Milwaukee Arts Center shines anew with LED lighting from Philips

Marcus Center, Milwaukee The fixtures illuminate all sides of the building, and each fixture can be digitally programmed to produce millions of colors and color-changing effects without the cumbersome use of gels, filters and mechanical color scrollers.

Conceptualized by Paul Gregory of Focus Lighting Inc., the lighting scheme is intended to mimic the beauty found in nature, incorporating the colors of famed local artist Georgia O'Keefe's work. Gregory and team were able to design a series of "light paintings" that bathe the building in softly blended color combinations at various kinetic speeds.

The combination of digital control technology with LED sources has enabled completely new uses of light that can visually alter an entire building with the simple push of a button. At the same time, the inherently durable, long-lasting and low-energy nature of LED sources allows facility owners to keep maintenance and energy consumption to a minimum for truly sustainable design.

Paul Mathews, the Center's president, said: "Not only have we been given a new face, but one that can be aesthetically tuned through color and light to coincide with performances, holidays and other special occasions."

Funding was led by the Milwaukee-based Argosy Foundation.