Large-scale LED installations

What do the Times Square Ball, Bay Bridge in San Francisco and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris have in common? Apart from attracting millions of tourists each year, all three sites have a total number of 57,656 LEDs. LED lighting is now a part of both art installations and magnificent historical buildings that can show their unique features in a new and energy-efficient way.

Let’s first look at the Times Square Ball. People started celebrating New Year’s Eve in this iconic place as early as 1904 but in 1907 the marvellous globe made its first descent from the top of the One Times Square skyscraper. The orb was made of iron and wood and its colours were due to a hundred 25-Watt light bulbs.

In 2007, for the tradition’s 100th anniversary, a new spectacular LED ball was made. The lighting technology used greatly increased the brightness and colour capabilities of the sphere.

Its beauty and energy efficiency inspired the owners of One Times Square to build a six-ton, 3.7-metre-high ball to be placed permanently, with the triangular sides lit by 32,256 LEDs. The New-Year ball is now a year-long attraction.

In 2013 the painter Leo Villareal put 25,000 LEDs on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge. They were part of a two-year installation which aimed to turn the construction into the world’s biggest light sculpture. In 2016 the art installation made its return as a permanent attraction.

The first thing that comes to mind when LED lighting is concerned is saving energy. Yes, this type of lighting really is very economical but it has another significant advantage – it allows for “light magic” which is impossible with older forms of lighting. The perfect example is the 400+ LED equipment of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

You can easily turn your home or garden into a work of art using V-TAC’s LED lighting.