A Beacon of Knowledge

There is a new beacon on UAA’s horizon. Literally.

To advance academic excellence and comply with accreditation requirements, UAA began building a new Library extension in April 2002. The Library of the 21st Century is now nearing completion. The new section is open, and remodeling of the original part of the Consortium Library will be finished in June 2004. The new complex is a hybrid building, combining the best of traditional libraries, information technologies, and cutting edge design features.

A pseudo bell tower was designed for the top of the library, just as bell towers have graced libraries on campuses across the country. The design was a rectangular bell tower that was later changed to accommodate the newly incorporated logo, the UAA swoosh. The intermediate platform in the structure "could" be used for exterior speakers, and a digital carillon would be housed within the mechanical penthouse space. 

The design also called for a laser light to shine directly upward as a “Beacon of Knowledge”. Stan Vanover, Senior Project Manager for Facilities Planning and Constructions said, “We did look at a laser light initially but for several reasons this concept was abandoned…costs for four lasers housed on the library roof was more than double the LED cost and with duty cycle life of only 15,000 hours, it would require significant labor and materials costs every couple of years, plus the laser lights would have to be adjusted periodically”.

What is now visible from the top of the library is a green LED display. Vanover added, “UAA green and gold were the only two colors that we ever really discussed and since green is significantly more visible than gold/amber, that was the preferred color.”

What is an LED light display and is it different from a neon light? LED stands for “light emitting diode” and is made from a special semiconductor such as gallium arsenide phosphide which optimizes visible light output when an electric current passes through it. Semiconductors are crystals that are resistive, that is, their properties lie somewhere between conductors and insulators. When proper impurities are added to the crystal (called doping), they display interesting properties and colors. Unlike incandescent light bulbs, LED’s have a low power requirement and can function for decades without burning out.

Although neon lights may look very similar to LED lights, their internal structure is quite different. A neon light is cold cathode lighting and uses a gas. When the gas is inserted into a glass tube and high voltage is applied to metal electrodes at each end of the tube, the gas is ionized and electrons flow through the gas exiting atoms, thereby emitting visible light. Neon gas emits a red light; other gases are used to emit other colors. Like LED’s, neon lights rarely burn out, but may be more expensive in terms of labor and maintenance than LED lighting.

The Library’s light display is installed on a 60-foot pole. The top 55 feet are lit with the LED display. The library roofline is about 59 feet from the ground so the entire structure is almost 120” high. The red light on the top of the display is only meant to light if power is lost to the green lights and will come on with other emergency lighting.

So far, reaction to the light display has been positive for the most part, related Steve Rollins, Dean for the Consortium Library. Susie Arnold, Facilities and Campus Services emailed the Chancellor and said, “Wow, there was the white sculpture with the amazing green beam…the Arnold family gives three thumbs up – WE LOVE IT!” Some patients and staff at Providence Hospital wondered what was going on over at UAA. Helicopter pilots flying to Providence Hospital like the beam since they can easily tell where the hospital is located. One Hillside resident thought the light should be changed to white, as it is incongruent with the other white city lights that she can see from her home.

As UAA celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2004. The new Library of the 21st Century with its “Beacon of Knowledge” is lighting the way for the next 50 years of learning and can be seen as one of its crowning achievements.

(Edited from text written by Elisa Mattison, February 2004.)