Reaching 121 feet above UBC’s central plaza, the Ladner Clock Tower has been a welcome way-finding and time-keeping tool for generations of students. Now, thanks to a discreet award-winning restoration, today’s students are likely to see this iconic tower in a different light—a blue and gold light to be exact.
At the time of its construction in 1968, each corner of the tower was fitted with glass in UBC’s official colours, blue and gold. In order for the colours to visibly glow at night, the entire interior of the tower was illuminated with florescent lamps.
Long ago, the University wisely decided that this inefficient use of electricity was inappropriate and turned off the lights permanently. By night the tower was sadly dark. Even by day the tower’s dark interior rendered the UBC colours essentially invisible – an unfortunate consequence of environmental and economic prudence.
In 2011, routine repairs were needed within the tower and Dave Anderson, UBC’s head electrician, wondered if recent technical developments might enable a better lighting option. He approached Department of Physics and Astronomy professor Lorne Whitehead, who studies innovative illumination systems, to discuss options.
The collaborators found there was no commercial lighting system that could meet the goals of having both uniform, highly efficient illumination by night and a bright colourful appearance by day. Rather than give up, they went looking for made-at-UBC solution.
Dr. Whitehead brought in two members of the UBC Sustainability Solutions Physics Laboratory: manager & research associate Michele Mossman and co-op student & engineering physics undergrad Andrew Strang. Together with UBC electricians the team developed a cost-effective plan to meet the unique site challenges.
“The clock tower restoration meant a lot to us,” Whitehead says, “because the structure is a centerpiece of our campus and it was an important early donation to the university. We felt it was worth considerable effort to achieve the original aesthetic goals while also complying with the best modern sustainability practices.”
The solution required 56 light guide units, each consisting of a sealed acrylic panel positioned behind the coloured glass and containing three energy efficient LED lamps. Each unit was lined with a high-tech micro-prismatic film for reflecting and spreading the light.
As a whole, the new system is at least ten times more efficient than the previous one, using only 200 watts of power, down from the original 2500 watts, a decrease of 92 per cent. And the bonus: for the first time, the UBC colours are beautifully apparent by day, even on a dreary November afternoon
The new lighting system is an example of the kind of innovation in sustainability research and design that is taking place at UBC.
“From a leadership perspective, the project demonstrates that sustainability doesn’t have to be boring or drab,” Whitehead says. “It also shows that faculty and staff can productively work together to find solutions that are not just efficient and economical, but also interesting and beautiful.”
The project recently received the Illuminating Engineering Society’s Vision Award recognizing outstanding lighting design projects. Whitehead’s team, and the tower, glowed brightly with pride after the announcement.
August 1, 2013