St. Louis, Missouri, USA

LED lighting solutions were chosen because of their ability to incorporate easily into the existing façade — LED fixtures have a narrow distribution that allows for efficient illumination of the buildings horizontal elements with minimal spill light. The long useful life of the LED light sources allowed for installation in areas that would be too difficult to maintain using lights sources that require frequent replacement. Color consistency and controllability were crucial to tune the building's façade and surrounding environment. Philips Color Kinetics LED lighting solutions met these specific requirements, and thus were selected for the installation.

To achieve the exterior lighting goals, a single eW Blast Powercore was placed in each window bay on the north side of the building, articulating the four story vertical window slots and cornice. On three sides of the building, a single eW Graze Powercore fixture was placed in each window, creating a rhythm of lighted arches. eW Graze Powercore fixtures were also mounted in continuous rows atop the second-floor cornice to reveal architectural details that were previously obscure.

In addition to the white lighting, four color-changing C-Splash 2 submersible spotlights were affixed to each of the lion's head fountains in front of the building뾞dding a burst of color to this mostly-white installation.

Inside the building, designers mounted a single eW Graze Powercore fixture in each arched opening in the Great Hall to illuminate the arches and to spill light into the second-floor cornice above them. eW Fuse Powercore fixtures were concealed within the lobby's cornice to provide upward illumination at the entrance.

Other Philips products installed inside of the library included Ledalite Vergee fixtures, Allscape fixtures, and QL Induction products — making this a complete Philips installation.

La Fuente and Andert's top-of-the-line lighting scheme highlights the older, classic architecture of the building, while using new and cutting-edge technology, ensuring that the library will never fade into darkness.