City, DMD use LED Technology
to Light Shoreline Sculpture
By Ericha Kemm
A work from Corpus Christi’s Public Art Collection installed in 2002 received special LED lighting as a pilot program for illuminating the Harbor Bridge. The work was completed recently on the sculpture entitled Orion’s Belt, located at 1068 Shoreline Boulevard to test the feasibility of LED technology for illuminating large public works. Financed with 2004 bond funds earmarked for lighting downtown, the project utilizes 12 “color shifting” can lights at the base of the sculpture. The color theme relates well to the wind-seeking sculptures, placed in the pattern of the primary stars in the Orion Constellation, but can be adjusted to any theme. The project was made possible through the efforts of the DMD, City of Corpus Christi, and Naismith Engineering who provided work free of charge.
John Vidaurri, Executive Director of the DMD, describes the project: “The Downtown Management District was recently afforded an opportunity to partner with the City of Corpus Christi to install an LED lighting system on the Orion’s Belt sculptures. Our DMD Board of Directors supported the partnership effort and our role in the partnership was to assist the City’s efforts to manage the project through to its fruition. DMD believes that in addition to enhancing the aesthetics of the Corpus Christi skyline, the project is an outstanding effort to continue the use of green technology Downtown. The new LED lighting system will be much more energy efficient than standard lighting and will significantly reduce the cost of electric service to power the lighting. The lit system produces an array of colors that DMD feels will add some very attractive seasonal lighting to our Downtown skyline.”
Terry K Orf, Architect at Naismith Engineering, states that the LED lighting on Orion’s Belt will provide 11 years or roughly 50,000 hours of illumination before burning out, a vast improvement over older lighting fixtures which often can not stand up to our South Texas Climate. These programmable lights currently run the “Aurora Borealis” theme using blue, white and purple colors interspersed with quick pulses of red, orange and green. An evening viewing of the sculpture, which is broken up into three sections, reveals to any viewer the challenges in lighting such slender metal forms.
Winds constantly shift the sculptures, making them a moving target for the LED lights. Orf explains: “The biggest trick was providing light for a 360 degree area around the sculptures, so we used a special lens that spreads out the light over a wider distance. Normally the lights reach farther out, but this lens shortens and widens the beam to accommodate our needs.” Another challenge was getting electricity to that particular section of greenbelt on Shoreline Boulevard, which did not exist previously. The Corpus Christi Gas company assisted by digging under the street for power.
It’s no small wonder that Orion’s Belt was chosen as a pilot program for lighting the Harbor Bridge. With the upcoming bridge project, which has been a popular citizen request since Mayor Joe Adame has entered office, slender metal forms will require illumination, and although the bridge does not move, there promises to be many challenges in store.
The Orion’s Belt pilot LED project is another in a series to redevelop downtown. Says Vidaurri, “The ongoing development and re-development of Downtown Corpus Christi is all about partnerships, whether they are public or private or a combination of both matters not. Partnerships provide the impetus for successful Downtown redevelopment efforts in communities throughout our county, and local partnerships are providing that same impetus in Corpus as well.”
Description of Orion’s Belt from the
Corpus Christi Public Art Collection Publication,
Lynda Jones, Author
A work from Corpus Christi’s Public Art Collection installed in 2002 received special LED lighting as a pilot program for illuminating the Harbor Bridge. The work was completed recently on the sculpture entitled Orion’s Belt, located at 1068 Shoreline Boulevard to test the feasibility of LED technology for illuminating large public works. Financed with 2004 bond funds earmarked for lighting downtown, the project utilizes 12 “color shifting” can lights at the base of the sculpture. The color theme relates well to the wind-seeking sculptures, placed in the pattern of the primary stars in the Orion Constellation, but can be adjusted to any theme. The project was made possible through the efforts of the DMD, City of Corpus Christi, and Naismith Engineering who provided work free of charge.
John Vidaurri, Executive Director of the DMD, describes the project: “The Downtown Management District was recently afforded an opportunity to partner with the City of Corpus Christi to install an LED lighting system on the Orion’s Belt sculptures. Our DMD Board of Directors supported the partnership effort and our role in the partnership was to assist the City’s efforts to manage the project through to its fruition. DMD believes that in addition to enhancing the aesthetics of the Corpus Christi skyline, the project is an outstanding effort to continue the use of green technology Downtown. The new LED lighting system will be much more energy efficient than standard lighting and will significantly reduce the cost of electric service to power the lighting. The lit system produces an array of colors that DMD feels will add some very attractive seasonal lighting to our Downtown skyline.”
Terry K Orf, Architect at Naismith Engineering, states that the LED lighting on Orion’s Belt will provide 11 years or roughly 50,000 hours of illumination before burning out, a vast improvement over older lighting fixtures which often can not stand up to our South Texas Climate. These programmable lights currently run the “Aurora Borealis” theme using blue, white and purple colors interspersed with quick pulses of red, orange and green. An evening viewing of the sculpture, which is broken up into three sections, reveals to any viewer the challenges in lighting such slender metal forms.
Winds constantly shift the sculptures, making them a moving target for the LED lights. Orf explains: “The biggest trick was providing light for a 360 degree area around the sculptures, so we used a special lens that spreads out the light over a wider distance. Normally the lights reach farther out, but this lens shortens and widens the beam to accommodate our needs.” Another challenge was getting electricity to that particular section of greenbelt on Shoreline Boulevard, which did not exist previously. The Corpus Christi Gas company assisted by digging under the street for power.
It’s no small wonder that Orion’s Belt was chosen as a pilot program for lighting the Harbor Bridge. With the upcoming bridge project, which has been a popular citizen request since Mayor Joe Adame has entered office, slender metal forms will require illumination, and although the bridge does not move, there promises to be many challenges in store.
The Orion’s Belt pilot LED project is another in a series to redevelop downtown. Says Vidaurri, “The ongoing development and re-development of Downtown Corpus Christi is all about partnerships, whether they are public or private or a combination of both matters not. Partnerships provide the impetus for successful Downtown redevelopment efforts in communities throughout our county, and local partnerships are providing that same impetus in Corpus as well.”
Description of Orion’s Belt from the
Corpus Christi Public Art Collection Publication,
Lynda Jones, Author
The Sculptures are placed in the pattern of the primary stars Ainitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka in the Orion Constellation at 1068 Shoreline. Fourteen stainless steel pavers, identifying the secondary stars of the Constellation, are placed throughout the downtown area. They are located as follows: Saiph is at the north end of People’s street T-head in the grass. Rigel is on the jetty directly across from Orion’s Belt, Pi 2 is in the center of the Water Garden. Omicron is on Mesquite and Brewster Streets near the Asian Culture Museum. Bellatrix is at N. Mesquite and Fitzgerald Streets across for the Seamen’s Center. Betelgeuse is located at W. Broadway and Waco Streets at the Old Bayview Cemetery. Meissa is at Rescaca and Tancahua Streets. Xi 1 is at the intersection of Lobo Lane, Chico Street and N. Staples Street. Upsilon is at Staples and Ramirez Streets. Chi 1 is located at Ramirez and N. Alameda Streets near Northside Manor Apartments and Chi2 is at Chipito and N. Alameda Streets.
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