PROJECT
lighting
Florida Fountain Reborn Acclaim Lighting provides dramatic nighttime lighting of an iconic fountain. The Florentine-style fountain at the Breakers Hotel and Spa in Palm Beach, FL, once again greets guests at the front of the hotel under dramatic lighting supplied by Acclaim Lighting.
O
ne of America’s most iconic fountains has
benches. The cost to bring the fountain back to life was
lighting system is controlled with a DMX-512 for color
been reborn. The demolition and replication
estimated at $1.2 million.
and dimming options.”
of the 548-sq.-ft. Florentine-style fountain at
Focus Lighting, based in New York City, had the mon-
The Dyna Flood QW features brightness of 1,579 lu-
the Breakers Hotel and Spa in Palm Beach, FL, once again
umental task of returning the fountain to its glory days
mens at a 20-deg. beam angle, delivering efficacy of 26.3
greets guests at the front of the hotel under dramatic light-
under the night sky. The architectural lighting design firm
lumens/W. Consuming 60 W, the units are warranted for
ing supplied by Acclaim Lighting, Thomson, GA.
carefully analyzed the fountain to properly enhance and
five yr. and retain 70% of brightness at 50,000 hr.
The fountain’s magnificent, Italian Renaissance de-
accentuate its architectural beauty with light.
For lighting around the benches, Flex Tube SE, a
sign and breathtaking setting give the Breakers its exotic
One of the contractors involved in the revitalization
side-emitting, outdoor-rated, flexible LED tube in multi-
appeal. The main fountain at the Breakers was built
of the seaside resort since 1992, Weitz Co., with offices in
ple color temperatures, was specified. It provides a 160-
during construction of the current hotel in 1926. It was
Florida, hired Kuhns Engineering Corp., Jupiter, FL, to
deg. beam angle while operating off of 24 VDC and con-
inspired by a fountain located at the entrance to the Bob-
implement the conceptual lighting scheme. David Lith-
sumes only 3.3 W/ft. Flex Tube is available in color
oli Gardens on the Pitti Palace grounds in Florence, Italy.
gow, president of Kuhns, said, “Our main criteria was
temperatures of 2,700, 3,000, 3,500, and 4,000 K in red,
The fountain was created from designs by Italian sculptor
finding a high-quality lighting system that could deliver
green, blue, and RGB. IP68-rated and submersible to 3 ft.,
Leo Lentelli.
precise colors and perform for many years in the very cor-
Flex Tube SE features a UV-coated, saltwater-resistant,
rosive salt-air environment.”
flexible silicone jacket that can bend to a diameter as small
The cast-stone fountain consists of a central sculptural feature of four nymphs supporting two tiers of basins,
Kuhns selected Lighting Dynamics Inc., Tamarac, FL,
spindles, and a finial within an octagonal pool. There are
to provide lighting products and controls that met the
eight putti holding either alligators or herons alternating
criteria. Tony Plonner, founding principal of Lighting Dy-
The lighting system was installed from June to late No-
around the basin atop the corners of the pool copings.
namics, recommended Dyna Flood QW, Flex Tube SE,
vember 2015. According to Lithgow, the lighting fixtures
The pool is raised within a stepped plaza that is centrally
and DMX controls from Acclaim Lighting.
go through a rigorous salt-bath test daily at the seaside re-
sited at the terminus of the main drive just west of the hotel entrance.
as 4.8 in. Several mounting channels allowed installers to discretely install tubes under and around the benches.
sort. Lithgow said, “We were impressed with the construcACCENTUATING CRAFTSMANSHIP
tion and performance of the lighting. More important,
Unfortunately, over time, the ocean’s salt air caused
Dyna Flood QW, a high-powered quad-color LED flood
the guests at the Breakers are enjoying one of America’s
significant damage to the fountain’s underlying metal
unit that supplies precisely matched colors in outdoor
most beautiful fountains during the day and at night.” CA
structure. Cracks and pieces of the fountain fell off, in-
settings, was strategically placed around the fountain to
cluding some of the arms of the putti and nymphs. As the
highlight its architecture. Using Acclaim’s quad-color
underlying metal structure declined, it caused a failure of
technology, Dyna Flood QW has an RGB+white color
the cast stone itself.
recipe. Because quad-color technology mixes the colors under the lens, unlike traditional technology, the flood
Want more information? The resources below are linked on our website at commercialarchitecturemagazine.com and our digital magazine at commercialarchitecturemagazine.com/ digital/apr2016.
BEAUTY RESTORED
delivers more precise color matching, as well as improved
Recently, the existing materials were preserved or repli-
aesthetics where the fixture itself is visible. In addition,
cated, as needed, according to the conservation require-
each model features an auto-switching, multi-voltage
ments for a landmark historic site. The fountain’s opera-
power supply, and an on-board touch-sensitive menu that
Circle 8 on the Reader Service Card.
bility also had to meet current building code and industry
allows the color scheme to be changed.
Learn the history of the fountain.
standards.
“The Breakers is able to makes seasonal lighting chang-
Download a specification sheet on the Dyna Flood QW.
The opportunity to reconstruct the fountain also pro-
es without diminishing the architectural beauty of the
vided the opportunity to use new materials that water-
fountain. For instance, lighting colors are changed for
Download a specification sheet on Flex Tube.
proof the cast stone and rebar. The project included re-
Breast Cancer Awareness, Autism Awareness, St. Patrick’s
moving and rebuilding the steps and two bordering
Day, Christmas, and other holidays,” said Lithgow. “The
Learn more about DMX controls.
commercialarchitecturemagazine.com
APRIL 2016
COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE
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