Shanghai Tower, China’s tallest building (and the world’s second tallest), measuring 632 meters high, has been brought to life by powerful beams from PR Lighting’s IP65-rated AQUA 480 Beam … from 128 storeys up.

It was selected following comparative tests with other leading brands by Beijing Fengshangshiji Culture Media Co. They were tasked with finding a solution, having been approached by the builders, Shanghai Construction Group. As a result 129 of the waterproof heads have been installed on the top three of eight interlayers, installed in the body of the tower to store building cleaning devices. There are 43 fixtures mounted at each level.

The contractors have enjoyed a long-term relationship with PR Lighting having collaborated with the Guandong based company most notably in the construction of the Birds Nest Stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games, followed by APEC-2014 in Beijing, G20-2016 in Hangzhou and SCO Qingdao Summit in Qingdao earlier this year.

Owned by Shanghai Tower Construction and Development the skyscraper was originally constructed in the Lujiazui Pudong district between 2008-2014 at a cost of 20 billion yuan (US$3.14 billion). But the lighting installation was consider to lack impact.

The AQUA 480 Beam was seen as the a perfect all weather alternative … and highly visible — a fact proven beyond doubt when it threw beams from the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris during the recent French National Day. This is due to the powerful Ushio PR 480W lamp and large aperture beam making it perfect for long-range, razor sharp beam projections, embellished with a full range of gobos and effects.

However, first the fixture had to undergo rigorous tests. A spokesperson for PR Lighting said, “As this is the tallest building in China, the company owners needed to ensure safety issues when a moving head is operating on the building, The contractor conducted tests over a long period, concerning the quality of the fixtures and fittings, as well as a waterproof test, tests for durability and the power and paunchiness of the beam.”

One key point in specifying the AQUA 480 Beam, however, is that it is sufficiently compact to fit in the flexible lift where it can be concealed on the top of interlayer.

According to PR Lighting Senior Engineer, Mr. Lu, “There is small, narrow room, making it difficult to fit the unit into the interlayer; therefore a Davit arm was used to suspend the unit from the top of the building to each interlayer.

“To ensure the unit operates without interruption in view of the height limitation PR engineers reprogrammed the tilt angle function between 0°-90°.

Both the building owner and contractor are said to be delighted with the high impact produced by the installation. According to Engineering Director, Mr. Ma, "This is another great project we have achieved with PR Lighting, and we will continue to work closely together in the future, as we believe PR has more excellent products that will service our forthcoming projects.”