Lighting up Melbourne’s East End, Still Light located at 80 Collins Street is fixed with embedded LEDs that create a stunning visual that is a clear evolution from standard skyscraper exteriors.

With the tower designed by Woods Bagot for QIC and Dexus, RAMUS were designated to light up the facade, which they completed to stunning effect.

The tower itself is a 35-storey commercial building whose main tenant is the Macquarie Group. It contains a multitude of office spaces, a retail, food and beverage podium and a boutique hotel.

Containing some 43,000 square metres of office space, the tower is an imposing figure in itself, but the 1,136 metres of light conjoined to the facade of the building breathes life into its exterior, making the onlooker believe the architecture is moving in front of one’s eyes.

still light top

Composed in a diamond-like pattern that reflects and refracts photons, the project is one of RAMUS’ largest artworks to date. As Artistic Director Bruce Ramus says, Still Light was designed for more than just visual aesthetic.

“Still Light brings a calming energy. It slows the pace and gently beckons people back into the CBD,” he says.

“Light can be seen as a material, like steel and concrete. It can be an integral part of the architectural form.”

still light night

The work reflects the geographical standpoint the tower is situated within. Collins St has historically seen naturally occurring moments of light seen in the gas lamps that illuminate the street.

The facade features hours of visual content, with the lights displaying low-resolution animation with each individual light fixture programmed by RAMUS. As the light pattern moves, it shifts the buildings’ appearance ensuring a unique visual at any given moment.

still light ramus

Still Light is powered by RAMUS’ custom-built software platform called CORE, that controls each light fixture and integrates the content into a dynamic self-adjusting schedule that allows the building to respond to the different rhythms of the city.

Illuminating the Melbourne CBD upon sunset, Still Light may well be a precursor for future skyscraper facades. Moving at a gradual pace, the programming of the lights creates a living building that breathes with the city it lives within.

still light night

To read our original article about the tower when it was initially constructed, click here.

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