Philips lights up the Empire State Building

The New York skyline is being made over, thanks to a partnership between lighting company Philips and the Empire State Building (ESB). Philips was selected by the ESB to help the building transition its iconic tower lights to LEDs. A state-of-the-art Philips Color Kinetics lighting system, unique to the ESB, will allow the building’s facade and mast to change lighting scenes in real time.

Since 1932, the ESB has used its tower lights to celebrate milestones, events, charitable organisations, countries and holidays. A simple searchlight was used to announce the 1932 election of New Yorker Franklin Delano Roosevelt as President, and the tradition carries on to this day.

Philips LEDs installed on the ESB.

The United States Bicentennial celebrations saw the ESB install coloured floodlights to illuminate the building red, white and blue at night. This led to today’s Lighting Partner program and the new Philips LED lighting system, which Philips says will enhance the program by making each lighting event more unique.

Like many other large buildings, the ESB is replacing its traditional light fixtures with LEDs. But the ESB’s lighting system isn’t just energy-efficient. The computerised system will allow customised light capabilities from a palette of over 16 million colours, including pastels - which have historically been difficult to achieve - in virtually limitless combinations.

By contrast, the ESB’s old lighting system had a palette of 10 colours and nearly 400 fixtures, which required a team several hours to change. The new lighting system will allow ESB staff to create and update customised lights using new energy-efficient technology.

The ESB lit up at night by Philips LEDs.

“Throughout our $550 million Empire State ReBuilding program, we’ve looked at every aspect of the building to make it energy-efficient and install 21st-century technology befitting of its position as the world’s most famous office building,” said Malkin Holdings President Anthony Malkin. “It is time to update our iconic tower lighting.”

“Initially, as we have both old-fashioned, high-intensity discharge and LED lighting side by side, there will be no obvious difference to the public’s view. But in September, when the LED changeover is complete, we will see some differences.

“We surveyed the market for the most technologically advanced, energy-efficient, reliable lighting system to illuminate the internationally iconic symbol of the New York City skyline. Philips Color Kinetics’ LED system will make our world-famous tower lightings that much more magical.”

As well as producing a range of colours, the Philips Color Kinetics LED system will create light effects such as ripple, cross-fade, particle and burst effects that were not possible to create with the old system. The system will be easily automated to create unique lighting designs and will minimise light spill, ensuring that light is focused only on the building’s facade and mast, while providing enough light to allow the building to be seen from anywhere in New York City.

“Lighting the Empire State Building has been a technical challenge and aspiration for us, and one that we have been working on with ESB for years,” said Jeff Cassis, General Manager of Philips Color Kinetics.

“We have been developing our LED technology to create a solution that could achieve the right light levels and design for the building’s facade, while keeping true to the building’s identity as an iconic symbol of New York and building innovation.

“The result is a unique LED lighting system that creates as much light as the traditional light sources that it is designed to replace, yet one that can be adapted on the fly to redefine the New York City skyline.”