London's most iconic bridges will have a connected lighting installation

This project, which has been launched by the Illuminated River Foundation, will have Signify's Interact Landmark system and Philips Color Kinetics luminaires to carry it out.

Iluminated River Foundation has launched a project that aims to transform London with a lighting installation that will connect the 15 city ​​bridges. Once completed, what is planned for the year 2022, will represent the longest public art exhibition, con 2,5 miles long along 4,5 nautical miles of the River Thames.

The American artist Leo Villareal, responsible for lighting the San Francisco Bay Bridge, next to the architectural studio Lifeguard Davidson Sandilands, They will be in charge of carrying out this project.

Villareal's vision is based on using the most innovative LED technology to 'paint with light', influencing the natural activity of the river and producing sequences that play with the bridge structures.

Your lighting design will interact specifically with the area of ​​each bridge, respecting and revealing their distinctive histories and architectural features, while integrated movement across fifteen bridges will create a unified work of art that references the river as a system of continuous life.

For your part, Signify will be the company responsible for providing the technology that allows these iconic lights to be illuminated 15 london bridges. In this way, The project will feature the Interact Landmark system and Philips Color Kinetics luminaires to achieve artistic and dynamic lighting effects through its central management software. Besides, will supply lifecycle services to remotely monitor and manage the lighting of connected bridges over the next few years 10 years.

“London bridges are famous around the world but they have been overlooked when it comes to taking them into account and developing their potential to transform our city at night.”. What we are doing now, in partnership with Signify, to transform the bridges and the riverbank, It's innovative. for the first time, We are using dynamic and energy efficient Led lighting in up to 15 london bridges, con el sistema Interact Landmark de Signify, to create public art on the largest scale ever seen”, comments Sarah Gaventa, director of the Illuminated River Foundation.

This is the first time a holistic strategy has been launched to illuminate all the bridges in central London. The goal is to create a visual experience that can be seen from different levels, so that pedestrians can enjoy the spectacle from the banks of the river, from the air, from tall buildings or by boat.

Signify has been chosen to participate in this project due to its lighting expertise and ability to deliver a large-scale lighting connectivity project.. A key factor was this company's experience in working with lighting designers and architects in managing dynamic and architectural lighting scenes..

“Light is one of the most powerful means to give new life to major cities and metropolitan areas.”, heralding a new era of urban design and beautification. We have lit bridges around the world and seen, first-hand, “the positive impact that architectural and dynamic lighting has on the transformation of local communities and economies”, comments Maria-Letizia Mariani, President of Europe and Senior Vice President of Signify.

The first phase, which has just begun and is expected to conclude in mid- 2019, includes lighting of four bridges (london bridge, Canon Street Railway Bridge, Southwark Bridge and Millennium Bridge) with Philips Color Kinetics LED luminaires.

Signify's Interact Landmark system will be responsible for remotely monitoring and managing the lighting on the four bridges. for the first time, the Cannon Street Rail Bridge will be seen illuminated, as well as the top and bottom parts of the other three. This will allow for much more extensive three-dimensional lighting effects that will enhance the surrounding areas and facilitate safety..

Keys to the Illuminated River project in London:

• Illuminated Rivers project will be the world's longest public art commission once completed, con 2,5 miles long along 4,5 nautical miles of the River Thames. Signify's Interact Landmark system will centrally manage the new connected lighting for this artwork.
• Will be used more than 22.000 connected LED light points Philips Color Kinetics , able to show more than 16 millions of colors, with which dynamic lighting effects will be created in up to 15 london bridges: London, Southwark, Cannon Street, Millennium, Blackfriars Railway, Golden Jubilee, Waterloo, Blackfriars, Lambeth, Vauxhall, Westminster, Grosvenor, Chelsea, Albert and the two towers.
• London Bridge is a tourist favorite. It has heated pavements designed to prevent ice during cold times.
• Millennium Bridge is London's first new pedestrian bridge for over a century and was conceived as a 'sheet of light' across the Thames, which links St Paul's Cathedral with the Tate Modern and the Globe Theater on the south bank. Together with Foster & Partners, the designer of Millennium Bridge, Signify will dynamically illuminate the underside of the bridge for the first time, creating additional light to show the glow of light across the river.
• Every year these 15 bridges are crossed 200 millions of times.

As it is connected lighting, will be monitored remotely by Interact Landmark. The software will detect and manage faults and perform remote diagnostics and maintenance, improving asset management and thereby reducing costs. In the 15 bridges, there will be more than 13.000 luminaires that will be controlled individually or centrally to create dynamic and unique scenes.