Setia SPICE Convention Centre 

The project

Setia SPICE Convention Centre is in many ways a unique project. Located in Penang Island, Malaysia, it is the first hybrid solar-powered convention center in the world. Amongst other unique features like the 4,500 square meter pillarless ballroom, the building features a roof structure that has become an icon in the state and the country. The organically shaped metal and glass structure spans 120 m (400 ft) across the building to give it its outstanding appearance.

To ensure that the roof will look equally impressive at night, Setia SPICE Convention Centre envisioned the incorporation of dynamic lighting into the roof design. Now visible from the ground, the hills, as well as from airplanes landing and taking off at the nearby airport, the roof has turned into a true landmark, changing the landscape of the area surrounding it. This has helped create awareness about the building not only locally in Malaysia, but also internationally.

The project was engineered, installed, and commissioned by Originex Lumens. They are one of Color Kinetics Certified System Integrator in Malaysia, who worked closely with lighting designers and local contractors to help bring success to this project.

Challenges

The metal roof structure with its 1,600 custom-made glass panels required a high brightness luminaire that would easily integrate without being obtrusive. During the early design of the roof structure, the integration of ArchiPoint iColor Powercore had not been considered, so the space for mounting and cabling was limited.

Brightness was another key requirement of SP Setia and the lighting designer. The maximum distance from which the roof was expected to make a visual impact exceeded 2.5 km (1.5 mi). Furthermore, with the roof being visible from the ground the viewing angles of the luminaire had to be very wide.

Positioned proudly behind the iconic roof structure is the Pearl Crown, a part of a Louvre-inspired pyramid which is also part of the recreational roof park. This Pearl had to be equally bright and colorful.

Results

ArchiPoint was found to match the many requirements of the project. The modular housing of the luminaire and its flexible mounting base allows it to be integrated on to the steel structure of the iconic roof. Powercore technology provides the capability of all luminaires being wired using a standard 4-core mains cable, allowing for long run lengths and flexible wiring layouts. This resulted in a roof design incorporating 650 luminaires, without a single cable being visible. In fact, the luminaire blends completely into the roof structure making daytime appearance unaffected.

ArchiPoint also lived up to expectations regarding lumen output. With a 150-degree viewing angle and daylight visible brightness, it makes the visual impact of the roof impressive from any viewpoint, up close or far away. The Pearl was enhanced with ColorBlast Powercore luminaires, connected seamlessly with the iconic roof in one system. To make the most visual impact, the roof and pearl required a control system that can create impressive lighting shows while being fully autonomous and reliable for everyday use.

Light System Manager gen5 (now specified with iPlayer 4) was the perfect fit for the job. This Ethernet-based lighting controller has ample capacity for large scale lighting systems and supports standard and animated lighting shows. The autonomous controller with built-in scheduler also ensures that lighting scenes are automatically started and stopped in line with sunrise and sunset. During special events, the controller can easily select custom-made lighting scenes for that specific time, theme and occasion.

ArchiPoint has enabled the Setia SPICE Convention Centre to not only capture attention, but also headlines and awards across the nation. For SP Setia, the use of customized lighting shows equipped the iconic roof with an extra marketing tool that can be communicated over their social media channels. These meaningful dynamic lighting shows specially designed for national holidays and festivities has generated more exposure and positive sentiments among the public.

Even though there is a considerable amount of technology involved in the installation, the system has proven to be highly reliable. With not a single LED luminaire failure since 2017, the maintenance costs are much lower than originally expected, to great satisfaction of the client.

Choosing the Color Kinetics lighting system has turned the convention center into a pride of the island.

"All of the world's famous convention centers have iconic features that make them stand out, and with this, Penang has its very own world-class landmark," —Yeoh Kheng Ho, Setia SPICE Convention Centre Senior Manager