Systems Integration Asia – April-May 2018

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On Auckland Anniversary Weekend, on Saturday 27 January, Auckland
Harbour Bridge was transformed by the launch of Vector Lights –
featuring a ground-breaking renewable energy technology powered
light show that ignited imaginaons and demonstrated a smarter way
to power the city.

The cung-edge installaon was designed, managed, installed and
programmed by internaonally-acclaimed Mandylights, vividly
demonstrang the new lighng capabilies and a smarter way to
power Auckland as part of a ten year smart energy partnership
between Vector Limited and Auckland Council.

The audio-visual performance is made up of three chapters – the first
references Tama-Nui te Ra (the sun), the original source of energy,
and the second Hikohiko (electrical energy) represenng it as energy
and technology, and the final Hei te Ao Marama (the future world of
light) as an acknowledgement to the diversity and culture in
Auckland.

The pitch

The tender for this long term project was won by Sydney-based
design and producon company, Mandylights.

“We approached this architectural project in the same way as we
approach any light artwork, concert tour or special event design” said
Richard Neville, Managing Director of Mandylights. “Put simply, we
want to make it look cool. Our design, pitch and atude has always
been to eschew the tradional mathemacal, paint-by-numbers

Vector Lights on Auckland Harbour Bridge

architectural lighng design approach in favour of coming up with a

highly spectacular design that turned the bridge into its own unique

light show.”

Vector were looking for a way to illuminate the Harbour Bridge in a

highly energy efficient manner. The design had to be sympathec and

able to communicate New Zealand ideals and values.

“We needed to be able to show how we would communicate Maori

designs and tradional paerns through whatever we did on the

bridge,” added Richard. “Another important creave element was to

emphasize the connecon to the water. The bridge sits very low down

to the harbour which is unusual. Of course, it had to be cost effecve

too.”

Mandylights spent a lot of me looking at the physical architecture of

the bridge, in fact one of the first things Richard did was to fly to

Auckland to spend a night sing in various locaons around the city

simply taking in all aspects of the structure. He imagined ways to

accentuate what is already there, especially the unique structure of

girders that sit under the road.

“There's a fascinang level of detail in all the girders beneath the

road deck so we were quite keen to light that up,” he said. “We had

to consider that people can get very close to the bridge and can see

into all the gantries just sing beneath the road deck, so that meant

mulple views. Close up and personal, or from Waiheke Island 30

kilometres away, you can sll see the lighng. It was a big challenge

to come up with something that had mulple levels of engagement

and offered viewers a unique experience at different sites.”

Mandylights Transforms the Waitemata with 90,000 Martin LEDs

NEW ZEALAND INSTALLATION