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

| Oct 23, 2013

Architecture Billings Index hits seven-month high in September

AIA's Architecture Billings Index was 54.3 in September, the highest level since February 2013 

| Oct 18, 2013

Meet the winners of BD+C's $5,000 Vision U40 Competition

Fifteen teams competed last week in the first annual Vision U40 Competition at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco. Here are the five winning teams, including the $3,000 grand prize honorees.

| Oct 18, 2013

A picture’s worth a thousand words… if you can find it

Photographs are becoming more essential to project communication and documentation. Recently, I sat in a local airport integration project meeting in which the owner outlined their expectation for construction documentation. One of the first requirements was to provide photographs throughout the building process.

| Oct 18, 2013

Researchers discover tension-fusing properties of metal

When a group of MIT researchers recently discovered that stress can cause metal alloy to fuse rather than break apart, they assumed it must be a mistake. It wasn't. The surprising finding could lead to self-healing materials that repair early damage before it has a chance to spread. 

| Oct 18, 2013

Call for submissions: AIA Emerging Professionals Summit essays

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is seeking essays that will address what role architects will play in society in 2033.

| Oct 16, 2013

5 secrets of successful entrepreneurs

If you’re on the outside looking in, successful entrepreneurship may seem mysterious. But it isn’t. Here are five patterns of behavior that are common to successful entrepreneurs.

| Oct 15, 2013

High-rise Art Deco courthouse gets a makeover in Amarillo, Texas

Recognized as one of the most significant Art Deco courthouses in Texas, the Potter County Courthouse is modernized and restored to its 1930s aesthetic. 

| Oct 10, 2013

Behind the scenes at the U40 Summit: See the $5,000 U40 Vision competition in progress [slideshow]

Sixty-five up-and-coming AEC leaders are battling for $5,000 in prizes today at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco.

| Oct 10, 2013

Arthur Gensler to architects: Don't give away your ideas

The founder of Gensler advises dozens of up-and-coming AEC professionals at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco.

| Oct 9, 2013

From power plant to office: Ambler Boiler House conversion

The shell of a 19th-century industrial plant is converted into three levels of modern office space. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.




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