Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), which established its primary campus in Harrisburg, PA, stands at the forefront of education innovation. In preparing today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders, CCA works with every student and their families to personalize a curriculum that provide pupils with their best opportunities for success. The school merges talent and technology to create a unique community that delivers a quality, online education that’s available free to any Pennsylvania resident.

Tom Longenecker, CCA’s COO, mentioned his desire for a creative, RGB color-changing lighting feature for the building’s entrance to his friend Bruce Taffet, president of Taffet & Associates. Taffet, a theater-industry executive for nearly 40 years, has collaborated with Cima on numerous brand building projects.

Taffet enthusiastically recommended us to their team.

Jack Tusman, Cima’s in-house lighting and technology expert, paired with our project-management team and met with CCA to further our understanding of their goals for the facility. Balancing the customer’s vision of brand innovation, site logistics and the building’s orientation and visibility, they settled on two focal points: perimeter rooftop RGB lighting that accentuates the building’s architecture, and strategically placed RGB floodlights to illuminate the front entrance.

The Cima team collaborated with the CCA campus’ IT team, general contractor, electrician and other trades to plan the project. Cima developed detailed drawing documentation that coordinated all power and data communication and structural requirements to facilitate a seamless implementation. To get the lighting just right for this particular space, Jack made numerous site visits with an array of prototypes to determine which RGB lighting products delivered optimal luminescence.

To outline the rooftop and entryway architecture, our team installed 970 linear ft. of RGB LED tubing. The RGB illumination solution Cima provided enables more than 16 million, fully programmable color choices. The RGB LED floodlights amplify the perimeter tubing’s effect by bathing CCA’s exterior walls with brilliant, colorful light.

Jack helped CCA maximize the lighting program’s impact by facilitating the design and programming for a year’s worth of lightshows. Whether it’s a patriotism-fueled red, white and blue display for the Fourth of July, a wash of pink for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month or any other holiday or observance, CCA is prepared to showcase attention-grabbing lighting spectaculars that connect with its community.

Jack demonstrated these shows to CCA’s IT department, and taught them how to develop and schedule displays using their own equipment. This in-person training enables their team to curate the visitor experience, while also establishing best practices for system management and operation.

These solutions represent a subtle, yet sophisticated way for CCA to showcase its brand of innovation, and the flexibility to make changes at their discretion.

We’re proud that our collaboration with CCA yielded an impactful solution that represents their innovative brand and creates a compelling sense of place. Choosing to build on the momentum the perimeter lighting provided, together we developed similarly compelling solutions for the school’s exterior channel letters, interior server room, parking garage and more. Stay tuned for more unique solutions that Cima has provided to reflect CCA’s inventive culture.

Relationships are the lifeblood of any business, and we’re proud that CCA has chosen to further our partnership. Each location, project and product carries unique opportunities and challenges. We appreciate every opportunity to collaborate with our clients and provide brand-building solutions.