To a packed audience of over 200 students and local residents, the UCSB MRL supported a public lecture on the subject of solid state lighting, emphasizing the promise of a much cleaner, more efficient, and longer-lasting lighting source. Santa Barbara architect Barry Winick presented the unusual ways that compact, efficient sources of light can be used in commercial (retail) architecture. Front and center was his recent Chanel building in Tokyo, which has been dubbed a modern wonder by Business Week Magazine. The glass facade of the Chanel store in Tokyo's swanky Ginza district lights up the night with 700,000 embedded LEDs. This massive 10 story display can show an electronic version of the brand's signature black-and-white tweed pattern (think Chanel suit), or a video of fashion show footage.
