Sometimes it takes more than a sign to draw attention. In fact, a combination of creativity, LED lights and acrylic can be a powerful thing. We are proud to have been chosen by the great folks at the New Horizon United Church of Christ in Kewaskum, Wisconsin to help design, build and install an illuminated cross atop its building as well as lighting enhancements to the entry to the church.
Church administrators were expanding the parking lot and looking for ways to enhance the entrance to the building with a new carport in order to better serve its members and visitors. These modifications would make it easier for people with disabilities to enter the place of worship, especially during bad weather.
And along with the expansion of the facilities, it made sense to upgrade the lighting and consider new architectural enhancements as well, starting with the cross. A new illuminated cross on the roof would provide the church with greatly enhanced visibility at night.
So we helped design and build a cross for them using numerous LED lights, which have great visibility and incredible energy efficiency. The 10’ high cross consists of illuminated acrylic so regardless of the viewing angle, it can be easily seen at night. We also designed, built and installed similar lighting technology and materials on the canopy above the new car port. Designed to replicate rays of light emanating from a rising sun, this lighting is a beautiful enhancement. Together, all of this new lighting gives New Horizon church great visibility on a very high traffic road.
According to Rex Bindrich, New Horizon UCC Council President, “The new illuminated cross on top of our church building is a great show piece. It provides excellent visibility and everything I’ve heard about it is positive. It was designed, built and installed by Sign Effectz, Inc.; they were on the ball, keeping the entire project on schedule.”
The cross is composed of polycarbonate support tubes on the inside. Acrylic pieces form the cross and are chemically welded to bind the pieces together. No metal hardware was used.
Check out the video highlighting the design and fabrication by clicking here.
There are a number of unique features about these lighting enhancements:
- We built the base structure and anchored it to the gable of the roof. The power supplies are enclosed inside, making regular maintenance easier. All of the circuitry is easy to access too.
- For the face structure (end cap) of the carport, we built the cabinet with backlighting and finished the space with the same finish to match the rest of the existing structure.
- We custom-made the depth of the cabinet to match the depth available for the end cap.
