Royal Philips unveiled the largest project ever realized using its Color Kinetics connected architectural lighting technology – a media façade and lighting design for the newly built VEGAS Crocus City shopping entertainment mall in Moscow. 

From the lighting concept, design and installation to the technical launch, Philips’ innovative mix of connected LED façade lights, light panels and HD-screens integrate into the interiors of the mall to imitate the vibrancy of Times Square in New York City. Selected elements of the media façade will display graphics, animations and video content in HD quality, turning VEGAS Crocus city into a truly spectacular site. Philips is the global leader in LED and connected lighting. 

Philips’ connected lighting innovations are proven to deliver competitive advantages for retail businesses as the flexible façade can easily be altered for decorative, entertainment and commercial purposes. With Moscow leading the way, the retail industry in Russia has been developing at a rapid rate and is now comparable to cities such as Abu Dhabi, New Delhi and Istanbul. However Russia still has some way to go to meet the current demand in retail space as it is still below similar benchmarks in Western and Eastern Europe. 

"The media façade for VEGAS Crocus City is the biggest lighting project of its kind in Russia. We used innovations that have never been used before in this market, for instance we designed a unique LED decoration using the latest generation of Philips Color Kinetics,” says Marina Tyschenko, Head of Philips Lighting in Russia and CIS. “This ambitious project included a media façade and a unique light design that mimics the shopping area of Times Square, demonstrating the growth of our business as well as our local expertise. That’s why we are truly proud of what we have achieved today". 

The VEGAS Crocus City media façade is the first connected LED lighting project in Russia that integrates into the complex architecture of the building and the ventilated façade. Using the same next generation LED technology that has been used to light world-renowned architectural landmarks as the London Eye, Empire State Building and the Montparnasse Tower – Philips iColor Flex LMX gen 2 – it features 16 million different colors, and can manage multiple media content from a single point. VEGAS Crocus City can broadcast text and images, graphics and color effects, commercials and online broadcasts for sport events, news, even the latest on traffic jams in the city. In this way Philips’ connected LED lighting solution creates an energetic atmosphere, helping visitors to VEGAS Crocus City feel as if they were on the vibrant streets of New York City, in the heart of Moscow. 

“We aimed to build a shopping mall which would not have an equivalent in Russia,’’ said Emin Agalarov, vice-president of Crocus City Group. ‘’The media façade and lighting decoration to resemble Times Square reveal remarkable opportunities in commercial application and for guests’ entertainment.”