Light is Money
Issue 37 - Dec / Jan 08

New technology and innovative applications are bringing internal and external lighting to a brand new level in Hong Kong. Jaclyn Liang reports.

Outdoor advertising is not an unfamiliar sight to locals or even visitors enjoying the visual smorgasbord that is Hong Kong's cityscape. Indeed, streets filled with cluttered and almost unintelligible neon signage have become an icon of the city, as have the giant company names straddling skyscrapers on either side of the harbour. As more businesses compete to attract potential clients through outdoor advertising, the stakes have been raised. Companies are realising that static billboards and signage no longer seem to have the same effect as they did ten years ago. That, coupled with environmental concerns, is leading to a change in how companies shed light on the passing public.

The rapid ascent of LED (light-emitting diode) lighting technology means it is now being incorporated into many different environments. Shopping malls, casinos, sports arenas and building façade's are just a few places where LED products are being seen. In fact, LED technology is replacing traditional advertising media, as businesses hope to generate more revenue by providing potential clients with a more interactive experience.

As the popularity for this vehicle of advertising increases, so to does the number of manufacturers who provide LED solutions for interested parties. Most companies offer a 'one-stop' service that includes LED lighting design, build and application solutions. Manufacturers and consultants are "promoting better safety, performance, environmentally friendly, and energy saving aspects of LED for lighting" says Mark Chan, Managing Director, Lighthouse Technologies.

Shopping
malls, casinos,
sports arenas
and building
façade’s are
just a few
places where
LED products
are being seen.

Green light
Aside from the advantages from a business standpoint, this type of display lighting also has environmental benefits. "LEDs consume 90 percent less electricity than other lighting fixtures and can last up to 100,000 hours in operation (ten years)," explains David Castaneda, Business Development Manager, Traxon Technologies. This is about twice as long as the top of the line fluorescent bulbs and twenty times longer than incandescent bulbs.

The LED's themselves are built inside hard casing and are therefore less prone to breakage and replacement. According to Bondy Tan, CEO, Lightscape Technologies, this durability allows for lower maintenance costs and is energy saving for FM. "LED's are solid-state devices with no moving parts, low heat emission, and are very energy efficient," he says, adding that: "since LED lighting produces very little heat compared to conventional lighting, it helps to relieve the stress on the issue of global warming."

Bright spark
AS LED's themselves are very small, they can be populated onto circuit boards that allow them to be applied to architectural spaces in different ways. LED panels come in modules, with different sizes for different applications. The flexibility of these LED video façade systems means that they can be used for a variety of applications.

One example of this is the Miramar Shopping Centre in Hong Kong's Nathan Road, which features two 39.4ft high indoor displays using LED technology. For these displays, Traxon provided a three-floor Mirror 64PXL Wash panel installation with over 9,000 individually controllable pixels. The panel can display changing colors, shapes, images, moving text and video content. Solutions such as these, explains Castaneda, helps shopping mall owners to make their development stand out from their more conventional competitors, as well as provide a more 'interactive' experience for customers.

Another example of this application in a retail environment is an installation by POAD consisting of two panels located on the corner of Lockhart Road and East Point Road, in busy shopping district in Causeway Bay. Reflecting the areas position as the world's second most expensive location to rent retail property, this is one of the busiest junctions in Hong Kong. The use of LED technology means that advertisers can increase their exposure by grabbing the attention of passers by. "There is more room for advertising creativity such as picture imagery, animations, and video. It is also more eye catching and has a greater impact," says Veronica Chow, Marketing Manager, POAD.

As well as the retail industry, the hospitality and tourism sectors are also taking advantage of this technology. Lighthouse Technologies provided the main panel installation for the Grand Lisboa Casino, Macau. The panel, resembling a giant television, measures 9.14m x 5.33m and stands just outside the main entrance. At first glance one could easily imagine the unit to be an LCD or plasma screen. However Mark Chan, Managing Director, Lighthouse Technologies explains: "one of the most important advantages of LED is that the colours red, green, and blue can be manipulated to give a trillion colour variations and a much richer color tone, more than LCD's and Plasma's."

LEDvertising
Full LED signage can show true corporate colors, offers the ability to programme and screen complex content to viewers. "Advertisers can easily change the content of the ads using software applications, instead of replacing the vinyl banners on traditional billboards," says Tan. Developers of commercial buildings along Hong Kong's harbour have noted this, as the huge screens on either side of the AIG building, with corporate branding scenes playing on loop can testify to.

LED is also replacing traditional signage on the rooftops of harbour-side buildings such as Star House, prominently situated beside Star Ferry pier in Hong Kong. "Currently, Prudential has changed the way it communicates its corporate identity and image to a video and animation format through the LED screen.Today, outdoor signage is not just a media vehicle for featuring static corporate names or logos, but a lively medium for advertisers to build their brand," says Chow.

Not only does this new technology offer greater flexibility of content, she explains, it is also more environmentally friendly. Static signage using either neon or vinyl billboards is both nonrecyclable and non-biodegradable, meaning they are sent direct to landfill, causing many years of environmental damage.

Need a light?
The process of installing an LED product can get quite complicated. The first hurdle is to secure a site from the landlord or building owner. Even if you own the building yourself, it is vital to note that not all locations can provide the space and cater to the specific needs of an LED installation. Issues that come into consideration when assessing a site include the solidity ratio and wind loading. Various stakeholders that will need to be involved in the entire process from start to finish include the client, advertiser, property owner, government Buildings Department, media agency, lighting suppliers, architects, structural engineers, façade contractors, and lighting designers.

As expected, the first consideration is generally how much budget the client is willing to invest in the installation. Then, together with project managers, architects, and consultants, design concepts are explored and rendered until an idea is solidified and put through to the actualization stages. A Chartered Structural Engineer must certify supporting structures and also proper ventilation requirements before anything is built. The majority of projects are mounted on frames that hold the screen together, however, the way in which each project is then installed depends on how complex the installation is. Software training will then be provided to the customer for control of the multimedia and video systems.

A brighter future
With a greater awareness for the environment in combination with changing consumer appetites in today’s digital age, LED component prices are becoming more affordable and are increasing in demand. “LED technology has made tremendous progress in terms of luminous, intensity, stability, and reliability. In the hands of experienced and conscientious designers, LED can be optimally driven and customised,” says Chan. While there are still some doubts as to the effectiveness of current LED technology as a replacement for traditional indoor lighting applications, when it comes to outdoor and large scale commercial application it seems that almost all parties involved will benefit in revenue from this rapid ascent in technology; a simple case of improving supply and increasing demand. RFP

one of the
most important
advantages
of LED is that
the colors red,
green, and
blue can be
manipulated to
give a trillion
color variations
and a much
richer colour
tone, more
than LCD’s and
Plasma’s

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