The Netherlands - A lighting control system from Pharos Architectural Controls is creating an immersive experience for visitors at a new sustainable visitor centre at the heart of the Port of Rotterdam.
Portlantis is home to a permanent, interactive exhibition that brings to life the story of one of the world’s busiest and most innovative ports. The exhibition explores the port’s rich history while looking ahead to its future as it embraces sustainable, low-energy operations.
Comprising five stacked exhibition spaces offering views across the North Sea, the coastline and the port, the exterior of Portlantis is striking. Inside, the exhibits are brought to life with a single-universe Pharos Designer LPC (Lighting Playback Controller), specified by Ata Tech, who delivered the complete lighting and audiovisual solution.
The permanent exhibition, designed by Kossmanndejong, spans three levels – each focusing on a different theme – while two of the levels will also host temporary exhibitions. To deliver the interactive and experiential elements, the system from Pharos Architectural Controls has been integrated across various locations within the building.
The installation uses six Pharos Designer touchscreens, a mix of 5-inch and 8-inch TPS (Touch Panel Station) devices which have been strategically placed throughout the visitor centre, offering elegant touch control with fully customisable interfaces. The TPS 5 is quick and easy to use when activating presets, manual overrides, or even to use a custom colour to personalise the lighting. The scheme utilises two passcode-protected TPS 5s, located in the two education rooms. These panels are used to control the video projectors and to adjust the lighting system to the appropriate settings.
The TPS 8 is a new, spacious and elegant interface that is fully customisable using the free Pharos Designer 2 software. One of the TPS 8 panels is passcode-protected, allowing staff to control the interactive maquette table by selecting different modes and highlighting specific areas. Additional TPS 8 units have been installed in the server room for direct access to the support menu, and another is located at the shop entrance, providing overall system control including startup and shutdown functions.
A final TPS 8 has been placed in the group welcome space, where it is used to select introductory movies and control the room’s lighting and audio levels. The combination of the two touchscreen sizes made it the perfect solution for the visitor centre, which can offer easy-to-use touchscreen controls for the lighting, and show control in exhibition spaces, workshops and labs throughout the day.
Across these different locations, the Designer LPC manages and controls a range of systems, including PCs, BrightSign players, projectors and Advatek PixLite controllers. It is also responsible for controlling the building management system, a Casambi lighting system, DMX lighting and automated show doors.
Additionally, the Designer LPC controls the Xilica audio digital signal processor (DSP) which is connected to Genelec Smart IP Dante speakers, providing an immersive soundscape throughout the building. This comprehensive setup allowed for seamless integration and precise control of all multimedia and lighting elements throughout the Portlantis installation.
Mark de Gruyter, sales director at Pharos Architectural Controls said: “Portlantis is a fascinating exhibition, celebrating and championing the Port of Rotterdam. By utilising the Designer LPC, the exhibition has become an engaging way for visitors to learn thanks to impressive audio-visual effects. It’s rewarding to know our technology is playing an integral role in educating visitors to Portlantis.”
Tom Aarts, director at Ata Tech added: “The power and versatility of the Designer LPC is astounding. It has enabled us to use just one system to control and manage such a variety of technological elements of the Portlantis experience, making the installation incredibly straightforward for us. It meant we could focus on the overall picture of what we wanted to achieve, knowing the LPC would deliver everything we needed from a control perspective. We’re delighted to have chosen Pharos as our partner for this project.”
Ata Tech collaborated closely with the project’s main contractor, Bruns, design studio Kossmanndejong, and a team of creative partners to develop a robust technical platform that brings the Port of Rotterdam’s story to life. The result is an engaging and memorable experience that captures the port’s past, present, and future – entertaining and inspiring visitors from around the globe.
