Bank of Montreal

One of the oldest banks in Canada, the Bank of Montreal wanted to highlight its Kingston location as a prominent part of the downtown skyline. With approval from the City of Kingston Heritage Department and special approval by City Council, the project was able to proceed. 

Part of a larger sustainability project at the building, the lighting design had to preserve and feature the historic aspect of the impressive building while raising its profile to complement the downtown City Square. LED lighting was chosen for its ability to be very precise and prevent nighttime sky pollution, as well as compact enough to mount on historic heritage stone.

Color Kinetics luminaires were selected for the project due to their solid construction, impressive technical capabilities, resilience for exterior applications, and expertise offered throughout the project. Color Kinetics eW Graze QLX Powercore fixtures, mounted on a lower ledge and spaced 3.5 m (12 ft) apart, graze light 7.5 m (25 ft) up the lower portion of the façade’s columnar features and light the architectural detail at the top of the columns. At the top of the building, the fixtures connected in a line and placed on an upper ledge around the three sides of the building illuminate 61 m (200 ft) of linear roof line. Parameters regarding installation and wiring were very tightly controlled by the Heritage Department. Hence, great care was taken when mounting the lighting onto the 100-year-old limestone.

The process of achieving approvals from the City Heritage Department and City Council proved to be the most challenging part of the project and forced the design team to deeply evaluate the design and effect they wanted to achieve. Understanding the wonderful possibilities of light, the team persuaded the City Heritage Department and City Council to approve their design and illuminate the magnificent building to create a true landmark in downtown Kingston.

“Our intent was to pay homage to the bank and its stature in the community by bringing the heritage building to the forefront of the town square. This was achieved in the most eloquent of manners.” Eric Tordjman, Lighting Designer, Mercury Lighting