About the project
For a century, the Yekaterinburg Opera House has captivated both residents and visitors of the Urals with its stunning beauty and sophistication. The theater's façade showcases baroque stucco details, intricately designed brackets that support the balconies, and a sculptural ensemble of three muses that grace the main entrance.
Lighting concept and tasks
As part of a comprehensive restoration of the façade, the LUMINAR-engineering company created a plan for the complete overhaul of the existing façade lighting and the development of a new architectural lighting concept. The theater's evening appearance now embodies a modern classic style. We enhanced the traditional lighting solution typical of classical architecture by incorporating subtle color accents on the central elements of the design. Colourful lighting is vital to the theater's ambiance, so we aimed to achieve a harmonious blend of shades that complements the building's classical architecture. Through modeling, we selected three primary colours: gold, purple, and azure (the theater's signature color as per the brand guidelines). Each season, the theater presents Russian and global premieres of operas and ballets, for which we designed specific lighting scenarios to enhance the cycles of theatrical performances.
Implementation
As the height of each tier increases, the architectural decoration of the façade becomes more intricate and vibrant. This complexity is mirrored in the lighting design, which dictates the placement of the fixtures across the façade.
KUB spotlights on the ground floor highlight the ornate brackets that support the balconies. EDGE luminaires are positioned outside the balconies and within the window openings of the first floor. The arched tops of the central façade's windows are illuminated by RAY spotlights. LINE luminaires accentuate the piers of the second floor and the cornice with grazing light, while also illuminating the pediment of the central façade. A flexible LACE light line brightens the balustrade, and KUB spotlights illuminate the flowerpots on either side.
At the apex of the theater's main façade stands a torch held by the Muse, which historically signaled the start of performances. During the lighting upgrade, this torch's original function was revived; a dynamic light source inside it, a KUB spotlight with RGBA, mimics the flickering of a flame.
For the illumination of the theater's non-ceremonial façades, IntiSTARK spotlights are utilized. All equipment installed in this project is compatible with DMX protocol for precise control. The specialized software LIGHTCAD was employed to create and manage lighting scenarios. This program’s extensive features enabled the development of various settings: stationary with a white glow for daily use and dynamic with smoothly transitioning color shades for events.
