Pixelrange News
PixelArcs color Gaylord National Resort
Newly opened along the banks of the Potomac, the Gaylord National Resort is the latest monumental addition to the national capital region.
With 2,000 luxurious guest rooms and 470,000 square feet of meeting, convention and exhibition space - it’s the largest combined hotel and convention center on the Eastern Seaboard.
Candela Controls Inc, specified and installed a total of 355 PixelArc R architectural LED luminaires at the resort. 200 spectacularly color wash the custom built light box rooms that highlight the four external corners and two towers of the building. The additional 155 are installed inside architectural façade light boxes located above the doorways on the inside of each of the four ballrooms.
The illumination of the light boxes was a major installation challenge. Candela Controls’ Bill Ellis explains: “We had to take into consideration the whole design of the feature rooms, how the fixtures would perform in the constraints of the environment and the reaction of the frosted glass covering the rooms. In addition, we had to provide a tremendous amount of coordination with other trades as to what the end effect would be.”
He continues: “After many tests, we recommended PixelArc Rs to achieve the desired effect. The boxes were constructed to hide the fixtures, provide enough space to allow the spread of the color and the walls painted white, so the light could bounce around the room.”
The largest exterior light box measures 20’ wide, 30’ deep and 12’ high and houses 52 PixelArcs Rs on the floor up-lighting the three frosted glass walls. Each light box is controlled via a custom built control system specified and installed by Candela Controls. There are 13 pre-programmed strings for the external boxes – including scenes that represent the colors of the seasons and specific holidays. The most recent was a red, white and blue theme to mark the Presidential inauguration.
The interior light boxes are 7’ x 7’ and are featured above the doors on the inside of the ballrooms. Each box is covered in an ornamental façade and can provide custom colors bespoke to the function being hosted in the ball room. All are individually controllable via touch pad screens and can be programmed to suit client requirements.
Gaylord National will be the cornerstone of the highly anticipated National Harbor project, a 300-acre waterfront destination offering world-class dining, retail and entertainment venues in Prince Georges County, Maryland, USA.
PixelArcs are UL appoved/IP65 rated high powered LED architectural luminaires. Available as self contained units with circular (PixelArc C) or rectangular (PixelArc R) heads.
Photographs © 2008 Bill Ellis, Candela Controls, Inc.