PHILADELPHIA | FMC Tower @ Cira Centre South | 736 FT | 49 FLOORS

[R5Ryder]

None of the renderings I've seen show the west side of the tower. Is it just a mirror image of the east side? I think that gif that was posted of the lighting test was of the west side, so I'm just trying to imagine it in context.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by R5Ryder

None of the renderings I've seen show the west side of the tower. Is it just a mirror image of the east side? I think that gif that was posted of the lighting test was of the west side, so I'm just trying to imagine it in context.

Essentially the same as the east side, which means the lighting scheme will probably be similar as well:

[R5Ryder]

Thanks. While I do like the way they're doing the lines, I kinda think that this building and Cira would look better with giant spotlights highlighting them so they kind of looked like glowing crystals or something.

I really wish that the lights on 1+2 Lib, the crown on Mellon, the spotlights on BAT, and the spandrels (if that's what they're called) on CC were a higher intensity light as opposed to the super dull LED or whatever they are. I understand why they're doing it the way they are, but the city would look so much more alive if it was lit up better - especially during sports broadcasts like last week's SNF, which can serve to be almost like tourism ads.

[JawKneeQuest]

Originally Posted by R5Ryder

Thanks. While I do like the way they're doing the lines, I kinda think that this building and Cira would look better with giant spotlights highlighting them so they kind of looked like glowing crystals or something.

I really wish that the lights on 1+2 Lib, the crown on Mellon, the spotlights on BAT, and the spandrels (if that's what they're called) on CC were a higher intensity light as opposed to the super dull LED or whatever they are. I understand why they're doing it the way they are, but the city would look so much more alive if it was lit up better - especially during sports broadcasts like last week's SNF, which can serve to be almost like tourism ads.

On that note, I have a very old picture of the Comcast Center from the spring of 2007 where the last 10 feet or so of the crown were a very strong blue (its a very dull pink now). Any one know anything about why that was, and why it changed... Remaining permanently pink. If they have the ability to change it, why not have it match the rest of CC...?

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by R5Ryder

Thanks. While I do like the way they're doing the lines, I kinda think that this building and Cira would look better with giant spotlights highlighting them so they kind of looked like glowing crystals or something.

I really wish that the lights on 1+2 Lib, the crown on Mellon, the spotlights on BAT, and the spandrels (if that's what they're called) on CC were a higher intensity light as opposed to the super dull LED or whatever they are. I understand why they're doing it the way they are, but the city would look so much more alive if it was lit up better - especially during sports broadcasts like last week's SNF, which can serve to be almost like tourism ads.

The Liberty lights especially annoy me as well. Back in the late Eighties, One Liberty Place looked like a big Christmas tree as far away as the Glassboro area (if I remember correctly). I recall seeing it just above the tree tops across some farm fields down that way. Now they barely register in W. Philly.

[Arch+Eng]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

The Liberty lights especially annoy me as well. Back in the late Eighties, One Liberty Place looked like a big Christmas tree as far away as the Glassboro area (if I remember correctly). I recall seeing it just above the tree tops across some farm fields down that way. Now they barely register in W. Philly.

Well they sold a large portion of Liberty 2, so seems like the current owners weren't too interested in the towers anymore, esp. not enough to replace the lights.

They should definitely be replaced more often though, I would assume the comcast lights are always red because the plane lights are supposed to be red, the tiny red lights are washed out a little bit when the crown is any other color.

Comcast has no excuse not to have those lights replaced or on full illumination all of the time, I think they are the biggest company in Philly.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by Arch+Eng

Well they sold a large portion of Liberty 2, so seems like the current owners weren't too interested in the towers anymore, esp. not enough to replace the lights.

They should definitely be replaced more often though, I would assume the comcast lights are always red because the plane lights are supposed to be red, the tiny red lights are washed out a little bit when the crown is any other color.

Comcast has no excuse not to have those lights replaced or on full illumination all of the time, I think they are the biggest company in Philly.

The old Liberty (non LED) light tubes did look pretty bad after a time, with gaps in the lighting. The replacement LED tubes appear to work just fine, but are impossibly dim.

[jjv007]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

The old Liberty (non LED) light tubes did look pretty bad after a time, with gaps in the lighting. The replacement LED tubes appear to work just fine, but are impossibly dim.

Exactly, this is what I've been thinking so long. They're okay when you're right in the city center but so dim outside of it. They would shine brilliantly if they had good lighting. Philly's most beautiful building in the night is the Mellon Bank Center and not coincidentally it also has the best lighting. It shines like a star in the skyline.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by jjv007

Exactly, this is what I've been thinking so long. They're okay when you're right in the city center but so dim outside of it. They would shine brilliantly if they had good lighting. Philly's most beautiful building in the night is the Mellon Bank Center and not coincidentally it also has the best lighting. It shines like a star in the skyline.

Yeah, Liberty used to be amazing, like a latter day Chrysler Building. The pencil-thin, dim LEDs are a disgrace that probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

[MusicMan84]

I didn't snap a picture of the West side lights - but yes, they look like the East side. Here is a view of the North side I took from the Market St Bridge.

Untitled by A F, on Flickr

[R5Ryder]

Hmm... I hope the N/S lights connect with the E/W ones and that the gap between those is just due to the early stages of installation/testing.

I guess the inner triangle (the concave angled part) of the E/W sides is supposed to remain dark? Could look cool - hope to get lucky and see some of this testing in person.

[Arch+Eng]

Not really feeling these lights.

What will happen in the concaved middle portion since it appears no lights will go in there? That will look tacky.

[Human Scale]

Originally Posted by R5Ryder

Hmm... I hope the N/S lights connect with the E/W ones and that the gap between those is just due to the early stages of installation/testing.

I guess the inner triangle (the concave angled part) of the E/W sides is supposed to remain dark? Could look cool - hope to get lucky and see some of this testing in person.

The N/S lights are sporadic as seen in the early concept artwork for the lights in this post. Page 138 post #2751

[R5Ryder]

Thx. That's an interesting choice. Will withhold judgement until it's in prod, but my first thought is if they're going to break up the lines, it'd work better if they were moving east to west so they appeared to be "firing" out of the static lines on the north and being absorbed by the static lines on the south.

[Human Scale]

Originally Posted by R5Ryder

Thx. That's an interesting choice. Will withhold judgement until it's in prod, but my first thought is if they're going to break up the lines, it'd work better if they were moving east to west so they appeared to be "firing" out of the static lines on the north and being absorbed by the static lines on the south.

All the lights might blink or change color. But if they moved across the line they would be testing the whole line, not just the sporadic portion that has lights. Although that picture could have been taken as the lights were moving.

[R5Ryder]

Originally Posted by Human Scale

All the lights might blink or change color. But if they moved across the line they would be testing the whole line, not just the sporadic portion that has lights. Although that picture could have been taken as the lights were moving.

Good point. Guess we'll just wait patiently and see.

[summersm343]

Update from Building Philly



More photos here:
https://www.facebook.com/BuildingPhilly

[TempleGuy1000]

Nice little time lapse: https://www.instagram.com/p/_zfoTtJZPD/?taken-by=coryjpopp

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Update from Building Philly



More photos here:
https://www.facebook.com/BuildingPhilly

I drove by today on the way to Wanamaker's with the kids. You can't see it from this angle, but, from the west, the rising of the narrower core is clearly visible.

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

I drove by today on the way to Wanamaker's with the kids. You can't see it from this angle, but, from the west, the rising of the narrower core is clearly visible.

Agreed! It was very visible when I was on the Schuylkill Expressway earlier today!