Airports today are no longer just transportation hubs; they have become destinations in their own right. By blending technology, design, and storytelling, airports are creating immersive environments that reflect local identity, making the passenger journey more engaging and memorable. Read on to learn how designers used Rosco LED lighting solutions in airports around the world to elevate the passenger experience and improve operational efficiency.
At Tampa International Airport, a giant 21-foot-tall flamingo sculpture named Phoebe welcomes passengers to Tampa Bay in Florida. Officially titled HOME and designed by artist Matthew Mazzotta, the artwork depicts a flamingo dipping its head underwater in search of food. The installation features a mirrored ceiling that simulates the surface of the water and ten Rosco X-Effects® LED projectors that bathe the sculpture and surrounding space in realistic water effects, giving viewers the impression they are submerged alongside the flamingo. The sculpture symbolises Florida's vibrant wildlife, reminding travellers that "home" belongs to wildlife as well as humans, while serving as a popular gathering spot and social media landmark. Learn more about this installation in the blog Creating an Underwater HOME for Phoebe the Flamingo at Tampa Airport.
Singapore Changi Airport is widely regarded as one of the most entertaining airports in the world. One of its standout attractions is the Changi Experience Studio at Jewel Changi Airport, an immersive and interactive digital experience that showcases the stories, technology, and operations behind the airport. The architectural lighting studio Tokyoblue used more than 300 Rosco Miro Cube® fixtures fixtures to illuminate three key experience areas of the attraction: the Hanging Garden, Amazing Runway, and Garden of Harmony.
Rosco Miro Cube WNC fixtures, concealed within the suspended ceiling slats, provide daylight-responsive lighting throughout the Hanging Garden.
In the Hanging Garden, a key challenge was managing the large amount of natural daylight entering the space through Jewel's iconic glass dome. To address this, Miro Cube WNC fixtures (now available as the Miro Cube® 2 WNC) were integrated into the suspended lamellas and programmed to gradually change the colour temperature—from warm white to cool daylight tones—to match the ever-changing natural light. In the Amazing Runway and the Garden of Harmony, Miro Cube 4C luminaires (now available as the Miro Cube® 2 4C) provide vibrant colour effects that enhance the interactive experiences.
Serge Schmuki, Lighting Designer at Tokyoblue, said: “Rosco Miro Cubes were the ideal device for this exhibition. Thanks to their small size, the cubes could be easily integrated into the ceiling design. The fixtures also provided high lumen output and good colour mixing.”
Learn more about this installation in the blog Lighting The Journey Inside Changi Experience Studio.
One of the first sights to greet passengers arriving at Terminal 1 of Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada is the vibrant YYZ sign, the airport's internationally recognised IATA code. The large display is illuminated by ten 5-metre reels of RoscoLED® Tape VariColor RGBW+CW, controlled via four RoscoLED® 5-Channel DMX Decoders and an Art-Net DMX interface housed within the base of the letters. The system is operated via the Luminair app on a nearby iPad, allowing crews to change the colours of the letters and program pre-scheduled colour-changing sequences. Learn more about this installation in the blog Illuminating YYZ with RGBW RoscoLED® Tape.
Lighting designers at Schuler Shook specified Rosco X-Effects LED fixtures to project a reflected water effect above the baggage claim area inside the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport in Minnesota, USA. When bags begin arriving at each carousel, the X-Effects projectors switch on to bathe the ceiling in gentle undulating waves. This creates a calm, welcoming ambience that reflects Minnesota's reputation as “The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes." It also offers a more elegant alternative to the loud claxon warning used by other airports.
The team at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport was so pleased with the X-Effects installation that, when the airport sought to upgrade its elevator gobo projectors, they contacted Rosco Dealer Gopher Stage Lighting to enquire about our Image Spot® HO gobo projectors. Gopher arranged for a mockup—including a fixture and a green arrow gobo—and the MSP team was thrilled with the results. The Image Spot HO fixtures were embedded into the ceiling outside each elevator in the main terminal building. They use Rosco Custom Glass Gobos to project a bright green arrow onto the floor when an elevator arrives to provide passengers with a clear visual cue that the elevator is ready for boarding (even if they’re looking at their phones).
The previous gobo projectors the airport had installed presented two key challenges: poor visibility of the projected arrows in the bright ambient light of the terminal, and inconsistent colour temperatures between fixtures, which caused the projected arrows to appear different when projected side-by-side, even though they were the same fixture projecting the same gobo. Rosco Image Spot HO fixtures delivered the brightness and the colour consistency the MSP team needed to ensure clear, uniform projections throughout the terminal.
These projects showcase the versatility of Rosco products, demonstrating how they can be used to enhance the passenger experience throughout airport terminals.
To learn more about the products featured in these installations, visit the Rosco X-Effects LED, Miro Cube, RoscoLED Tape and Image Spot HO product pages.