One Manhattan West

Manhattan West is a 5.4-million-square-foot mixed-use development by Brookfield Properties. Consisting of two large office towers, two smaller residential towers, and a 1.5-acre public park, Manhattan West sits between the west side of Pennsylvania Station and the Hudson River – an area known as Hudson Yards. And, according to manhattanwestnyc.com, “Manhattan West is not just a place. It is an experience. An experience which connects you to the new West Side and everything it has to offer.”

The Goal
The addition of Manhattan West to Manhattan’s West Side includes not only creating a new destination, but also creating an exciting new experience. And, part of that experience stems from the visual appeal of the building facades, particularly those of the largest two towers. Brookfield Properties wanted these towers to stand out – to be visible day and night from all directions – while also being able to easily coordinate and control the display. In addition, with one of the towers preexisting and the other under construction, the lighting had to both conform to the existing structure and not stand proud of the side of the building; all requirements which Traxon e:cue was able to meet.

The Installation
Traxon e:cue was considered by Brookfield Properties for the lighting of the two towers due to their product specification and performance, offering a turnkey lighting and controls solution, as well as their commitment to the proposed delivery schedules. In addition, Traxon e:cue’s service and support teams were able to build a sense of comfort and confidence with the Brookfield team, and in 2021, the lighting installation on the first tower, 1 Manhattan West, began.

Together with the second tower, 2 Manhattan West, Traxon e:cue has and will supply all the LED luminaries, mounting solutions, power supplies, signal and power distribution interfaces, and cabling to create a fully functioning dynamic lighting system. In addition, the entirety of the control system, from processors and network switches to monitors and equipment racks are also being provided by Traxon e:cue.

The system on the first tower consists of 960 total low-voltage (24Vdc) rigid linear RGB LED fixtures, with the overall system set to include 2,000 fixtures between the two towers. The fixtures are mounted on the building facade in vertical runs spanning approximately 64-feet in length. Each 64-foot run is divided into four 16-foot sections comprised of two 8-foot fixtures with one leader cable, containing 96 individually controllable RGB pixels. The pixels are spaced at 25mm intervals and directly visible for maximum brightness. Slim luminaire design minimized visual disruption of the façade’s aesthetic while careful consideration was made to accommodate the harsh outdoor environment of the installation.

Thanks to the selected luminaires and control components, the entire system can play both dynamic and static lighting effects in a variety of colors, and the system is also capable of 16-bit dimming per channel with 60 frames per second media playback. The control system seamlessly integrates with the LED fixtures, storing video and media files that can be coordinated to play on both tower crowns simultaneously.

The Result
With the addition of over one and a half miles of dynamic lighting and controls by Traxon e:cue, the dual high-rise towers at Manhattan West, upon full completion, will be neighborhood landmarks over the Penn Station tracks. These buildings, standing nearly 1,000 feet tall, with lighting on the top four floors, will be visible for miles, inviting visitors to all that Manhattan West has to offer – from retail and restaurants to business and events!

Stay tuned for the completion of the second tower, 2 Manhattan West, in 2022!