Salesforce Tower begins testing of Campbell’s permanent LED light installation

The tip of San Francisco’s tallest building has been glowing in various colors since Feb. 12 to test out the upcoming LED light display by local artists Jim Campbell.

A proposal went before the city’s Planning Commission in early May 2017 regarding an art piece to be showcased right at the crown of the 1,070-ft. tall Salesforce Tower at 415 Mission St.

At that time, city planner Carly Grob described that it would occupy two-thirds of the tower’s topmost portion to feature moving low-resolution images lit up by 11,000 LED lights.

Such images include a mix of pre-recorded visuals, as well as those captured by cameras scattered across San Francisco. Unlike images shown on Time Square’s video screen, Campbell’s art piece would have softer and “continuous” features.

“Never having been done before in the context of architecture, the LEDs will be mounted onto the outside of the building facing inward,” he stated in the proposal.

More tests are coming up in the following weeks, according to Cheryl Sanclemente, corporate communications director at Salesforce. The launch date, however, for Campbell’s masterpiece remains undecided.

Besides housing an exhibition by an artist who has illuminated the ICC Building in Hong Kong, the Salesforce Tower also boasts being among the most sustainable structures in the city, with its underfloor air distribution system and energy-efficient glazing.

It also houses the city’s pioneering black water recycling system, which is projected to save around 7.5 million gallons of water annually.

Overall, the building was not just constructed to meet Title 24’s energy efficiency standards, but also CALGreen’s.