In pictures: GVA Lighting makes colourful statement abroad
Some of the Mississauga manufacturer's most striking architectural lighting projects - in Kerala, India; Minsk; Hong Kong and Toronto
In southern India, the Parnasala – a marble lotus-shaped prayer hall in the state of Kerala – opened in 2010 as a new place of public worship at the Santhigiri Ashram, which was already a popular destination for spiritual tourists.
Built to promote world peace and religious harmony, the new structure serves as the final resting place for the body of the Ashram’s founder. Advances in architectural lighting allow the structure stand out against the night sky. LED lighting provided by Canada’s GVA Lighting illuminates both the interior and exterior surfaces of the lotus structure. The lighting concept was developed by Indian cinematographer S. Kumar and 3S International Inc.
Already a place of spiritual pilgrimage, the colourful lotus-shaped prayer hall has proven popular, drawing huge crowds. ‘With my international background and my personal interest in seeing different places and getting to know different cultures, it just made sense that I would want to make international sales,’ says Vladimir Grigorik, founder and CEO of GVA, who emigrated to Mississauga from Minsk.
In his homeland of Belarus, Mr. Grigorik’s firm also supplied the LED lighting for a multi-use entertainment and sports complex.
The 15,000-seat Minsk Arena is part of a unique sports complex consisting of a velodrome, speed-skating oval and a hockey arena.
In Hong Kong, GVA Lighting was called upon to illuminate City Hall for what the Guinness Book of World Records has named the ‘Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show’ in the world. Forty-four key buildings on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon are illuminated with lasers and colourful changing lights.
Being one of the smallest and oldest buildings in the show, City Hall’s light installation needed to more spectacular. Installed on the exterior of the building, at the bottom of each window, GVA Lighting Inc.’s STR9-RGB luminaires project upward, illuminating each window frame and bringing colour to the entire building facade. The luminaires are also installed in the building’s interior stairwells, illuminating each flight for added effect.
In Toronto, GVA Lighting’s latest project was unveiled in September on the downtown campus of Ryerson University. The Image Arts Centre, a home for a new photography gallery and a place of study for new media students, glows at night.
‘Some people call it archi-tainment, architecture as a form of entertainment,’ Mr. Grigorik says. ‘It’s a beautification of cities and it can make architecture even more attractive and striking’ as it did when combined with Ryerson’s conversion of a former beer warehouse.