One of Philadelphia's most beautiful, and most visible, landmarks is the iconic Boathouse Row. The 15 clubhouses along the Schuylkill River can be seen from two of the main arteries into Philadelphia; Kelly Drive, where they are situated, and across the river on the I-76/Schuylkill Expressway. Many of the rowing clubs date from the mid1800s and, as the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, they represent the oldest amateur athletic governing body in America. For the last year, the city of Philadelphia and the Fairmount Park Conservancy have been engaged in updating infrastructure in and around Boathouse Row, including dredging the river and the upgrade of the lighting, which functions not just as a local landmark but as a commercial venture available for custom rentals.
Jonathan Hoyle, principal and director of the Philadelphia office of The Lighting Practice talked to Live Design about the company's work on the project.
Live Design: How did The Lighting Practice become involved in this project?
Jonathon Hoyle: We were first introduced to the project in the Fall of 2018. There were several delays to the project due to Covid, dredging of the Schuylkill River, repairs, and maintenance to the Boat Houses, among other reasons. Lighting existed on the Boat Houses prior to our involvement and the Schuylkill River Navy was a key partner in helping the design and construction team with access to each of the houses. As part of this project, we added shut-off switches so the lighting system can be powered down in potential flood conditions. The mounting channels, within which the light strings are mounted, are painted colors that are complimentary to the material to which they are mounted.
Individuals, groups, companies, etc are able to make requests, for a fee, for colors and certain effects through boathouserowlights.org. The programming updates are made by staff of Fairmount Park Conservancy. The proceeds from these fees support on-going system maintenance and future expansion.
LD: When was the last lighting upgrade, and how much did you change it?
JH: The system changed from incandescent to LED in 2005. In 2016, there was a significant refurbishment done to the system, including a new front-end controller (a Color Kinetics Light System Manager). The lighting equipment used is similar, but a newer generation of the product. We included a galvanneal steel channel for mounting the lighting string into and a weatherproof enclosure for mounting the remote power supplies.
LD: What was the inspiration behind the design?
JH: The night-time appearance of Boat House Row is iconic. Our goal was not to change that appearance, but rather to use equipment and specify installation methods that would reduce regular maintenance. We used tried and true products to assist in meeting the project goal of sustainable maintainability. The Lighting Practice is proud to have been a part of relighting a quintessential Philadelphia landmark, in a city that many of our designers call home.
LD: What was the most challenging part of this project?
JH: Understanding existing conditions based on field observations alone. Unfortunately, there was no existing documentation for the lighting system or controls. Educated assumptions had to be made based on how devices were labeled. We learned that the control wiring from Lloyd Hall [a Philadelphia Parks & Recreation facility on Boathouse Row] to the clubs did not match the labeling on the system.
LD: What is your favorite part of the project?
JH: This replacement project uncovered programming potential that had not been used in the previous system. Some of the effects, such as the ‘sparkle,’ allow for a new level of dynamism that may be used to animate the Boat Houses. I, and all our team at The Lighting Practice, had a lot of pride in redesigning the lighting for such an iconic landmark in the Philadelphia skyline.
(Creative Outfit, Inc.)
Gear List
- Color Kinetics Flex Micro RGB, Gen 3
- Color Kinetics Light System Manager
- Nanometer Lighting for pre-fabricated channels with the Flex Micro installed in the channels, layouts, commissioning and programming
Project Staff
- Jonathan Hoyle, Principal
- Matthew Fracassini, Associate
- Angela Myers, Lighting Designer I
- Jessica Wickes, Lighting Designer II
- Helen Diemer, retired principal of The Lighting Practice
- Jacob Cogley, former employee of The Lighting Practice
- Evan Wilson, former employee of The Lighting Practice