The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Waves of pulsating Blue Plexineon create a new landmark on the Las Vegas Strip
From the street to its top floors, The Cosmopolitan’s presence on the Las Vegas Strip has been dramatically magnified by more than 21,000 linear feet of iLight Plexineon
Rising to the Cosmopolitan Challenge
Plexineon Makes New Resort Casino a Standout on the Vegas Strip
Lighting the exterior of a new casino so that it stands out along the Las Vegas Strip is a formidable task.
“It’s extremely challenging,” says Hervé Descottes, owner of L’Observatoire International, a New York-based lighting design and consulting firm. “To find your identity is not so easy.”
L’Observatoire was brought in to design the exterior lighting for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas—a 2,995-room, $3.9 billion luxury resort casino and hotel.
To carry out his vision, Descottes specified iLight’s linear LED technology because it could provide the uniform, thin line of light he desired, both in blue and in white.
Already familiar with the Plexineon lighting system after using it for a project in Hong Kong, Descottes adds, “I liked that the product was very slim”—perfect for highlighting The Cosmopolitan’s clean, modern lines, designed by Arquitectonica, the exterior architect.
“The iLight product was an excellent fit for the different details on this project,” Descottes says.
Built on less than 10 acres—small by Las Vegas Strip standards—The Cosmopolitan has a vertical, urban feel. That orientation is emphasized at the street-level entrance, where White Plexineon fixtures frame an inviting gateway. Like streamers draped from above, the long lines bend at points with the structure and suggest a curtain separating two worlds—the outdoors and The Cosmopolitan’s art-infused interior.
Descottes had other plans for The Cosmopolitan’s two high-rise towers. He wanted to create a sense of motion that could be appreciated from a distance, “like a starburst moving across the sky.” That’s achieved with different lengths of Blue Plexineon fixtures installed horizontally and staggered up and down the vertical expanses of the buildings. The lights gently pulsate on and off, from bottom to top, suggesting a wave.
Together, the two applications of iLight Plexineon are key to distinguishing The Cosmopolitan from the surrounding glitz.
That’s been confirmed by the positive feedback Descottes has received since the December 2010 opening. He says the consistent brightness of both Plexineon colors is “exactly” as he hoped.
“I’m very excited about it,” he says. “I really like it.”
“The iLight product was an excellent fit for the different details on this project.” – Hervé Descottes, Owner, L’Observatoire International
White Plexineon makes the entry an exciting gateway
More information is available at www.ilight-tech.com
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By iLight Technologies, Inc.
Dressing Up in Houston
Curves of Plexineon Add the Right Touch to a New Skyscraper
A new 40-story residential tower in Houston’s urban core is quickly becoming a local icon. Known by its address — 2929 Weslayan — the LEED Gold-certified structure includes 254 luxury apartment homes and 12,500 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Designed by Dallas-based RTKL Associates, it incorporates exquisite finishes and stunning architecture while providing panoramic views from spacious balconies.
Indeed, those balconies are among the building’s standout features, thanks to creative use of iLight Plexineon White 2X 4500 LED fixtures.
“iLight came to the table ready with questions to understand our goals.”
– Scott Oldner, Owner, Lighting Designer, Project Manager, Scott Oldner Lighting Design
The Design Challenge
The balconies are on every floor, and they’re curved — creating a wavy, organic appearance up and down the building’s gleaming façade. At night, those curves are accentuated by lines of Plexineon, which outline the edges of the balconies and form what appears, from a distance, to be a wave of light.
Scott Oldner, of Scott Oldner Lighting Design, says the wave effect was intentional — to compliment the glassy “river” that exists between the two columns of 16-foot balconies. On the one hand, it’s a nod to nature; on the other, Oldner says, “The building was designed by RTKL to look like a woman in a flowing dress, with the balconies embellishing it like lace or the lines of a corset.”
Whether suggesting a river or a dress, one thing was certain to Oldner: that Plexineon was the right product for the job. Having already used it in several applications, he appreciates Plexineon’s bright, consistent light.
“Consistent color temperature across all the fixtures was crucial. Tape in an extrusion would not have provided that consistency, Oldner says. Color-changing light was considered, but he adds, “The design was classic and costs were tight, so we needed to go with a static white look. To add a bit of eye-candy, we used the Plexineon fixtures to define the upper dress and another color temperature for the “skirt” at the bottom.”
The Plexineon Advantage
Oldner adds that another advantage was how Plexineon can be bent in the field, allowing each curve to “be just a tad different” — further contributing to the organic feel. He notes that bending the fixtures on site provided significant cost reduction, and the iLight team did everything possible to ensure a smooth, successful installation.
“iLight came to the table ready with questions to understand our goals. The lighting design needed to follow the architecture, and that’s exactly what it does.”
In addition to the balconies, a thin line of Plexineon also traces an arc inside along the lobby ceiling. From exterior to interior, Plexineon provides sophisticated adornment.
More information is available at www.ilight-tech.com
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