Design Team Owners:Toronto College Park, Ltd. Architect:Joseph Bogdan Associates, Inc. Consulting Engineer:H.H. Angus & Associates, Ltd.

For 65 years, College Park looked like a black hole to a pedestrian-friendly downtown. Joseph Bogdan, Principal Architect of Joseph Bogdan Associates, Inc., was responsible for rejuvenating the old building. He wanted to "add fun to College Park and stay away from the typical stuffy retail center." By increasing light levels, College Park could compete with the entertainment and retail district on Yonge Street on the southside. In order to remerchandise this grand landmark, brightness and visibility had to be added to the building and the street. The lighting would serve as a form of advertising for College Park to let shoppers know it is open past dark.

 

Ian Galloway, President of Toronto College Park, Ltd., wanted to "see" his investment first. Ken Loach, Consulting Engineer for H.H. Angus, designed hands-on mock-ups to determine what aspects should be illuminated to achieve the desired effect. "The test is what it looks like when finished," says Galloway. In order to offer prominence from a distance, the sixth floor, otherwise known as the "crown," needed intense and uniform lighting so it could be seen from several blocks away. The window-wells, starting on the second floor, called for spot distribution, resulting in ground level attraction.

 

The KFL2 and KFL3 architectural floodlights, used with 70-watt and 250-watt metal halide lamps, were chosen to light College Park. KFL's photometrics were key to this decision. The beam angles KFL offers allow the use of 70 watts versus 150 watts, the lowest offered by other companies, resulting in significant energy savings. KFL's optics provide a definite cutoff to prevent spill-light onto nearby buildings. Four KFL2s were placed in each window-well, only 18 inches from the building. The three-to-four-foot high brass filigree in each window-well and surrounding the crown provides the perfect camouflage for the light sources. "It makes people wonder where the light is coming from," explains Loach. "Lighting should be seen and not heard." Loach explains the metal halide effect as "subtle, yet it still attracts attention."

 

Another unique selling point was the option to use color gels in the future. Galloway would like to add pizzazz to College Park, giving it myriad marketing opportunities to highlight special events or seasons. The overall intensity has to be correct in order to use the color gels. The KFL Series provides that intensity.

 

The goal was to provide a subtle and dignified, yet highly effective form of advertising. By using KFL2 and KFL3 architectural floodlights, the goal was reached. From May 1995 until December 1995, Galloway, Bogdan and Loach worked as a team. According to Bogdan, it was through all of their efforts that "College Park really shows itself off." Ken Loach gave the people at Lithonia Lighting a lot of credit and said he appreciates the support.

 

Galloway sums it up - "It's tremendous, wonderful! I like what I see."