flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Spireworks app lets users control a piece of the New York skyline

Spireworks app lets users control a piece of the New York skyline

Anyone with a smartphone can change the color of the lights at the Bank of America Tower and 4 Times Square.


By BD+C Staff | August 22, 2014

Mark Domino, the son-in-law of developer Douglas Durst, has developed an app, called Spireworks, that allows anyone with a smartphone to change the color of a building's lights. 

Durst installed the corresponding technology on two midtown skyscrapers—Bank of America Tower and 4 Times Square, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat reports. App users will be able to play with the light colors on the spire and antennae of the buildings, as well as add sparkles and pulses of light.

The project is still in the testing stages, and users can join only if invited by a current user. Durst says there are a few hundred users so far and estimates that about five people manipulate the lights per night. 

Domino and Durst told the New York Daily News that the project is meant to be a fun alternative to the Empire State Building, which changes its lights for the holidays. “People don’t believe you can do this,” Domino told the paper. 

The company is still unsure how many users can utilize Spireworks at once without crashing the system.

Related Stories

Architects | Jan 13, 2016

‘Socially engaged’ architect Alejandro Aravena named 2016 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate

Known for his inventive social housing initiatives in his native Chile, Aravena epitomizes the revival of a more socially engaged architect, the Pritzker jury stated.

Architects | Jan 12, 2016

Dear Architecture: It's time to create a level field for female designers

If architecture took one moment to be introspective, it would discover appalling imbalances between the opportunities for women and men, as Perkins+Will's Vershaé Hite and Brittany Eaker-Kirkland wrote in an open letter.

Great Solutions | Jan 6, 2016

Shepley Bulfinch develops elegant design solution to address behavioral issues in emergency departments

ED scheme allows staff to isolate unruly patients and visitors in a secure area.

Market Data | Jan 5, 2016

Majority of AEC firms saw growth in 2015, remain optimistic for 2016: BD+C survey

By all indications, 2015 was another solid year for U.S. architecture, engineering, and construction firms.

Architects | Jan 5, 2016

Potential vs. credential: How men and women differ in career progress

Recent research suggests that women face yet another career impediment: the confidence gap.

Architects | Dec 17, 2015

Capturing utilization and activity data in the workplace

While utilization is an important metric to inform how frequently a space is used, it’s important to consider activity data.

Architects | Dec 17, 2015

Four winners named in NYC sidewalk shed competition

Firms in the Construction Shed Design Competition made designs that are simple to build and use readily-available materials.

Architects | Dec 16, 2015

Lohan Anderson to close, join Wight & Co.

Dirk Lohan, Floyd Anderson and eight others will be hired by the Illinois-based Wight & Co. next month.

Architects | Dec 16, 2015

Architects create commission for diversity advancement

The 20-member group will assess recent data, set a plan of action, and report on results to the AIA Board of Directors.

Architects | Dec 15, 2015

ULI names Lord Richard Rogers the 2015 J.C. Nichols Prize winner

Rogers, Founder of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, works on projects that “shine a spotlight on the challenges that people in urban areas are facing."

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Construction Costs

Data center construction costs for 2024

Gordian’s data features more than 100 building models, including computer data centers. These localized models allow architects, engineers, and other preconstruction professionals to quickly and accurately create conceptual estimates for future builds. This table shows a five-year view of costs per square foot for one-story computer data centers. 


Sustainability

Grimshaw launches free online tool to help accelerate decarbonization of buildings

Minoro, an online platform to help accelerate the decarbonization of buildings, was recently launched by architecture firm Grimshaw, in collaboration with more than 20 supporting organizations including World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), RIBA, Architecture 2030, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and several national Green Building Councils from across the globe.



Healthcare Facilities

Watch on-demand: Key Trends in the Healthcare Facilities Market for 2024-2025

Join the Building Design+Construction editorial team for this on-demand webinar on key trends, innovations, and opportunities in the $65 billion U.S. healthcare buildings market. A panel of healthcare design and construction experts present their latest projects, trends, innovations, opportunities, and data/research on key healthcare facilities sub-sectors. A 2024-2025 U.S. healthcare facilities market outlook is also presented.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021