Silo 468, artistic expression of light

The Lighting Design Collective studio (LCD) has presented in the capital of Finland, Helsinki, the silo project 468, through which an old disused oil tank has been rehabilitated; now converted into a public place with lighting as the main element.

A project carried out by the Finnish lighting studio Lighting Design Collective has allowed an old oil silo to be converted into a work of lighting art and a public space. Located on the seafront in front of the center of Helsinki (Finland), natural light, The wind and the movement of light in the water are the main components of the lighting concept that the project represents., baptized as 'Silo 468'. The walls have been perforated with 2012 holes (in reference to the city's naming as World Design Capital in 2012).

Inside the silo, they have been arranged 1.280 2700K white LEDs behind the holes. Lighting Design Collective has developed bespoke software based on algorithms that respond to parameters such as wind speed, address, temperature, clear night and snow. The system tunes every 5 minutes to update data. The patterns are fluid, natural in sensations and never repeated. Even though they are slow, They accelerate in relation to wind speeds creating a mural of light in constant transformation.

Outside, projectors with 2700K white and red LEDs have been used to express the shape of the silo during the sunset.. After sunset the lighting is dimmed with spotlights directed downward, leaving the natural pattern in motion. When the pattern is observed from the center of Helsinki, a 3 km away, this one seems to float in the air. at midnight, the exterior transforms into a deep red during 1 time. The color refers to the silo's previous use as an energy container. At 02:30 the lights go out.

inside, painted dark red, daylight filters through the pattern derived from the original rust pattern on the walls. The wall facing north has no perforations. After the drilling, they have been installed 450 steel mirrors moved by the winds. With the sunlight the silo fills with shine like the surface of the water. The network of white LEDs reflect light indirectly into the space through the red walls. The moving patterns are like fast halos running across walls..

The Silo has been conceived as a civic space for the citizens of Helsinki. “The enduring fascination of the complex movement of light and the privileged seaside location will make this a fascinating experience for visitors and residents of Helsinki”, stated the director of LCD, Tapio Rosenius.