Illuminating the Famous Warner Brothers Studio Water Tower

The iconic water tower at the Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank, CA, USA is now recognized by its design, proudly sporting the famous “WB” logo. What many don’t know is that this tower has an important history. The tower was originally built in 1927 as an emergency water supply working as a source of water for fire suppression on the lots. Today, it still stands at an impressive height of 41 m (127 ft) and has the capacity to hold 100,000 gallons of water.

The lighting design aimed to illuminate the body of the tower and showcase the logo, while also shining light up the water tower supports. Due to its massive size and status as an emblematic structure, this project required copious amounts of planning to ensure both the circumference of the tank, and the height of its supports were illuminated correctly. When it comes to lighting an iconic structure like the Empire State Building, or water towers like this one, mockups are vital to confirm the lighting design and desired intensity.

This project features Color Kinetics ReachElite High Punch Powercore luminaires, perfect for bringing emphasis to the Warner Brothers logo. These luminaires not only provide the output needed to impactfully highlight the structure but, they also provide flexibility. Color Kinetics dynamic lighting allows for the tower to celebrate and commemorate important moments. For example, to honor the passing of Prince, one of the greatest musicians of his generation, the tower lit up in a magnificent, saturated, purple to commemorate his film, Purple Rain. The installation is easily controlled by Color Kinetics iPlayer 3 which is specifically designed to add new levels of sophistication and flexibility while also eliminating the need for expensive lighting boards and technical programming expertise.

The powerful lighting design helps this historic water tower continue to shine and retain its status as a landmark in the LA sky.