Nestled along the vibrant shoreline of Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, the iconic Belmond Copacabana Palace has stood proudly for a century since its inauguration in 1923. This historic hotel offers all the amenities one would expect from a premier holiday destination, including comfortable rooms, a spacious swimming pool, and a selection of dining and drinking establishments.
Over the years, this venerable establishment has undergone numerous improvements, renovations, and refurbishments to maintain its grandeur. Most recently, the hotel’s façade underwent a stunning transformation to commemorate its centenary.
The task of rejuvenating the façade fell to LD Studio, a distinguished design and lighting company led by architect and certified lighting designer Monica Luz Lobo. LD Studio embarked on a project that seamlessly blended the hotel’s rich tradition with a contemporary aesthetic.
To ensure the project’s success, LD Studio sought a reliable LED manufacturer capable of bringing their vision to life. Monica selected a range of solutions from the renowned LED specialist, Tryka.
The newly illuminated façade features a combination of Tryka’s architectural lighting solutions, including Stripline45, Stripline AG, Aura 5, and Aura 7. Stripline is a series of high-end linear fixtures designed for outdoor use, boasting an IP rating of 66. Aura, on the other hand, is a family of architectural accent fixtures ideal for highlighting the building’s features and details.
Custom glare shields, designed and provided by Tryka, were employed for both Stripline and Aura fixtures, housing the LED drivers. These shields were finished in a custom-selected RAL color to match the façade’s design and shade.
For the Stripline luminaires, Tryka incorporated an integral DMC IC with a remote 24C driver, cleverly integrated into the glare shield. This design ensures ease of servicing and maintenance for such a large-scale installation.
To add the finishing touches, Tryka’s flexible linear Continuity T was utilized. Some areas of the building required a standard profile, while others needed an L-shaped profile. The Continuity T offered an ideal solution, allowing wall-mounting with the option for the light to wash up or down, rather than pointing outward.
All of Tryka’s solutions feature RGB+27K lighting, a crucial specification as it was the only manufacturer capable of providing the required 2700K for the white channel in conjunction with the desired RGB outputs.
One of the project’s biggest challenges was the tight timeframe for such extensive work. This necessitated all project partners to be agile and adapt their processes to meet the demanding schedule. Ultimately, they successfully completed the project within the tight deadline, breathing new life into the Copacabana Palace Hotel.
Monica Luz Lobo expressed her satisfaction with the collaborative effort: “The success of this project, especially given the short deadline, relied on all partners working symbiotically. Tryka was an excellent choice of manufacturer; working alongside us to fulfill everything we needed. We built such an excellent working relationship with their team, it felt as though we had known each other for years.”
The newly illuminated façade ensures that the hotel’s beauty and renowned architecture can be appreciated even after dark. At night, the details and unique elements of the building are elegantly revealed through carefully designed lighting.
A sophisticated control system has been commissioned to illuminate the façade in various colors and themes. All luminaires are individually addressed on a DMX system, controlled by an LPC2 from Pharos Architectural Controls, and operated through an iPad touch interface. This allows for personalized color schemes and patterns to match different occasions, from international celebrations like Christmas and New Year to national events such as Carnival.
In addition to the new lighting, the façade has been painstakingly restored to recapture its original look and feel from a century ago. The façade now boasts a unique shade of pearly white, meticulously restored windows, and a return to the original shade for handrails and vertical structures.
This transformative overhaul ensures that the Copacabana Palace Hotel remains a vibrant and appealing destination, perfectly reflecting the optimism and vibrancy of Rio itself. As Monica concluded, “The Copacabana Palace Hotel is undoubtedly glamorous and sophisticated, yet it represents a piece of all of us. It celebrates Rio as a city, the Brazilian way of life, our history, and our future. As a must-see destination for visitors to Rio, we are thrilled to have been part of this beautiful project.”
