Visitors to the newly opened Wynn Las Vegas, the latest mega-resort from pioneering casino developer Steve Wynn, witness numerous displays of Production Resource Group's latest technologies.
PRG served as the lighting system integrator for all of the theatrical and most of the architectural lighting systems on the property. PRG has also been selected to provide the control and lighting equipment for Avenue Q, scheduled to open at the resort later this year.
Lake of Dreams
The systems integrated by PRG to date include those designed by Patrick Woodroffe for two lakes that serve as a primary outdoor attraction: a main lake, at which a spectacular light and video show is presented several times each night; and a club lake that serves as a backdrop to an outdoor nightclub.
One of the most striking elements of the main lake's light and video show is a one-of-a-kind underwater lighting system engineered by Wynn Design & Development, integrated by PRG, and installed by Bombard Electric. The system includes over 4,000 Color Kinetics C-Splash 2 LED lighting fixtures installed on 700 removable panels at the bottom of the 4’-deep lake. With the help of a custom media control program developed by Pixel MAD, the lights can be controlled in unison to turn the entire lake into a giant video screen. The software allows standard graphic images to be mapped onto the LED array and then controlled through a DMX network. Millions of tiny reflective bubbles generated in the lake create a reflective surface for the lights. Five giant air compressors–each the size of a small pickup truck–generate the bubbles.
The lake lighting systems feature the first ever US installations of MA Lighting grandMA lighting consoles using a direct ETC Net2 output. "This new technology eliminates the need for node interfaces," says Jim Holladay, PRG's senior project manager for all lighting installations at the resort. "This significantly reduces the time delay between components and equipment requirements, resulting in improved system performance and reliability." The MA Lighting consoles control 16 DMX universes in the main lake and eight DMX universes in the club lake.
Inside the casino, PRG managed the installation and integration of all ballroom, meeting room, and showroom lighting systems, including the theatrical lighting system in the 2,000-seat Aqua Theatre. The indoor lighting systems include ETC dimming racks featuring the new ETC Sensor® CEM+ control modules and ETCNet2 networks. "This is the first major permanently installed indoor lighting system run off Ethernet that doesn't require DMX conversions," said Holladay. "The system provides instantaneous online feedback on the status of every dimming rack in the network."
Aqua Theatre
"Everything about the lighting on this property is state of the art," says Holladay. "It helps fulfill Steve Wynn's vision of achieving a new level of sophistication on the Las Vegas Strip."
The lighting system for the Aqua Theatre, home to the resort's flagship show, Franco Dragone’s Le Rêve, includes a variety of unusual components, including 300 Color Kinetics LED fixtures, 270 special 3W Hydrel LED fixtures, a variety of Martin intelligent lighting fixtures, the new GFI dimmer modules from ETC, and a wireless Ethernet network for controlling fixtures rigged on moving set pieces. An ETC Express™ console using the theatrical lighting network controls the theatre's air and water effects, including a rainstorm, bubbles, fog and water jets.
In addition to the resort's many lighting systems, PRG supplied a sophisticated lift system for the elaborate pool that serves as the Aqua Theatre’s centerpiece. The theatre includes three VOM lifts, one donut lift, one center lift/turntable, and the motion control system for all lift and turntable elements.
The three large VOM lifts radiate out from the center of the pool. Each lift is designed to travel 61' at 6" per second. The donut ring has a surface 7' in diameter and is designed to travel 24 1⁄2' at 6" per second. Perforations in the platform allow water to drain from the walking surface and help reduce drag as the platform moves through water. The center lift/turntable has a diameter of 16' and is able to rotate at 4 revolutions per minute. The lift is powered by a single stage, double-acting hydraulic cylinder. The lift is designed to travel vertically 36' 8" at 6" per second. A total of seven double pumps are used in the hydraulic system powering the lifts. Power is supplied at two working pressures, 2200psi and 950psi.
PRG mechanically designed, fabricated, installed and tested each lift component prior to the theatre's opening. Some of the components were so large they needed to be lifted into place by a 650-ton crane.
"Although the size and complexity of the equipment was a challenge, we also faced a very aggressive installation schedule," says Jim Lehner, PRG's vice president in charge of the lifts' installation. "Our success in meeting all the deadlines is a tribute to the tremendous collaborative efforts of all involved, including Marnell Corrao (the resort's architect & general contractor), our subcontractors, our project team members, and our many contacts at Wynn Design & Development."
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