Philips Lighting, a Royal Philips company and global leader in lighting, has transformed two iconic Spanish landmarks with its innovative cloud-based connected lighting.

A panorama view of  the CEPSA Tower in Spainish capital Madrid. (All photos courtesy of Philips)

The CEPSA Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Spain, and Baño de la Cava, a World Heritage site in Toledo, have both adopted pioneering connected LED lighting systems.

The CEPSA Tower seen up close.

Both are operated using Philips ActiveSite, a cloud-based connected lighting management platform that allows architectural LED lighting systems to be monitored, maintained, and managed from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. It means both landmarks – one a modern skyscraper and the other a historic site - can be illuminated in a plethora of colors and dazzling light effects and content changed on the go at any time. Also, the Philips LED lighting system is anticipated to be up to 75% more energy efficient than traditional lighting technologies. Philips ActiveSite is also being used by iconic landmarks around the world including the San Francisco Bay Bridge and the Allianz Arena, home to FC Bayern Munich.

The CEPSA Tower lighting design was by Marc Largent of Magic Monkey.

Illuminating the skyline
The CEPSA Tower, the second tallest skyscraper in the heart of the Spanish capital, has been fitted with more than 2,500 Philips ColorKinetics ColorBlast Powercore light fixtures. With rich, saturated colors and innovative controls, the Spanish energy company’s HQ can dominate the night skyline with breathtaking light shows, reflect its brand, and also celebrate special dates and events.

The lighting design, by Marc Largent of urban communication experts Magic Monkey, also incorporates ActiveSite which monitors the system around the clock. This means maintenance crews can be directed to the exact location of any issues, minimizing time and cost.

“With connected lighting on the façade of our Madrid HQ, we can make a bold statement on the city skyline,” said Jonathan Keeling, Brand, Advertising and Sponsorship Manager at CEPSA. “It gives us the flexibility to schedule captivating light shows and tailor effects at any time and from anywhere, which has proved particularly useful during weekends and holidays as we don’t need to have controllers onsite.”

Historic building Baño de la Cava in Toledo, Spain glowing under Philips smart lights.

Beautifying the landscape
The Philips ActiveSite connected lighting management platform is equally suited to historic buildings, as demonstrated by the transformation of Baño de la Cava in Toledo.

The 12th century monument – once the site of an ancient Moorish bridge – is now highlighted with captivating light effects designed to enhance its beauty and support tourism. The results have already been impressive, with the number of visitors up 17% during the most recent holidays, according to the Toledo Tourist Bureau.

The City Council opted for the Philips ActiveSite connected lighting management platform with Philips Color Kinetics’ LED lighting fixtures so they could enjoy the versatility of static lighting as well as dynamic light shows, without the need to be on-site to initiate changes. The software also allows for users to proactively schedule shows ahead of time for holidays and special events. Authorized users can simply login and remotely manage the lighting in real-time using their laptop or tablet. Also, the smart remote diagnostic capabilities enable the precise location of an issue, such as damage to electrical circuit, to be pinpointed for maintenance crews.

Historic building Baño de la Cava in Toledo, Spain's new night time lighting viewed from afar.

Software as a Service
Because Philips ActiveSite is a web-based, cloud-hosted software as a service (SaaS) platform, it allows for access to installations from anywhere where there is an internet connection, even from tablet devices. In addition, there is minimal investment in hardware or software costs and bug fixes, and new features are seamlessly updated to the software, eliminating many of the challenges and costs associated with lighting management systems. 

Authorized users can monitor multiple lighting installations from a single dashboard, where they can configure email alerts for notification of system anomalies or perform data analytics for historic system performance. Users can also be informed of current and historic system behavior by status and summary reports and with a built-in digitized Asset Management feature, asset activities can be tracked over its lifespan.

Philips Lighting will showcase truly pioneering lighting innovations at Light + Building 2016, the world’s leading trade fair for lighting in Frankfurt, Germany. Please visit our stand at Messe Frankfurt, Hall 0: Forum.