Dynamic Light Shows Highlight Sydney Gateway Twin Arch Bridge
A new bridge in the Australian city of Sydney has become a landmark thanks to the use of dynamic lighting controlled by a system from Pharos Architectural Controls.
The Sydney Gateway Twin Arch Bridge is a new and vital transport link that connects the suburb of St. Peters and its surrounding areas with Sydney airport. This has improved the connectivity and accessibility of the area, making it easier for those travelling to and from the airport.
While the bridge provides an important function, it has become a visually stunning element of the built environment through the addition of colorful and dynamic lighting. This lighting effect has been achieved with the specification of Coloon’s Spectrum RGBW IP, controlled by a number of solutions from Pharos.
The Pharos system creates a kaleidoscope of colors, displayed with smooth color-changing transitions illuminating the underside of the archways of the bridge. A spectrum of richly intense hues are visible on the bridge, bringing a delightful visual element for commuters to enjoy. The lighting design was created as a partnership between Arcadis and Aecom, who joined forces to bring the structure to life.
The four-universe Pharos Designer LPC 4 (Lighting Playback Controller 4) controller works with a five-inch Designer TPS 5 (Touch Panel Station 5) touchscreen to deliver the control elements of the lighting scheme. A Pharos Expert Switch – a one-in-four-out, unmanaged ethernet switch that has four PoE-enabled output ports to provide simple power and data distribution – completes the system.
The LPC is an award-winning, all-in-one DIN-rail mounted DMX lighting control solution for LED lighting installations and themed entertainment. It features individually controllable and independently running timelines and scenes. It offers the freedom of real-time manual overrides, with the versatility of powerful show control and integration features. It also boasts a compact form and has minimal power requirements.
The TPS offers an interface with a customizable, capacitive touch screen, compatible with any Pharos Designer controller. With a unique and innovative universal mounting solution, the TPS is easy to wall-mount into any installation.
A customized web interface allows for personnel from Transport Management Centre (TMC) of Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to trigger the lighting shows remotely, via fiber link.
The lighting shows were designed by Coolon and feature 14 color presets that adhere to regulations set by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and TfNSW. Each show is 10 minutes long, with a 2-minute fade transition between sequences to ensure smooth visual changes.
In addition to the preset shows, Coolon programmed extra scenes and shows that could be manually triggered from the Traffic Management Centre (TMC). An additional 25 distinct scenes were created to mark various special occasions throughout the year, such as Australia Day, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, R U OK Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and many more.
These special scenes not only enhance the bridge’s visual appeal, but they also allow for meaningful and sympathetic displays that mark significant events and help to raise awareness of important causes. The ability to manually trigger these scenes from the TMC ensures flexibility and timely responsiveness to various events, allowing the bridge play an important cultural and societal role, both locally and internationally.
To enhance the functionality and responsiveness of the lighting system, Coolon implemented an astronomical clock to automate the triggering of scenes. This feature ensures that shows are activated at different times of the year based on seasonal requirements, providing a dynamic and adaptable lighting display that aligns with natural changes in daylight and seasonal conditions.
The colors illuminating the bridge are uniform in appearance, thanks to Spectrum’s quad-chip LED that allows precise color mixing to occur in each diode.
Tony Symms, Regional Sales Manager for Asia Pacific at Pharos Architectural Controls said, “The Gateway Twin Arch Bridge in Sydney is an impressive structure, with imposing arches and a huge footprint. Offering a new level of connectivity between busy areas of the city, it has been very welcome by residents and visitors.
“The decision to make the bridge more iconic and a notable landmark is very positive. Through the use of a Pharos system, the bridge offers great visual appeal with stunning aesthetics. The variety of colors and different scenes mean there is always something new to see, alongside the event lighting that can be utilized and, when required, align with calendar events.”
Project Credits
Lighting and Electrical Design: Arcadis / AECOM
Urban Design: Conybeare Morrison
Structural Design: BG&E
Constructor: John Holland / Seymour Whyte
Lighting Manufacturer: Jadecross Lighting Solutions / Coolon LED Lighting
Pharos Control integrator: Coolon LED Lighting
Lighting Controls: Pharos Architectural Controls
Client: Transport for NSW
Photography: Jackie Chan
