Overview
Our playful lighting adds water themed accents, perfectly placed to guide the flow of visitors through innovative exhibits, inspiring imaginations, interaction, and engagement.
MAKING A SPLASH
In planning the aquarium facility improvements, one of the goals was to better guide people to move straight back and around the exhibits, instead of the current pattern where visitors tended to make a right and create a bit of a traffic jam.
The architect called for a cool, colored lighting feature to be installed in the ceiling to improve clarity and visibility, and illuminate a clearer pathway through the space. THEA Enterprises approached BL Lighting for a solution that would meet both the vision of the design team and the budget requirements of the aquarium. After careful consultation, it was determined that BL Neonview Pixel, with a strong glow output, directional chasing effects, and flexibility to create the curved shapes and contours, would be the hero chosen to blaze an illuminated trail above.
THEMATIC MOTION & COLOR
Creating wavy lines of colored lights, individually controllable, addressable BL Neonview Pixel emanates expressive motion and color while the directional pixel chasing action acts like an arrow, pointing visitors where to move to next. The direct view lighting simulates the movements of water, and pedestrians flow as if with the currents, beneath the soft glow from above that mirrors the waterway outline underfoot, balancing land, sea and sky.
BL Lighting manufactured each linear length of BL Neonview Pixel to precise sizes, and fitted every piece with custom injection-molded back leads. This ensured a perfect fit, keeping all wiring connections hidden out of sight within the wood slat ceiling. With DMX decoding function built into every length, external decoders were not needed. This reduced wiring requirements and provided a budget-friendly solution, and facilitated easier installation within the unique space constraints. Flexible mounting channels made the install easy, bending along every contour and securely fastening all components in place.
Additional accents were added using BL Flexform Pixel RGBW and BL Fixform S1617 to define specific areas around the exhibit space. BL Lighting custom prefabricated these in 2 ft lengths and a black finish, for easy installation between the linear slats in the ceiling. Delivering pure light, aimed downwards in randomized patterns, the unique zones are lit up with a subtle, yet eye-catching effect above. Internal decoders in each piece of LED tape made installation easier, removed bulky equipment from the bom and resulted in lower labor costs overall. The carefully planned placement of lights make wayfinding easier, better direct patterns of pedestrian movement, and highlight different zones around the room.
Both BL Neonview and BL Flexform luminaires used in the project have digital pixel chasing capability. This enables precise control and allows nearly unlimited programming options, to produce a dazzling array of lighting effects. The digitally addressable lights create amazing results from a simple chasing effect where the LEDs and groups of LEDs light up one by one through to much more complex effects such as rainbows, waves, popcorning and strobing patterns.
A customized control system was created with remote access capability; BL Lighting technicians guided the on-site team through installation and setup, readily available to remotely support the installation and commissioning at every step of the way. BL Lighting controls techs created the custom programming and demonstrated how to change scenes and choose effects on site, delivering excellent customer service and support for a successful light up.
DANCE WITH THE WAVES, MOVE WITH THE SEA
Jenkinson’s Aquarium is a popular educational and recreational resource, located on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. Since June of 1991, the aquarium has been dedicated to educating the public on all aspects of marine life and conservation. The upgrades make the aquarium much more inviting and accessible. Navigating the space is easier, and visitors no longer bottleneck, and flow freely throughout the exhibit space. Our overhead lighting helps to activate an immersive and mesmerizing experience, emphasizing the relationship that water plays within the aquarium, while functionally lighting the way to enjoy a fun, one-of-a-kind experience.
