In the busy business district around Brussels, the need arose for a new, striking and sustainable office building. So the Wings complex emerged, the first office building in Belgium to generate its own geothermal energy and consume no fossil fuel.
In order to emphasise the organic shape of the building complex, it was decided to use smart LED lighting that was beautifully integrated into the façade.
Developer Ghelamco tries to be ahead of the market. Building a square block felt too ordinary, so they wanted to construct a building that would make a bold statement. They wanted a ‘wow’ project that would stand out in the night landscape, meanwhile showcasing the building’s scale and ecological consciousness.
The smooth lines and rounded contours posed a challenge. Very high on the wish list of Ghelamco was uniformity: the absence of visible transitions between separate LED strips and no visible light degradation over longer distances. With a total of more than 4 km of LED strips wrapping around the building, this was no easy task.
An interesting challenge for a new collaboration between lighting partners Neopaul, Inytium, and Vivalyte.
Based on 3D studies, some sketches were discussed with Ghelamco. To demonstrate the feasibility of this sample project, a large-scale mock-up of 20 m was made to test it all out and make the right choices for the production of the full-scale project. This proved that completely flawless light lines over large distances were indeed feasible.
Another critical challenge was integrating the LED lighting seamlessly into the façade, maintaining a subtle and elegant appearance. This feat of engineering was made much easier with Vivalyte’s Pixeline flexible led strip capabilities, allowing adjustments on-site rather than relying on pre-finished products from the workshop.
A remarkable achievement was the invisibility of the LED strips when turned off. When visitors are asked to try to guess where the LEDs are when they’re off, they’re almost always wrong. This is because the strips are discreetly housed in aluminum cassettes, beautifully integrated into the building’s design.
The Pixeline Flex is an easy-to-use RGBW pixel LED strip that gives lighting designers (in architecture, events, landscape, art, …) the chance to work as large or as creative as they can imagine. It is an innovative solution to known technical limitations such as decreasing light intensity and uniformity at longer distances, limited freedom of shape, high energy consumption and limitation to small-scale implementations.
– Convenient integrated design (silicone tube containing a LED strip with 2 extruded cables mounted on an aluminium bracket)
– Wide format (40mm) for bold applications
– Long run (20 meters or beyond, with seamless connection to next section)
– Homogeneous light intensity over full length
– IP 68 rating for all-weather applications
– Low power consumption with high light output (460 lm/m)
– Easy replacement and modification at any time
– Pixel-driven solution enables easy animation integration
– Perfectly uniform RGBW+ lighting
– Versatile control via DMX/Artnet/SPI
– Super-efficient, remote-controlled, dimmable LEDs
Pixeline’s programmability allowed for quick and enjoyable experimentation with various lighting effects. The Pixel-based control adds tremendous value. It’s not just about lighting up areas; it allows mapping messages around the building and creating captivating effects.
These discreet RGBW fixtures are effortlessly managed through a user-friendly interface. Users have the flexibility to choose from pre-programmed scenes or manually tweak lighting intensity and color as desired.
The control system offers secure monitoring and efficient management of the entire lighting system. Real-time adjustments and scene selections are easily executed without the necessity of programming skills. This system empowers users to finely tune brightness, color, and effects, allowing them to respond dynamically to specific events or cater to individual user preferences.
As Wings continues to shine brightly in Diegem next to the Ring of Brussels, it stands as a beacon of architectural and lighting excellence—a testament to the visionaries at Ghelamco, the design finesse of NeoPaul & Inytium, and the technical brilliance of Vivalyte. This collaborative masterpiece is not just a building; it’s a captivating display of light and innovation that leaves a lasting impression.
