“Pixel Cloud” LED Array Just Might Be The Coolest Architectural Accent Light Ever!

Finally! A really, really cool application of LEDs in architecture! Lately, everything has been “like wow, we replaced a bunch of light bulbs with LEDs…hooray!” or innovative LED illuminated windows on a very non-innovative cube building, or “look more facade uplighting”. I’ve been waiting for a really “WOW” architectural lighting project to come along and this is it.

Seriously, you have to go read the full article, these “Pixel Cloud” LED arrays are way cool for large atriums, lobbies, concert halls, my cubicle….just kidding on that last one. These “Pixel Clouds” are made of pendant-like LED globes suspended at various heights from the ceiling forming a 3-dimensional array. Each LED globe is cleverly constructed of 24 LEDs in a dodecahedron (I’ve been waiting years to write about a dodecahedron for something) , with each LED individually controllable and each globe individually addressable via some seriously sophisticated software. The software and dedicated server can perpetually change the appearance of the cloud array even projecting images from passing clouds from a skyward pointed video camera mounted on the roof of the building. How kewl is that! I’m going to hit my boss up for one of these things.

Check out the full story at LEDs Magazine

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Solid-State Lighting Trashes Fluorescent Tubes

Well, at least in one way the just dawned on me that may not be evident to everyone and I am sure is overlooked when discussing the cost savings of switching from T-x based fluorescent lighting (you know, the tubes that hang in most offices) to LED based bi-pin fixtures such as those from EVERLED . By now your probably wondering WHAT I am talking about. I’ll get to it in a second. Fluorescent lighting still remains more efficient and cost-effective than LEDs but with technology rapidly catching up (check out my LED Development Blog for the latest news on that front. ) LEDs are proving they can compete, certainly it looks good for LEDs to take a major chunk out of the compact fluorescent market anyway but while efficacy of LEDs remains below that of fluorescents and energy savings a toss-up depending on vampire power consumption of LED controllers and manufacturers that misstate their LED specifications, one thing remains clear to me: you can throw LEDs in the trash. Try that with your fluorescent tubes with their Mercury. Hah! So while things like efficacy and the “real” energy savings are still going around and around, LEDs have two things working in their favor, cost-savings on maintenance due to their generally much longer lifespan and also cost-savings on disposal since you can just toss LED based fixtures into the trash while fluorescent tubes must be handled carefully and are considered toxic waste.

Working in the LED industry as I do, I’m not sure why this never occured to me before or, since I started this blog, why I haven’t run across someone else stating what would appear to be the obvious but I didn’t and so there it is.

Let the comments roll!