From a plugged-in reader last month with respect to One Rincon Hill:
The whole thing is illuminated a bright, bright green color all along the water tank. Think the Chrystler building in NY. Looks like a fourth of July lights show. Anyone know what’s up?
From the Chronicle today: “Starting at dusk tonight, a band of lights around the top of the One Rincon Tower in San Francisco will turn the building into a weather beacon, glowing amber, blue, red or green to forecast the weather, a bit like a 64-story mood ring.”
UPDATE: A decoder card and mnemonic from the good folks at One Rincon Hill:
And with respect to the lights: “Twenty-five, highly-efficient ‘colorwash’ by Tivoli color-changing LED floodlights were used — the energy equivalent of lighting your living room. At 25 watts per fixture, they are very low-maintenance and will last for 40,000 hours, which at eight hours per night is about 13.5 years.”
∙ Lights atop One Rincon Hill signal S.F. weather [SFGate]
Maybe ORH can apply as a weatherstation to monitor all the global warming stuff in the new Obama smart ‘green’ investment programs,. Using the Federal pork to pay HOAs for defaulting specuvestors sounds like a reasonable business plan in the new Amerika that is emerging!
I’d much prefer it be used to broadcast the homeland security threat level. Some days I just don’t know whether to come out of my bunker!
(…or not)
Of course, as the article mentions, because of that metal shield on the SF West side of the building the lights will mostly be visible to residents of the East Bay.
Why is that shield there? It really contributes to the aesthetic mess directed at SF. ORH actually looks quite nice from the Bay. Too bad about all the cladding on the opposite side.
Neat! Also, I wish they kept the cityfront holiday lights on year around.
Like the Old Hancock Building in Boston.
Cool.
Very cool. They’re probably using LED wash lights to implement this.
I’d like to see this technology employed on the crowns of other highrises. Maybe some other building can install the DHS threat level as Stu suggests.
Another use of the color coding on 1RH would be to indicate the Bay Bridge toll plaza backup.
UPDATE: A test run photo (perhaps from the night our tipster originally wrote in) has been added above along with a secret decoder card and mnemonic from the good folks at One Rincon Hill.
Wow, I’ve usually been an ORH hater but that is really cool! 🙂
Pretty! The cost of this kind of lighting system should be extremely low. With modern lamps the expense could be negligible next to other costs such as mechanical systems.
ORH is well below the mountain tops already used for weather monitoring. Investment in sustainability is compatible with natural capitalism and a view that government should steer rather than row. It is typical for regulators to insist HOAs increase rather than decrease spending, but do so in ways that improve efficiency. HOAs are not subsidized, nor are there any proposals for that from activists or civil servants.
We’re all upset about the failure of trickle down, but is this really the place for that?
With respect to the lights: “Twenty-five, highly-efficient “colorwash” by Tivoli color-changing LED floodlights were used — the energy equivalent of lighting your living room. At 25 watts per fixture, they are very low-maintenance and will last for 40,000 hours, which at eight hours per night is about 13.5 years.”
this is weird, so now that big eyesore out in the middle of nowhere will have flashing lights too just to make it more obvious?
[Editor’s Note: Steady state and set an hour before dusk (with nothing flashing except perhaps a friendly resident or two…).]
actually now that I think about it, this could be a clever sales gimmick.
Cheaper than putting full page ads in the paper, millionaires follow the flashing pretty lights.
So what’s the occupancy rate at one rincon? It looks like barely 25% of the units had turned on their lights at night in the pics.
Are you sure it’s not a indicator for the market for Somoa condos?
Yellow= 20% off the listed price, just ask
Blue=50% off come and get it
Red=We’ll trade you your food for one of our condos.
So what if all the lights are showing? party in the castro?
This reminds me of the Texaco Building in Houston–they had a weather ball at the top that turned colors based on the weather forecast. Of course that was in the 1960’s and has long since been removed.
I like the air purifier weather beach combo functionality.
And the flashing blue light means…
As it seems to be pointed towards the east bay, wouldn’t it be better if it indicatd the back up on the Bay Bridge?
those 3 sides are not in view for most San Franciscans. From my office and home I only see the architecturally awkward shielded side of the building 🙁
I think it is a neat way to add to the skyline and add some function (not just bright lights like 555 Mission). If/when a second tower is built, perhaps a similar weather beacon function will be set up for folks on the west side of the City to see .. just a blind guess …
honestly- they need to somehow build a 2nd building to get the density up in that hood. its just too vacant there. it also makes the first building look less attractive by sticking up out of nowhere.
This is neat – turn ORH into a lighthouse of sorts. Too bad it wasn’t there to warn the people who already bought in; now they’re all underwater.
They should have a giant spotlight shoot straight up into the sky where the 2nd tower was suppose to go. As a remembrance to what almost was. Kinda like what’s been done before at ground zero.
I think it is awesome and is another sign of the developer’s brilliance!
Proud to be part of this great community!
For you ORH haters out there. It doesn’t matter what the building does well, you will continue to be negative because you made the mistake of not buying at ORH and now you are mad. It wouldn’t hurt you to admit that this is actually a cool thing for the city and our skyline.
Well it might hurt:)
all kidding aside I am a mild fan of ORH I just think it’s over priced by 50%-still. I LOVE the views tho -they are kick butt.
also while a lot of people think it sticks out–I have always thought it was an attractive building.
I think if they add the 2nd building it will speed development of the hood and make it a better place to live sooner. those positives said, I think the signs are interesting but am negative-neutral in terms of what I think it does for the building. it’s kinda borderline tacky.
“For you ORH haters out there. It doesn’t matter what the building does well, you will continue to be negative because you made the mistake of not buying at ORH and now you are mad. It wouldn’t hurt you to admit that this is actually a cool thing for the city and our skyline.”
Lady_orh,
Can I have some of the crack you’re smoking? Made the mistake of not buying? You could get almost any unit you want over there. It’s a ghost-town.
I’m certainly not losing sleep over not buying at ORH.
“you will continue to be negative because you made the mistake of not buying at ORH and now you are mad”
LOL. Of all the mistakes most of us have made in our lives, this one seems to be one of the easier ones to rectify, as there seems to be no supply contraint on available ORH units right now. And available at prices that are lower than they were when these happy (not mad) buyers bought their units.
The lower series of lighted ORH towers that are only half height added by the editor remind me of submarine conning towers from all those old WWII movies I used to love as a kid. Sort of a fitting image, as the USS ORH submerges, dragging its hapless owners’ finances beneath the waves:
“AOOOGA! AOOOGA! AOOOOOOOOOGA! Dive! Dive! Dive!”…. 🙂
I think it’s a great idea. Most commuters won’t see it because of the orientation, but still a neat idea.
I heard they were going to use it as a giant mood ring for ORH flippers, but the color just stuck on Blue, so this was plan B.
Can’t say I’m kicking myself about not buying. Chuckling maybe. Thanking my lucky stars, probably. Did this colored hat make me change my mind? Don’t think so.
Definitely not kicking myself.
I think it’s a pretty cool addition to the skyline. Never a bad thing when driving up 280 to have some insight into the weather in the city … assuming it isn’t already self evident. I’ve been lukewarm on the building but I have to say the newly completed pool, fireplace and [Viking] grilling area is awesome, combined with a great view of the city. Still have to finish up the construction in front of the sikewalk, but otherwise I think the building as a whole has surprized on the upside.
No one will ever remember what these colors mean. They should just put up random colors and not worry about connecting it to the weather. Surprise us.
Like it or not, this building and it’s lit crown are both a much needed jolt to our beige, dark, and banal skyline. I am in Seattle right now and for a city of just under 600,000 I must say it blows away SF’s skyline aesthetically and vertically. But hey, we know how it goes in San Francisco…no to change cuz we are perfect as is. Right?
No one will ever remember what these colors mean. They should just put up random colors and not worry about connecting it to the weather. Surprise us.
I like the idea of the weather colors, but I like it better when they change up the colors. One of the Target Towers has lights on top and they shift all the time. Red/White/Blue on 4th of July. Green and Red on Xmas. sometimes they scroll around or flash or whatever. It adds nighttime visual interest.
lit Target Tower
Same with the Hancock building in Chicago (although a dfferent type of lighting)
http://www.jpgmag.com/photos/337591
Beige (as in the color), dark (as in, no one is home), and banal (as in the design)…
Those are the three words that BEST describe ORH! For me, it doesn’t add much to the skyline.
Probably the coolest dynamic crown in the bay area is Ben Rubin’s San Jose Semaphore atop the Adobe System’s HQ.
Literally frustrated by low flying aircraft, it had originally telegraphed a passage from Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49. Now it is transmitting something new.
I live at The Infinity and look towards ORH and have noticed the crown lit up on several nights the past week or so. It’s a great addition to the skyline – it adds energy and interest. Combined with the top of 555 Mission and the old Pacfic Telephone lighting, this area looks great at night. The Infinity would greatly benefit from better lighting on the crown – the circular tops are very dimmly lit – it looks like a mistake. I wish they’d fire up the LED lights on the top of our building (white please).
Opinions, opinions but “Beige (as in the color)”…?????
Looks like “no change in sight” for the first night of the new beacon.
that semaphore is cool
I thought I was a big dork, but then I saw how hard it was to crack that code, and realized I am but a poser dork!
And I guess when you can’t see the light there is fog in the forecast.
I can’t help but laugh. It’s funny but I don’t know why?
I wonder who thought of this over there at ORH…
I doubt it was part of the original plans?
Infinity buyer if you put a request in I will too; and yes white please. ORH was green last night, last I looked – maybe the changing of the lights and distribution of the legend is just to get us all talking? I do agree however it is a great addition to the skyline – can see it from my place.
I don’t live at ORH but I think the building is beautiful. My friend purchased a unit there and I accompanied her on the visit and they are about 70% sold contrary to what everyone else is saying. I would prefer to live there over any other high rise in SF, the views are unprecedented!
There are a definite huge amount of ORH haters on Socketsite…