Tasked with lighting 32 outdoor locations on an accelerated timeline, Atlanta-based event production company Technical Elements (TE) relied on nearly 800 IP-rated Elation luminaires to deliver Emory Healthcare’s brand refresh across metro Atlanta and Central Georgia.
The large-scale lighting installation, called City Pulse, was a one-night, region-wide activation that brought the new brand identity to life through coordinated architectural illumination.
The lighting package consisted of 95% Elation fixtures, including 396 PALADIN, 298 SIXPAR 200 IP, 55 SIXPAR 200 and 42 PROTEUS EXCALIBUR, selected for their output, colour capabilities and durability.
Innovative green
To mark the launch on 21 January, Emory Healthcare hospitals, clinics and regional landmarks glowed in “innovative green”, a colour representing life, healing, renewal and hope, creating a unified and highly visible presence across the region. The new shade of green is a key element of the refreshed identity.
Innovative green symbolises Emory Healthcare’s forward momentum. It complements the traditional blue and white, honours its legacy and reinforces the commitment to progress and innovation. This is a natural evolution, not a break, says Molly Biwer, Chief Marketing Officer at Emory Healthcare.
The brand refresh reflects Emory Healthcare’s academic strength, human-centred care and forward-looking vision, with City Pulse serving as an expression of its spirit of discovery, innovation and community connection.
“Green is one of the hardest colours to reproduce”, notes Jake Wright, Lighting Lead at Technical Elements and lighting designer on the project. “The PALADIN and SIXPAR fixtures were able to dial in the shade we needed while maintaining a consistent wash across every location, and the EXCALIBUR fixtures added dramatic aerial effects at flagship sites and other locations”.
Also launched on 21 January and lit in green using Elation SIXPAR luminaires, the Aurora Portals were circular installations placed in high-visibility community locations. Each portal featured a scannable QR code linking to stories of innovation and discovery. Their circular form symbolised Emory Healthcare’s commitment to care at every stage of life and invited visitors to discover a unique experiential space.
Large-scale outdoor lighting on a tight timeline
Technical Elements served as the lighting provider, coordinating logistics, installation and execution without disrupting operations at each site. Emory engaged marketing activation firm Ideas United to manage the campaign, which in turn brought on Technical Elements, a frequent collaborator on their projects.
Wright faced an unusually compressed timeline for a project of this scale, essentially executing architectural lighting on the fly. “The project came in over Christmas, so we had about a two-and-a-half to three-week turnaround”, he explained, “which is short for something this size”.
Locking in the gear before the design
The fully outdoor project ran continuously for 12 hours overnight, requiring IP-rated luminaires designed to withstand weather conditions and extended use. With time at a premium and no opportunity for pre-show demos, Wright leaned on TE’s long-standing relationship with Christie Lites and worked with account representative Charlie Pike, who recommended Elation IP-rated wash fixtures. Much of the gear was sourced from Christie’s Las Vegas and Nashville locations, including PALADIN units recently used at the Formula 1 race in Las Vegas.
It was an unconventional approach. We locked in the gear first and then started designing. Normally, you design first and choose fixtures later, but the schedule demanded the opposite, Wright explained.
PALADIN
Wright selected the PALADIN luminaires as the main architectural wash: IP65-rated fixtures equipped with RGBW LEDs, motorised zoom and manual tilt, allowing flexible adjustments at each location. “I knew a small PAR wouldn’t cut it for our primary wash light. The PALADIN fixtures gave us the punch we needed and also offered diffusion options that my techs could use to enhance the look of the buildings”.
SIXPAR and EXCALIBUR
The SIXPAR luminaires, equipped with multi-colour LED chips, were used to highlight columns, pillars, pedestrian bridges and other architectural elements. Meanwhile, the powerful PROTEUS EXCALIBUR moving heads —also recommended by Christie Lites— were installed at flagship locations and Aurora Portal sites to project striking searchlight-style beams into the sky.
Sky Motion impact
TE teams used the Sky Motion system on the EXCALIBUR fixtures in manual mode to create dramatic sky tracker effects. This feature allows a single unit —or several working together— to operate without a dedicated controller, with patterns that are easily adjustable in size, speed and colour. The Sky Motion system is also available on the PROTEUS HYBRID MAX and PROTEUS ATLAS luminaires.
“Sky Motion was really useful”, Wright commented. “It made setup easier, gave us peace of mind, and the crew loved using it. It grabbed attention instantly and sparked curiosity”.
Planning and logistics
With only limited site visits possible, Wright relied on Google Maps, Street View and photographic material to take measurements and plan luminaire placement. To streamline logistics, the fixtures were organised in groups of six units, matching the way the PALADIN luminaires were supplied from Christie Lites.
“I wanted to simplify things as much as possible for the shop and logistics teams. There was some calculation and some intuition —it’s not how I normally design a project— but it worked”, he said, noting that sites continued to be added and adjusted right up to the final day.
Coordinating 32 sites across Georgia
The 32 sites were spread across metro Atlanta and into Central Georgia. They included hospitals, clinics, pedestrian bridges and also non-Emory landmarks such as water towers and the AT&T building in Atlanta, all illuminated in the signature “innovative green”. While the Aurora Portals remained in place for several weeks, the Elation lighting activation itself took place over a single night.
Flagship locations —including Emory University Hospital Midtown, the Emory University campus and Emory Decatur Hospital— were staffed with dedicated lighting directors, project managers and technical personnel, while five mobile crews handled the remaining sites, covering multiple locations in the same night.
Despite the scale and complexity of the deployment, Wright said the gear performed without incident. “Christie does an excellent job with quality control. I wasn’t aware of any technical issues”.
Generating attention and curiosity
The visual impact sparked public curiosity and generated conversation across the city, both on social media and within local platforms and communities, fulfilling City Pulse’s goal: to capture attention and reinforce the new brand identity.
For Technical Elements, the project was a distinctive challenge that combined technical demands with creative problem-solving.
It was a fun, demanding and different project, with a very tight schedule. And working with Christie was fantastic. Their team put in as much effort behind the scenes as we did in the field, and the performance of the gear was exceptional, Wright concluded.
