Archive for October, 2009
Case Study: Westin Book Cadillac Hotel
Sunday, October 18th, 2009
In 1923, three brothers, J.B., Frank, and Herbert Book, started construction on what would be the tallest hotel in the world on Washington Boulevard in Detroit. With its 1,136 guest rooms and five floors of public space, patrons could enjoy three dining rooms, three ballrooms a spacious lobby and a ground floor retail arcade. In addition, the top floor housed radio station WCX, the predecessor to what is now WJR.In August of 2006, a new renovation headed by the Ferchill Group of Cleveland began that would transform the long vacant hotel to its former grandeur.
Spectrum Neon Company’s role in helping to revitalize this downtown jewel included design, engineering and building the Westin’s new signs. The scope of this historic project included almost three thousand interior signs spanning 31 floors. A variety of materials and sign types were produced to Westin’s exacting standards for quality.
ADA and directional, aluminum and stainless steel water-jet cut letters and etched plaques were produced beautifully and on budget. Exterior signs consisted of two sets of 6’ high individual channel letters using .090 aluminum backs and returns w/ 1/4” Lexan faces that were overlaid with 3M Dual Color film that gives a black opaque look for daytime and brilliant white at night. The even illumination is provided by 4 rows of Tri Phosphor Neon and with perfectly balanced transformers, can provide decades of maintenance free operation with surprisingly low power consumption. Finally, 80 ft. cranes were brought in to hang the signs six stories high at the corner of Washington and State Street.
Interior Signs: If there was ever an argument for strong design when it comes to interior branding, the folks at Westin did a great job at choosing colors and materials. The guest room ID and directionals made use of a custom dyed 3/8” acrylic piece with polished edges to mimic glass. Contrasting inserts and copy provided a rich contemporary look and feel. To protect wall coverings, we used aluminum shim plates screwed to the wall to provide a solid base to adhere the sign to.
Canopy Halo Signs: With just a few weeks left before to the Grand Opening, we were asked to construct two hanging Halo lit canopy signs. By working with the architect we accomplished the task in record time. We problem-solved and built the hanging brackets as the canopy was being constructed. We matched colors and incorporated Westin’s strong branding while ensuring that the overall look blended well with the faithfully recreated canopy. Neon was used for the Halo effect of the letters ensuring years of trouble free maintenance.
As with any job of this scale, keeping open communication with the customer is critical. As changes were made and new signage was added, Spectrum Neon Co. kept pace and delivered on time for the Westin Book Cadillac’s Grand Opening.
Tags: book cadillac hotel, case studies, company, detroit, lighting, michigan, retails stores, sign, sign fabrication, westin
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Lighting
Sunday, October 18th, 2009
Let our experts explain the best techniques and practices for neon, LED and Cold Cathode products.
Neon
The best description of Neon and it’s advantages is found in this article from “The Neon Group” in response to a USA Today article from Oct. 2008:
Neon signs are not just for museums and collectors. Presently, they make up a majority of retail signage in this country (whether they are the exposed, boxed or channel letters variety) and have been in use for 100 years. Although landmark neon signs are considered a treasured American art form worth preserving, let’s not forget that neon is still the best commercial lighting system on the market when it comes to brightness, energy-efficiency, durability and environmental impact.
Unfortunately, with the recent rise of other light sources such as LED and fiber optics, neon has been under attack with unsubstantiated claims that, due to a lack of an unbiased comparative studies, have been taken as fact. So when claims are made about neon, consider the source of these statements and their validity.
Brightness and Energy Efficiency
Most people don’t realize that the difference in energy consumption between neon and LED is minimal and, in most cases, non-existent. What is remarkably different is the brightness, measured in lumens, emitted from comparable LED and neon signs. For example, the best white LEDs produce 10-20 lumens for every Watt consumed while 6500K snow white neon produces 35-45 lumens per Watt, even up to 50-60 lumens depending on fabrication. To equal the brightness of 6500K snow white neon signage, the amount of white LEDs needed would actually consume 2-8 times more energy per linear foot, according to studies done by The EGL Company.
Durability and Environmental Impact
Let’s also consider how the standard life expectancy of LED compares to that of neon and the environmental impact of replacing and transporting LED lamps (often from overseas). The truth is that neon tubes burn without brightness or color degradation for up to 15 years, requiring very little maintenance or replacement. In fact, the USA Today article “Save Neon Signs, Fans Urge” references signs that are 60- and 70-years old where, in some cases, the neon tubing has outlasted its metal housing. In the meantime, the LED industry struggles to pinpoint what the standard life-expectancy of its product should be, but has pinpointed how much degradation in brightness and degree of color shifting is acceptable before lamp replacement.1 This represents a great liability for retailers who have invested in LED technology to illuminate their signage and logos.
Cold Cathode
Like Neon, Cold Cathode Lighting has the advantage of Long lamp life that typically exceeds 50,000 hours or more and unlike fluorescent tubes, no loss of tube life every time the tube is turned on. In addition, there are dozens of colors and whites to choose from with lumen capabilities of up to 709. And are completely dimmable with standard controls.
Cold Cathode also has the benefit of being almost seamless with the use of butted ends and socket fixtures and can be shaped to practically any shape or detail. In addition, Ballasts or Transformers can be installed remotely thereby reducing or eliminating any noise.
With the trend toward “Green Technology” Cold Cathode can deliver as little as 7.5 watts per foot and when longevity of the tubes is taken in account, you end up with fewer replacements and fewer man hours to maintain the system. That can translate into huge savings across the board for you or your customers.
Light Emitting Diodes (LED)
Like any other new product we use, we find that the only way to protect the customer is to test and compare. LED’s have a proper place in the sign industry and we are always looking to find the right product for your project. For small channel letters, Interior signs or Lighting with restricted space or stroke width LED’s, with their small size and remote power supplies can fit the bill. They enjoy low power consumption and brilliance while being very flexible and low profile. When determining the lighting source for your next project call us to schedule a Free Box Lunch with one of our In house Reps to help
You and your team to find the best solution.
Neon vs. LED
The great debate of LED technology over Neon has been driven largely by the tremendous marketing dollars poured into this product. To set the record straight, Spectrum Neon Co. has partnered with “www.TheNeonGroup.org” as a founding member in order to educate our customers and the public against the juggernaut of LED marketing. Check out the Light box demo clip at their website for accurate comparisons
Of the two products, you’ll be surprised.
Tags: company, create signs, fabrication, film, industry, lighting, michigan signs, neon
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Advantages of Neon and Cold Cathode Lighting As A Light Source
Sunday, October 18th, 2009
Over the last decade lighting has become a prominent element in architecture, particularly outline lighting and indirect cove lighting.
These lighting types have been used for decades to express and provide color, visual interest and a viable use of soft task and ambient indoor lighting.
Outline lighting which is typically accomplished through the use of neon tubing, can be seen ranging from small convenience store window decoration to architectural building outline lighting 30 stories above ground. Outline lighting is used to accent the architectural lines of the structure it is applied to. This type of lighting can produce a striking nighttime image of the building, bridge or structures form; which may otherwise be lost in the night sky.
Indirect or cove lighting can also be used to accent an architectural detail, an example of this would be halo or back lighting of an architectural shape suspended from a ceiling interior.
Other uses of indirect lighting would be to provide ambient and task light without the use of spot lighting which can at times provide harsh shadows. Indirect lighting is usually accomplished by reflecting light off adjacent surfaces with a light source not directly visible — such as placing the light source in an overhead cove and reflecting the light off of the walls or ceiling. Indirect lighting sources can range from incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent lamps, LEDs and neon and cold cathode lighting.
Fluorescent, incandescent and LED lighting are typically available in pre-determined sizes, lengths and colors. Fluorescent lighting although bright is provided in certain standard sizes and colors which may not lend itself to the size or shape of the cove or the specific color requirements of the architect or lighting designer. Even as advances are made in its’ technology the lamps require regular replacement which may not be practical in difficult access areas. Incandescent lighting although warm in color is limited in it’s color palette and requires regular bulb changes along with higher energy consumption. LEDs which are relatively new have limited light output with limited color palette and can become quite expensive for this application.
Two lighting sources that are becoming increasingly popular are Neon and Cold Cathode lighting. The innate advantages to this tubular light source lend itself very well to this application. Because neon and cold cathode lighting are custom bent “light tubes” they can be crafted to conform to any shape or size, straight or curved. This type of lighting has been in existence for decades and can be manufactured in a multitude of colors, sizes and shapes to accommodate any design.
Because neon and cold cathode lighting are tubular in cross section, light emanates in all directions along the length of the tube, avoiding hot spots. Many options are available for light output or intensity ranging from 30 milliamp power supplies for accent lighting to 200 milliamp power supplies for larger diameter cold cathode lighting used for room lighting.
The operating principal for this lighting relies on cold ignition which creates an extremely long life span. Some lamps we have removed from cathedrals for re-working were still operative after 30 years. This lifespan becomes very favorable when lighting has to be installed in areas which have difficult access after initial installation.
Newer advanced solid state power supplies have also made neon and cold cathode lighting very efficient. It is important to note, light should be measured in lumens (a measure of light intensity) per watt of power consumed. When a light source is said to require low wattage, care must be taken to evaluate how much light is being generated “per watt”. For instance, a light on a child’s toy may consume very little energy but its also not producing much light.
Along with an expanded color palette and shape versatility, this light source has a favorable high lumen per watt ratio which makes it very efficient. When designing your next lighting project, consider the benefits of neon and cold cathode lighting as a versatile energy efficient lighting source for many architectural lighting needs.
Tags: advantages, cold cathode, company, detroit, film industry, light, lighting, michigan, neon, retails stores, sign, sign fabrication
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