Some of Color Kinetics' more recent local installations include Bank of America Pavilion, Boston Hyatt Downtown, Hyatt Regency Cambridge, Westin Boston Waterfront, Rustic Kitchen, and Sushi-Teq at the new InterContinental Boston. Its intelligent LED lighting systems also generate colour and dynamic lighting effects in multiple locations within TD Banknorth Garden, Boston's premier sports and entertainment arena. These and other installations exhibit both the versatile aesthetics of digitally controllable LED sources and their ability to curb strain on energy resources and the environment.
As elsewhere in the country and around the world, 'green' initiatives are gaining steam locally. In March, the city of Cambridge launched a $70m energy efficiency programme with an initial goal of reducing half of the city's 23,000 buildings' electricity use by 14 percent during peak hours and 10 percent during non-peak hours. In April Governor Deval Patrick announced that the State House will replace its 1,000 incandescent bulbs with more efficient compact fluorescent (CFL) sources, and a number of proposed bills related to 'green building' are now pending.
Locally, Color KInetics is collaborating with the Green Restaurant Association and is in discussions with several universities to potentially create an LED campus or 'living lab' for energy-efficient lighting. In August the company will open its new corporate headquarters in Burlington, MA, which is being designed to meet green lighting standards using primarily LED sources. Additionally, Color Kinetics will participate in the next US. Department of Energy Solid-State Lighting Workshop, which is slated to take place in Boston in July.
"Our home base of Boston is an excellent example of the growing adoption of LED lighting in major cities - particularly for colour and dynamic visual effects that are being specified more frequently, and increasingly for certain white light applications as well," said Bill Sims, president and CEO, Color Kinetics. "Whether in retail shops, theatres, restaurants, hotels or entertainment venues, Boston residents and visitors are experiencing the impact of our LED lighting technology on a regular basis - the same underlying technology that we believe has the potential to ultimately transform the way all of our homes, offices and everyday spaces are lit."
(Jim Evans)
