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Salesforce Tower Crown Illumination

San Francisco, CA, USA
Architect
Pelli Clarke + Jim Campbell

Front collaborated with lighting artist – White Light (the studio of Jim Campbell); structural engineers – Magnusson Klemencic and Associates; Architect of Record – Kendall Heaton; and curtain wall supplier Benson Industries to design and detail the crown lighting support systems for Salesforce Tower. There are 3 systems, each with unique characteristics and challenges.

The exterior Pixel lighting system extends from the face of the building and projects images onto the crown façade. Digital control of each pixel gives the system the capacity to project moving images. The extension arms are spring loaded to make the system robust against impact of the building maintenance unit or heavy birds. The system also features secondary support tethering to ensure nothing can fall.

The Constellation lights are an array of lights within the crown space. For people looking at the building while driving, the Constellation lights appear to move and twinkle as they alternately appear and become obscured by the façade openings and curtain wall panels. The Constellation lighting support system was designed to allow the artists to adjust and reconfigure the position of the lights.

The Filament lighting system highlights the tower structure within the crown. The filament LED lights are arranged in a string supported on a stainless steel tension cable.

Duncan Seinfield
Duncan Seinfield

Front collaborated with lighting artist – White Light (the studio of Jim Campbell); structural engineers – Magnusson Klemencic and Associates; Architect of Record – Kendall Heaton; and curtain wall supplier Benson Industries to design and detail the crown lighting support systems for Salesforce Tower. There are 3 systems, each with unique characteristics and challenges.

The exterior Pixel lighting system extends from the face of the building and projects images onto the crown façade. Digital control of each pixel gives the system the capacity to project moving images. The extension arms are spring loaded to make the system robust against impact of the building maintenance unit or heavy birds. The system also features secondary support tethering to ensure nothing can fall.

The Constellation lights are an array of lights within the crown space. For people looking at the building while driving, the Constellation lights appear to move and twinkle as they alternately appear and become obscured by the façade openings and curtain wall panels. The Constellation lighting support system was designed to allow the artists to adjust and reconfigure the position of the lights.

The Filament lighting system highlights the tower structure within the crown. The filament LED lights are arranged in a string supported on a stainless steel tension cable.

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