Archbeacon beckons as 21st century ‘lighthouse’

Only six months later he had designed a new ‘lighthouse’ concept, the Archbeacon, a tubular self contained structure made of Glass Reinforced Plastic which forms an arc with a 6m radius. This is fitted with six LED panels and a light beam which indicates the position of the exterior port beacon. This simple two point base supported arch, with its LED light sequence, has been gaining attention since the first was installed in, fittingly, the Port of Barcelona. Two more have subsequently been installed in the Port of Algeciras.

In his earlier near disaster, Alvaro Ortiz and Leandro Zurita were two novice sailors returning to Barcelona from Ibiza. As they approached the port, high winds, heavy rain, a GPS meltdown and light pollution from the city made it impossible for them to navigate successfully into the harbour.

Leandro Zurita, a practicing lawyer with a business degree, was also inspired by their close call and is now Ortiz’s equal partner in the Archbeacon venture. Examining what had gone wrong that day, they have borrowed from established air traffic signalling and incorporated an LED sequence which follows the arch, creating a light movement completely distinct from any background lighting. Used in place of an incandescent lamp, the LED lights save up to 90% in energy consumption.

Light pollution in ports continues to escalate, with the migration of populations to coastal ports and their employment opportunities an established global trend. This has sometimes made traditional light sources more difficult to see.

Mariano Navas, former president of the Spanish Port Authority said, We highly recommend Archbeacon to IALA. The overwhelming positive response on the Spansih harbours should be brought to all harbours worldwide.”

Those sentiments have been noticed in Panama, where Archbeacon is currently in talks with the Panama Canal’s administrator over the installation of two Archbeacons later this year.

The Houston based Tideland Signal Corporation, itself concerned about the growing problem of background lighting in ports, is impressed by Archbeacon’s ability to provide a visual reference to IALA approved port entrance lights. Tideland has purchased exclusive rights to the Archbeacon’s worldwide distribution and is embracing the challenge of making it the lighthouse of choice for the 21^st century.