Colenso creates lighting spectacular for Auckland Harbour Bridge to communicate bright future

The Auckland Harbour Bridge will be transformed by Vector and Auckland Council this Saturday with a concept devised by Colenso BBDO. The launch of Vector Lights will signal the City of Sails’ long-term movement towards a sustainable future, and some world-first tech.

The bridge is now fitted with 90,000 individually programmable LED lights; powered by 248 solar panels on North Wharf, the energy is stored in a Tesla Powerpack battery farm the size of a shipping container at Wynyard Quarter.

This instalment is an ongoing reminder of the power of sustainable energy, showing how one small, culturally & environmentally-led project can lead to a positive change for Kiwis.

VIEW THE LAUNCH VIDEO

And the solar-powered spectacle is not a one-off. It’s a demonstration of what can be achieved with renewable energy, part of a wider 10-year smart energy partnership between Vector and Auckland Council.

The bridge acts as a gigantic billboard to remind people of the power of the sun and the potential of renewable energy. As the lead strategic agency, Colenso BBDO needed to ensure that the wider story would be told as they worked on the launch of Vector Lights.

Says Maria Devereux, Creative Group Head at Colenso BBDO, “seeing bridges lit up isn’t new. What makes this project unique is that the Auckland Harbour Bridge is now powered entirely by the sun. Our creative challenge was to find an equally unique way to launch Vector Lights. Instead of just creating a visual extravaganza, we wanted to exercise some creative restraint and see how little we needed to tell a story. With the invaluable help of Jonny Koefed, Dan Mace, and Mahuia Bridgeman-Cooper, we feel like we’ve created something pretty exciting.”

Vector Lights will transform the Waitematā and become a guiding light toward a smart energy future at 9.10pm tomorrow night, Saturday 27th January. The light show will be accompanied by a soundtrack, broadcasted live on Coast 105.4FM.

For insight into the development of the story that will be told through light, motion and sound tomorrow, four videos have been produced by film company Content Boutique.

For more information and a list of the best vantage points. 

Creative agency: Colenso BBDO

Auckland Council: Adam Prentice – Strategic Projects Director