One of the park's newest attractions is the Liseberg Wheel, a classic Ferris wheel ride that gives visitors a majestic look over the park and city as the newest feature in the Gothenburg night time sky. Used to illuminate the legs, spokes and carriages of the Wheel in dazzling colour is the latest in Martin Professional LED-based lighting. Martin worked closely with Liseberg throughout the project from idea, visualization and product choice to demonstration, installation and final realization.
"When moving the giant Wheel from its earlier position by the harbour to its new permanent location in the park, it was extremely important that we created a very visual experience," says Liseberg Group president and CEO Andreas Andersen of the Ferris wheel, now visible from the city centre. "The Wheel is our shop window to the city - and a new landmark in Gothenburg, which is why lighting it effectively was essential. Martin Professional made it possible for us to do that."
The illumination scheme for the Liseberg Wheel is made up of three layers of dynamic lighting: a general colour wash, pixel dot twinkle effects and moving graphic projection.
Used to decorate the Wheel in an energy-efficient wash of colour are LED-based Martin Exterior 400 and Exterior 410 luminaires mounted on four free-standing poles and at the base of each of eight support legs. Part of Martin's award-winning Exterior 400 Range, the IP65-rated luminaires emit over 5000 lumens of light yet operate at a low 139 watts of power.
"Energy consumption is something we always try to minimize," Andersen says, adding that Liseberg's environmental certification was an important factor in choosing energy-efficient fixtures like the Exterior 400 and Exterior 410.
Lining each spoke on each side of the ride is 600 colour-changing VC-Dot 4 LEDs. Fully weatherproofed, these individually controllable strings of RGB pixel dots add a sparkle to the Wheel and can work independently or in colour unison with the Exterior fixtures.
As a final layer of lighting, 1200 W Martin Exterior 1200 Image Projectors, located on the poles together with the Exterior 400s and 410s, are used as ground light to cast colour and moving graphics onto the spokes and centre of the Ferris wheel. The fixture's gobo animation allows for flowing projection of customized textures and effects, creating additional movement across the Wheel.
The customizable characteristics of the dynamic lighting system allow for a variety of tailored looks and expressions and can easily change to cater to any occasion, including special designs at holiday time such as the upcoming Christmas season.
Lighting design was a cooperative effort between Liseberg's creative director, David Schofield, and company Mediatec, lighting supplier and systems integrator on the project.
(Jim Evans)
