90 CONTENT IN ENGLISH 027 CD installed in the perimeter LED light, for the pedestrian’s comfort. The LED luminary is a Linealuce Compact model from iGuzzini with a potency of 12W/m, 12 LED per meter, luminous flux of 1160Lm/m i wallwasher optics i IP66. The effect enhances the architectural details, particularly the Catalan vault and the vertical mountains. It also gives a subtle plastic effect of grazing light on the brick wall, which contrasts with the previous lighting that was very plane, cold and created light pollution and distorting shadows. “These historic buildings were designed to be seen during the day and when you illuminate them by night, you make a surprising reinterpretation of its architecture. If you don’t have that concept in mind you illuminate as if it were a flashlight. Our intention was to discover CasaRamona’s architecture as a whole and make it amazing”, says the architect, Albert Salazar. According to lighting designer, Michela Mezzavilla, one of the most remarkable features of the project, in terms of discovering the essence of the architecture, was the light- ing of the towers of CaixaForum as if they were jewels. To that end, the lighting was implemented from below and integrated into the elements, increasing the intensity to achieve the desired contrast, and with a plastic modeling by accent lamps. A curious and precious detail are the his- toric lanterns, designed by the designing team, who re- produced them with total fidelity, even creating a special light bulb that replicated the light shone by the gas lamps of long ago. INTERIOR PATIOS Using the architecture of the building to their advantage, the architects proposed a complementary lighting system from the windows and skylights. This solution helped integrate the lighting leaving the space free of extra ele- ments. The existing skylights were used to emit different colored lights: red, orange and blue, the corporate colors of La Caixa, colors that can be personalized for the mul- tiple events that take place in the interior streets of the museum. The luminary integrated in the skylights is IP66 sealed LED equipped with RBGW LED to create scenes in differ- ent colors, and at the same time, have the same tone of white as the rest of the lighting, according to the occasion. The out-put is 27Wm, light beam 1980lm lm/m and wall- washer optics. The light level can be controled regulating the light flow to adjust it to the desired contrast, making it possible to achieve a level between 40lx and 10lx. With this, the skylights are upgraded to architectural elements, a warmer tone of light, more in accord with the material, is infused, plus a more inviting ambiance and more uniformity. Improvements that stand out when compared to the condition of the previous inte- rior facades and the patio of CaixaForum, whose light- ing was not uniform, emitted glare, did not enhance the architecture -the facades were dark- and had a cold and unwelcoming tone. “We were looking for a soft and constant light output that would go down at nighttime and could create vari- ous scenes. The lighting for a Saturday night or during a party is not the same that the light for any given Tues- day. Furthermore, using LED technology we were able to reduce the environmental impact and save more energy”, says Salazar. However, the definitive element that won them the con- test, according to the architect cofounder of AIA studio, was the proposal of a holographic projection of the star icon of CaixaForum, that would be beamed from the tow- ers during the inauguration and special days. The previous modernist building of CasaRamona is etched in the imaginary of its visitors, not how it was before, eclipsed by its surroundings as soon as the sun went down, but how it is today, a cultural enclave, emblematic of Ciu- dad Condal, looking good during the day as well as during the night, always telling a different story on its towers il- luminated as jewels and in its Catalan vaults. Something that the great architect, Josep Puig i Cadalfalch, would probably admire. Albert Salazar: “These historic buildings were designed to be seen during the day and when you illuminate them by night, you make a surprising reinterpretation of architecture”. For the main facade, the design team proposed projection, from urban lamp posts, and a grazing perimeter lighting system with LED, installed at the plinth of the building.