Soaring 170 metres above Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent, the Spinnaker Tower is taller than the London Eye, Blackpool Tower and Big Ben and has already established itself as a national icon for Britain.
A world class visitor attraction, the much-admired, elegant viewing Tower stands proud over one of the most fascinating seascapes in the world. Situated on the waterfront at Gunwharf Quays, it offers amazing 350ยบ panoramic views of Portsmouth Harbour, the South coast and the Isle of Wight, with views stretching out for up to 23 miles – breathtaking by day and a glittering sea of lights by night.
Obstruction warning lights:
There are 7 obstruction warning lights situated on the Tower, from 80m upwards, 1 at the top of the spire (170m), 1 on the northern side of the Tower at 117m, 2 at 115m on the eastern and western sides of the Tower and 3 at 80m on the eastern, western and northern sides of the Tower. These are the red lights that can be seen from all around the area and above - these lights never change colour! The lights are LED's, last approximately 15 years and automatically turn on and off.
Feature Lighting
The feature lighting illuminates the base of the Tower, including the back, bottom of the bows and either side and bottom of the legs. These lights are white. This system is used alongside the show lighting system every day.
Show Lighting
The show lighting are the lights what can control to change the colour the Tower is illuminated. These are the lights we are referring to when we say 'illuminating the Tower'. They cannot be seen from as far away due to the nature of the lamps/light fittings used.
The show lighting system is produced by a combination of 50 Martin 200 and 600 lights; 24 at the bottom of the Tower that illuminate the cruciform (the bit where the bows cross) and upwards 16 on the ribs (1 at each end of the 8 main ribs) 6 internal lights (2 on each of the View Decks) 4 above the Crow's Nest
The show lighting system is produced by a combination of 50 Martin 200 and 600 lights; 24 at the bottom of the Tower that illuminate the cruciform (the bit where the bows cross) and upwards 16 on the ribs (1 at each end of the 8 main ribs) 6 internal lights (2 on each of the View Decks) 4 above the Crow's Nest
The lamps inside the light fittings are metal halide, these are changed approximately every 18 months, and it takes roughly 2 - 4 weeks to change them all. The internal lights are easier to change than the external lights which involves abseilers and engineers raising and lowering lamps to/from our roof terrace. The 50 lights can be programmed individually, grouped to top, middle and bottom or all programmed the same colour. The lighting system can be programable to change alongside different factors such as tide, wind and time.
Source: spinnakertower.co.uk
Architect: Scott Wison
Lighting Design: Equation Lighting Design Ltd
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