 06/06/2006 - SYLVANIA and io Lighting Products Illuminate The Residences at RiverBend Condominium Project.
Located at a prominent site in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, The Residences at RiverBend is a 37-story high-rise residential tower housing 145 condominiums and four townhomes. The building was designed to give residents outstanding views of the Chicago River and the Chicago skyline.
The external appearance of the building was an important element to the design, since the structure is a prominent feature of the city’s skyline. Architects DeStefano and Partners designed the building with a concave façade that followed the meandering course of the Chicago River. The Radco Companies, the developer, wanted to find an innovative and aesthetically pleasing solution to highlight the elegant architecture.
“We needed a lighting solution that would not only enhance the unique design of this building, but one that would also meet our practical needs,” said Norman Radow, president of The Radco Companies. “LEDs are both energy efficient and have extremely long life, which helps us keep our utilities and maintenance costs low.”
Lighting designer Mitchell Kohn of Mitchell Kohn Lighting Design used 16 foot lengths of io Lighting’s extremely compact linear LED luminaire; line series .75 fixture, which incorporates OSRAM LINEARlight Flex LED technology, to illuminate the exterior of the high-rise. Each of the building’s floors is flanked by a 2-inch by 16-foot ledge, on which Kohn installed the fixture, which is only ¾ inch by ¾ inch in cross section, and outfitted with blue LEDs.
The very tight 10-degree beam angle grazes upward to illuminate 12-foot recessed panels on the exterior of the building. The result is both long life and energy efficient – the LEDs have an average rated life of up to 10 years with normal use and the fixture draws only 3-watts per foot. The lighting project was completed in January of 2005.
"By using blue LEDs, we were able to highlight, not overpower, the building's distinctive features. The subtle uplighting from the blue LEDs give the facility a contemporary flare without being ostentatious," said lighting designer Mitchell Kohn.
LEDs are increasingly being used for architectural applications. They offer major design opportunities for increased control and dimmability, as their color changing and control properties are unmatched by any lighting product on the market today, allowing the creation of more exciting and attractive lighting designs. The truly “mini” size of LEDs compared to traditional light sources empowers decorators to find new lighting applications in places that were difficult or impossible to illuminate in the past.
“Our mission is to revolutionize lighting by creating LED luminaries that provide innovative, energy efficient, sustainable illumination, and the RiverBend condo installation is a perfect example of the ideal combination of functionality and design,” said Ann Reo, president and CEO of io Lighting.
LEDs also make an excellent choice for exterior lighting projects where maintenance can be difficult and costly. The modules are extremely long life and fade at the end of service rather than burn out completely, which eliminates unsightly dark spots.
“The combination of our company’s LINEARlight Flex LEDs and io Lighting’s fixture was the ideal option for this particular project,” said Erik Moser, commercial engineer for OSRAM SYLVANIA. “With the wide array of LED fixtures that have come to the market in recent months, and the number of innovative products in development, the future of LED lighting looks extremely bright.”
PRODUCTS: OSRAM LINEARlight Flex LED system (Blue) io Lighting Line 0.75 fixture LOCATION: Chicago, Illinois
About OSRAM SYLVANIA
Headquartered in Danvers, Mass., OSRAM SYLVANIA is the North American lighting operation of OSRAM GmbH. Together we are the second-largest lighting and materials enterprise in the world, serving customers in more than 140 countries. We manufacture and market a wide range of lighting products, including automotive, electronic and magnetic ballasts, and precision materials and components for industrial and commercial users, original equipment manufacturers and consumers, sold primarily under the SYLVANIA brand name, but also under the OSRAM brand. OSRAM SYLVANIA also offers lighting systems installation and maintenance services. For further information, please refer to our Web site at www.sylvania.com. About io Lighting LCC
io Lighting LLC is a world leader in designing and manufacturing technically advanced, environmentally friendly LED based lighting solutions. Located in the northern suburbs of Chicago, io has been in business for 5 years and is minority owned and operated. All io product lines have won design awards, most notable; "Best New Product Of The Year", last year at Lightfair International. For further information log onto to www.iolighting.com. About Mitchell B. Kohn Lighting Design
Located in Highland Park, Ill., Mitchell B. Kohn Lighting Design provides lighting design and consultation services for interior and exterior environments. Specializing in office spaces, corporate headquarters and high end residential work, the firm has been creating award winning designs for over twenty years. For further information please visit us online at www.mbklightingdesign.com. About the Radco Companies
With operations in Chicago, Boston and Atlanta, The Radco Companies is a diversified real estate services firm specializing in development, investment advisory services and management. The Radco Companies has developed a number of prestigious properties including The Four Seasons Hotel and Condominiums in Atlanta, The Grandview on Boston Common in Boston, and The Residences at RiverBend in Chicago. For further information, please visit www.radco.us.
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