Lightemotion has developed a new custom lighting for Complexe Desjardins - Montreal's largest mixed use development, totaling 4 million square feet. Located in the Quartier Des Spectacles and facing the recently renovated Place Des Arts, Complexe Desjardins is the latest addition to the Quartier to include a dynamic and innovative lighting design strategy.
To create a lighting ambience that is both friendly and dynamic, Lightemotion conceived a bidirectional LED lighting fixture that the Montreal company Lumenpulse developed for this project. Composed of two elements (a frame equipped with RGB LEDs and a downward-directed directional flood), this brand-new fixture both directs coloured light upward as well as directing lighting downwards towards the floor.
By installing one of these fixtures in each ceiling coffer, Lightemotion was able to create very subtle chromatic nuances that produce the effect of a path of colors covering the vault of the retail concourse. Outside, the marquees covering each of the building's two entrances have also been provided with a lighting system that can project onto the ground a chromatic ambience creating a call to action to enter the retail concourse. The down lights provide 4 times more lux level than the previous fixtures while also creating a visually stimulating pattern on the floor eliminating the typical flat floodlight wash effect.
The Urban Clock
Since the Complex is both an event space and shopping centre, there was a mandate to ensure the new fixtures provided a wide range of visual options. After a careful study of the traffic patterns based on time of day and activity, Lightemotion developed an "Urban Clock" concept which uses programmable DMX system to adapt the colours, tones, intensity and colour temperature. Mornings were a bright and energetic dynamic white scheme to help people start their day.
For the lunch time rush Lightemotion added warm colour tones to provide a luminotherapy effect, especially in the darker fall and winter months, and at night the studio selected darker tones in blues and greens to create a relaxing ambience for shopping. The custom fixtures were also used outside at each of the building's entrances. By utilizing the same design principles and technologies as inside, the entrance lighting system projects onto the sidewalk creating a chromatic coloured ambiance which compliments the lighting display inside.