ETC Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr luminaires front and center in all-LED Performing Arts Centre
Date Posted: 11/25/2014
The Jeanne & Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is a
44,200-square-foot, multi-venue building in Alberta, Canada, nestled in the
heart of the city of Camrose. Equipped with nearly 100 ETC Source
Four® LED Series 2 Lustr® luminaires , the venue earned a prestigious
level-four Green Globe distinction for its revolutionary, energy-efficient
building design and commitment to green technology before its doors even opened
in October 2014.
The city of Camrose is home to a blossoming arts
community and by 2012, the city desperately needed a new, large-scale
performance venue. "There weren't any venues within a 45-minute drive of the
city that could accommodate touring Broadway shows and large-scale dance or
theatrical productions," explains Nick Beach, technical director and operations
coordinator of the Jeanne & Peter Lougheed PAC. The primary goal for the new
venue was to be as green, flexible and technologically advanced as
possible.
When it came to planning the lighting system, an all-LED house
was the natural choice. There was one small problem: "LEDs on the market back in
2012 simply didn't perform up to the specifications of the venue. We decided to
wait on purchasing any LEDs until technology caught up with what we wanted,"
says Richard Schick, theater consultant from Schick Shiner and Associates, who
worked on the installation. "It was like stepping into the abyss."
In January 2014, ETC dealer Christie Lites contacted Schick, informing
him that his leap of faith had paid off. "I was told we could have access to a
prototype of the Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr and that we'd want to see it in
action," explains Schick. "I was excited that ETC had developed such a great
fixture," says David Neal, Christie Lites sales executive. "We knew it would be
the perfect fit."
"Before the Series 2 Lustr, nothing we found on the
market even came close being able to meet our 55-foot, front-of-house throw
distance," explains Beach, "and what we did find didn't color-mix well at all."
The Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr utilizes the x7 Color System™ with an
additional lime-green emitter that increases the luminaire's lumen output,
making whites and lighter colors livelier and brighter while marrying the two
ends of the color spectrum with ease. "The Series 2 luminaires are powerful
enough that we could place them in our front-of-house position," continues
Beach. "Most LEDs are only good for small venues. The Series 2 is great for
long-throw illumination, and outputs fantastic saturation and brightness."
Neal says: "My first reaction to the Series 2 luminaires was very positive. I
loved the intensity of the rich colors and how beautiful it looked on different
skin tones." The Series 2 Lustr luminaire's lime-green emitter also works in
conjunction with double the red emitters to produce rich ambers, straws, pinks
and magentas that match gel colors produced by conventional fixtures. "We needed
the best quality of light and color available and the Series 2 delivered just
that." Beach says: "Sometimes being the first with new technology can be very
nerve wracking, but I've never had a lemon from ETC, so we knew we were in good
hands."
Additionally, the Jeanne & Peter Lougheed PAC uses a Gio® console to
control their theatrical lighting rig, making color-mixing easy and fast. Beach
says: "I especially love the direct selects and the color-picker tool for
working with LEDs, not to mention that the RDM device management has been a
lifesaver." He has been working on an Eos®-control system since software version
1.2 and likes the changes in the recent Eos 2.2 software release. "Being able to
create stage 'snapshots' is an easy way to recall a specific look very quickly,"
says Beach. And in terms of hardware, "having more screen real-estate and more
buttons is also a very good thing. I can't image working with anything else
other than an Eos-family desk."
As the largest Source Four LED Series 2
Lustr installation in the world, the venue is able to save between $30,000 and
$35,000 each year in energy costs from the lighting system alone. And the
community reaction to the space has been overwhelmingly positive. "There are
community theater groups and dance studios that are already clamoring to get
in," explains Beach. "This was a big project and we couldn't have made this
happen with anyone but ETC."