needs to stop with the advent of darkness. The night city is beautiful and sometimes unrecognizable.

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    Lomonosov Bridge over the Fontanka, Petersburg

    City buildings at dusk begin the transformation. By midnight, some change their shape, others change their color, others almost disappear, and the fourth come into "movement." Until recently, a utilitarian night illumination today is turning into a light architecture that creates new spaces and a new quality of the environment. These are the trends.

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    Sydney Opera House. Photo source

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    Empire State Building and panorama of night New York. Photo

    source To pass this new radiant reality, entrusting the illumination of the Lakhta Center to the moon, the stars and the earned inhabitants of the offices, we could not. Our designers got down to business. Let's see what they got?

    Apparently invisible


    The issue of tower visibility almost headed the agenda of the Lakhta Center in 2011. How to build this uniquely complex object seemed even less important - it is solved. But the heightened sense of visibility required a carefully balanced approach.

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    The architectural history begins with the visualization of interesting panoramas, taking into account the appearance of a new dominant on the St. Petersburg horizon.
    Daria Gerasimova, chief specialist designer of the Design Department of the Lakhta Center:
    “We tested visibility from different points of the city by inserting the Tower into the Three-dimensional model of urban space. [Institute for Territorial Development in conjunction with the General Planning Scientific Research Center - approx.], We took into account the curvature of the earth, relief, green spaces, the atmosphere at the remoteness of the object, chimneys, environmental landmarks - outstanding buildings. The main points of view were highlighted - for example, they looked along the entire embankment from the Winter Palace, the General Staff, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Smolny Cathedral. The result of using the model is an assessment of the perception of the spatial-spatial solution of the designed building in the context of panoramas protected in accordance with the current legislation, and against the background of the surrounding buildings. When checking, we followed the main task - not to violate the sky line of St. Petersburg and tactfully fit into the urban landscape ... "

    As a result of the research, such visualizations of panoramas turned out:

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    Panoramas on the Lakhta Center website

    Of course, the tower can be found here - at its height, it is strange otherwise. But you can’t call the supertoll somehow noticeably changing the panorama of the center - it’s lost sight of due to the distance and the facade. Glass absorbs the colors of the sky and dissolves in the air, leaving only a hint and vague outlines - you need to know where to look. Today it is possible to compare visualizations with the real picture.

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    Photo source Photo source Photo source

    Distance, facades and weather do their job - the new and old cities live peacefully and almost isolated - the triumph of architectural segregation.

    But it is in the afternoon. What happens at night? Darkness calls for antagonism. The meaning of illumination is the opposite of daytime tasks - you don’t have to get lost in the darkness, stay on the horizon, get out of the dusk, become visible ... The

    capabilities of the Lakhta Center in this matter are measured by kilometers of LED strips, thousands of front lights, 16 million light shades of the full color spectrum.

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    Testing the lighting on the tower of the Lakhta Center. Photo by Victor Gusik

    If you light it to the full - there will be Las Vegas.

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    How they will use lighting capabilities - defines the concept of architectural lighting. It was created jointly by engineers and designers of the Lakhta Center and specialists of Lichtvision Design & Engineering. To find out if light expansion is provided, take a look at the document.

    Doctrine of light


    In fact, the “team of light" was to build a second facade of the complex, layering a light envelope on top of the structural forms. Today, experts realize different ideas - they can completely change the night look of the building, from color to proportions. But in our case, we were talking about restoring the daytime view of the Lakhta Center in night reality.

    North Arctic Tower


    The complex’s architectural concept is based on water images: waves, hummocks, chopped icebergs ... And all this is cold, local, referring to the shores of the Baltic Sea, to the northernmost of skyscraper coordinates.

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    Illustrations from the concept of architectural lighting Lakhta Center

    From here, themed natural images go into the concept of lighting: pure ice backlit by the sun, soft flickering of light in the waves, cool blue, natural white. This outlines the color scheme, the intensity of the shades and the dynamic effects of the backlight.

    Cool light hint


    The daily temperature of the backlight ranges from 3 to 4 thousand Kelvin. It is a natural white color, soft and pleasing to the eye. This happens at sunrise, still gentle and cool.

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    source Warmer - a landscape with three thousand Kelvin, colder - the roof of the atrium with four. In the middle of the scale are the facades of the multifunctional building and the tower: their glow is warmed up to 3, 5 thousand kelvins.

    The backlight intensity is also regulated. The brightest light is provided for entrances, stairs, walkways, ramps - average values ​​range from 10 to 20 suites (lumens per m2). Here, the designers did not invent anything, taking European and Russian standards as a basis. Those, in turn, appeal to the rational - a sense of security, adaptation, orientation and comfortable movement.

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    Illustration from the concept of architectural lighting of the Lakhta Center.

    Facades of the tower are illuminated in the daily mode at the level of the same 15-20 suites. This intensity can be compared with the light of the twilight of St. Petersburg. 20 suites is about the same as the intensity of natural light these days at the beginning of the ninth.

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    General view of the complex at night, taking into account the scheme of light intensity. Illustration from the concept of architectural lighting

    Julia Gulyak, head of the Design Department of the Lakhta Center:
    “There was no task to fill everything with light, having spent a lot of money on it and continuing to spend during operation. It was necessary to do everything with restraint, tact, with the use of diffused light, which is characteristic of St. Petersburg. "

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    Not our option. Photo source

    Descriptions of light restraint and subtle light hints are found throughout the concept: “The goal is to create an elegant sophisticated image, a memorable building, a symbol of grace, tranquility and restraint,” the designers emphasize. And they turn to this for an interesting technique.

    Large pixel ice


    The architectural appearance of the tower is formed by 15 faces that go upward and meet at one point.

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    It is difficult to refrain from emphasizing precisely these dynamic lines with light. But the paths of least resistance usually lead to the wrong place. That sharp contour lighting led away from the desired restraint and sophisticated Petersburg flavor.
    Julia Gulyak:
    “Initially, we planned to highlight the Lakhta Center tower by corner elements to emphasize the structure of this building. But the designer suggested that we highlight not the corner elements, but directly the “petals” of the tower building. And - not by direct light, but scattered. To do this, luminaires are built into the facade structures around the perimeters of imposts and when we flood with light, we see a large “pixel”.

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    “Pixel” illumination of the facade of the tower - on the example of a fragment of New Year's lighting. Photo by Viktor Gusik Diffused

    light is applied to all objects of the complex, including landscape lamps. The bright ends, clear contours, contrasting combinations, the play of light and shadow were banned - on the same faces it was replaced by a gradient. Good? Yes, not really.

    I ask without hints!


    There is an organization in the city that requires the tower to be seen very clearly. For her, subtle and delicate light hints sent by a skyscraper into the darkness of St. Petersburg night are inappropriate. Because for Rosaviation, the designation of the boundaries of an object on the ground should be unambiguous.

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    Barrage lights on the cables of the WHSD. Photo source

    Red barrage lights on high-rises, antennas, cables for St. Petersburg bridges and cables for the stadium St. Petersburg you saw. This is an international system of light marking, exactly the same red lights, for example, on the hero of the week before last - the sold to New York legend Chrysler Building.

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    Given the height of the Lakhta Center tower, red lighthouses would have to be located almost throughout the entire volume. Knowing the designers, it is easy to imagine how they would worry about the alien inclusions of lights of a non-complementary shade.

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    This is better for them not to show ....

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    Barrier lighting was standard during construction - red and a little intimidating. Photo source

    Fortunately, according to the “Guidelines for the Operation of Civil Aerodromes of the Russian Federation” (RF REG-94) for buildings outside the aerodrome, the fire can be not only red, but also blinking white. “The light intensity in all directions should not be less than 10 cd, the frequency of flashes should be at least 60 per minute. The height shall be 45 m. ”

    Based on the found norm, we developed a variant of barrage lighting for the tower. Now every 45 meters she has white LED lights, ten per floor, plus a lighthouse on the spire. And “Rosaviatsia” is good, and fits perfectly into the general concept of highlighting.

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    Layout of obstruction lights on the tower. Illustration from the concept of architectural lighting Lakhta Center

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    White barrage lights on the spire of the tower. Photo source

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    Lighthouse on a spire. Photo source

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    Barrage lights turn on not only at night, but also at any time of the day with reduced visibility. The photo source

    “White” fence is innovative - the project was separately agreed with the regulatory authorities.

    And another agreement was voluntarily passed - from the unusual.

    Put out the lights in the fall


    If the words “bird rights” cause you some misunderstanding, then you are definitely not a resident of Canada or, for example, America. Perhaps we have few skyscrapers, many birds and there is still something to work on in the legal field on other issues, but the Lakhta Center’s experience in the field of bird protection can be considered unique to domestic practice.

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    Photo by Victor Gusik

    We already toldhow ornithologists observed birds in Lahti. For the concept of architectural lighting, scientists also issued their recommendations. The greatest reverence towards the birds is the change in the lighting regime during the period of seasonal migrations. Since birds fly at night, in autumn and spring from 2 nights to 9 in the morning the lighting will be minimal so as not to attract flocks into the light trap. Perhaps this is the only moment that could cause mutual misunderstanding and lead to unpleasant air accidents.

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    The most minimalistic is the standby mode of the backlight. Barrage lights for aircraft and light on the end faces of the facade are involved.

    By the way - in the United States, ornithologists keep statistics of accidents involving birds. According toof the specialized federal agency US Fish & Wildlife service, less than 1% of birds die from collisions with skyscrapers, about 56% of emergency happens with low-rise buildings and about 44% in general in rural areas. This is consistent with the data of our ornithologists - they also noted that the main flow of birds goes at elevations up to 100 meters.

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    Photo by Ivan Smelov

    Also in the reports they dispel the main myth - that birds do not distinguish glass as an obstacle. Glass birds see how they distinguish the obstacle, from collisions they leave. So the most difficult question with a glass facade is another.

    Light and glass


    To place the lamp on a brick wall is not difficult.

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    On a transparent glass facade - a completely different matter, even while omitting the technical difficulties of fasteners. Light from the tower penetrates outward - as we observed during construction work and see at the current stage of decoration.

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    Light from facade lamps can go inside, unpredictably and uncomfortably illuminating offices and attacking the eyes of their inhabitants.

    The key to the interaction of internal and external light is in a very accurate calculation and balance.

    What to do with the inner light going out
    Daria Gerasimova:
    “Basically, at night, offices will be lit up (emergency light). There is also a risk of bright spots of luminous multi-level spaces affecting the appearance of the building. In order to prevent this from happening, we designed an architectural light that was supposed to compensate all this and combine the facade. ”

    According to the plan, the light of the offices in the dark, but still working hours, will illuminate the tower from the inside, and the facade lighting will align and compensate for this glow, playing the role of a light “veil”. After the offices are closed, the backlight turns into an independent architectural object.

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    An illustration from the concept of architectural lighting of the Lakhta Center.

    What to do with external light going inside The

    unsolicited illumination of office spaces with facade lamps required individual solutions. The thin spot was the fixtures installed in the frame of the double-glazed windows.

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    Fragment of the facade. Lamps are installed inside a double-glazed window. Illustration from the concept of architectural lighting Lakhta Center

    One of the proposed options was to integrate over the lamp into the lower corners of the facade frames.

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    The location of the lamps and the direction of the light beam

    From the pros - there are ready-made solutions, from the minuses - the light seeps into the office. The angular arrangement “illuminates” the side profile of the frames and gives uneven light bursts on their faces - up to 100 lux and even more.

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    In this diagram, the illumination of the facade frames with a glare inside the room

    Daria Gerasimova is clearly visible :
    “As a result, we decided to choose one lamp in the center of the frame with a narrow lens, which allows us to control the distribution of the light flux and eliminates the negative visual influence from the distribution of light inside the office space - this is important because we are very careful about comfort not only from the outside, but and inside the building to ensure class A + office compliance ”

    Here are similar illustrations for a luminaire with a central location:

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    Smooth filling of facade frames with diffused light, without active splashes

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    . Ceiling

    light is minimal. The mentioned lamp in the center of the frame has a feature - a very narrow beam opening angle, only 2 degrees. In practice, 10-16 degrees are used, the lower threshold of typical products is 3 degrees. A narrow beam angle solves the problem of light entering the offices.

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    This is how the fixtures look at the installation site: The

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    direction of the beam is given by the design of the device and the lens:

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    We will tell about these and other fixtures that make up the Lakhta Center architectural lighting system, as well as the installation and control of light, in the next post. And we offer a break on a beautiful note - light scenarios.

    Light tower


    The number of scenarios of architectural lighting is theoretically unlimited - you can create at least every day. So far, four basic options have been developed, not counting the minimalist standby mode.

    Everyday, basic

    This option will be with us most of the year. It provides a gradient light fill of a neutral color. The tower is conditionally divided into longitudinal parts - those where there are buffer zones with double glazing and those where the facade thread is single.

    The first ones are filled with brighter light above, with a smooth loss of intensity below. The second - on the contrary: a brighter glow at the bottom, as you move up, the brightness loses its strength.

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    Sketch from the concept of architectural lighting Lakhta Center

    Visualization:

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    Casual, winter

    A similar pattern of the distribution of light intensity and gradient fill, only the color changes - on icy blue

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    Festive

    Almost all holidays the tower will meet here in such sunshine - very relevant in our latitudes.

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    From the concept:
    “The festive regime presents an ice structure illuminated by the sun. Soft transitions of warm tones create a feeling of pure ice with a golden effect of sunlight ”

    In addition to color, the backlight will please with dynamic effects - flickering or soft tints.

    New Year

    Of course, Christmas tree! The first inclusion of Christmas tree lighting, many have already seen. This was so far the most initial option - without the participation of all faces, all fixtures and without adjustment. But even with this in mind, the “Christmas tree” pleased many. About the Christmas tree debut - the first inclusion of architectural illumination of the tower, we will tell in more detail in the next part.

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    Thank you for your help in preparing the material Yulia Gulyak - head of the Design Department, Daria Gerasimova - chief specialist-designer of the Design Department of the Lakh Center and Leonid Ryabov - head of the Electrofrof company.

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