BRISBANE, Australia – Color-changing LED lighting, including products from Anolis, was part of the $34 million upgrade to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), the first major upgrade since the complex opened in 1985. The refurbishment project included new seating, lighting and acoustics for the 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre and the 1,800-seat Concert Hall, as well as new public spaces such as bars, cafés and foyers. Anolis was one of the brands specified for environmental lighting around the Concert Hall, Lyric Theatre and ground level bars.
"The choice of LED fixtures provides an overall reduction in electricity, and so, for many projects today, is an instant ‘first choice,'" said Blair Terrace, sales manager of Anolis Australian distributors ULA. "Add to that the excellent performance and effects that can easily be achieved with an Anolis LED solution, and the value proposition is easy to demonstrate – particularly in large venues like QPAC".
All lighting designs and specifications were by AECOM senior lighting designer, Rick Morrison, in collaboration with QPAC's Lighting Department. The installation allows the QPAC Concert Hall to change mood and theme virtually at will, via subtle changes in the colour and intensity of a series of Anolis ArcLine 36 Optic RGB strips. Morrison has made use of Anolis on previous applications as well.
At QPAC, over 50 Anolis ArcLine 36 Optic RGB fixtures are installed in the Concert Hall for roof and wall washing, as well as underneath the foyer bars of the Lyric Theatre and Concert Hall giving seamless illumination. Anolis ArcSource 7 Warm White fixtures are fitted over the tops of the bar for a glowing effect.
Using Luxeon emitters, the Anolis ArcLine 36 Optic RGB strip is designed and made with interchangeable optical systems ensuring that the desired effect can be achieved in the widest range of architectural applications.
In total, 14 Anolis Drivers are used to power and control the fixtures in the Concert Hall comprising Anolis ArcPower 360, Anolis ArcPower 144 and Anolis ArcPower 36s.
QPAC's Lighting Manager, Doug Brimblecombe, called the Anolis products "very reliable" and effective. A few strips were left over from the architectural project, so Brimblecombe decided to purchase some extra controllers and make them available to the venues as part of their theatrical equipment inventory. Their compact dimensions help them fit into sets and scenic elements where other products would not.
A recent example of its use in this context was for the production of Eurobeat – Almost Eurovision – under the main stage riser. "It was a tight space, but the Anolis strips gave the impression that the stage was floating," said Brimblecombe.
For more product information, please visit www.anolis.eu.
