WINTER CRYSTALS AT LET’S GLOW SF: skyscraper laser projection
Project Context
Let’s Glow SF has become one of downtown San Francisco’s signature holiday attractions. For ten nights in December 2024, this free outdoor festival turned eight landmark buildings into gigantic screens for art, drawing tens of thousands of visitors and pumping fresh energy into the city’s core. Unlike the other projection‑mapping installations, Winter Crystals was created using lasers instead of video projection. High‑powered beams swept across the 300‑foot Crown Zellerbach Building at One Bush Plaza, transforming its modernist façade into a beacon visible from blocks away. City leaders celebrated the festival for mixing art, technology and architecture in a way that brought crowds and commerce back to the Financial District.
Concept and Inspiration
The PRECISION design team drew inspiration from frost patterns and the geometry of snowflakes. The resulting laser show unfurled crystalline shapes and kaleidoscopic motifs that glided over the tower’s grid. The buildings’ concrete skin became a dynamic canvas where multi‑colored beams painted shimmering snow crystals and rotating patterns, inviting passers‑by into a luminous winter dream. The content took full advantage of the architecture’s lines and surfaces, carving intricate motifs that felt both futuristic and organic.
Laser Execution
To bring the vision to life, PRECISION strategically installed full‑color laser systems and focused them to reach the top of the 300‑foot Crown Zellerbach Building. The beams produced highly detailed animations, creating swirling crystals and snowflake‑like forms that appeared to float over the façade. The lasers’ brightness and precision meant that the patterns were visible from blocks away; even with mist in the air, the lasers retained sharpness and saturated color. The show ran repeatedly each evening, synchronized to an ambient score that underscored the wintery mood. Because lasers were used, the installation felt alive — viewers saw the lasers interacting naturally with haze, rain and the building itself.
Audience Experience
Spectators gathered in the plaza at 525 Market Street to watch the skyscraper come alive. Many were so captivated that they fell silent, heads tilted back, eyes tracking the dancing snowflakes while music pulsed in sync with the laser patterns. From Market Street, cyclists and commuters stopped mid‑route to film Winter Crystals on their phones. The intensity and vibrancy of the lasers drew attention even in light drizzle, proving how well the technology performs outdoors. Fans took to social media to describe the experience as mesmerizing and magical, praising the crispness of the laser graphics and the way they made the tower feel alive.
Media and City Response
Local reporters highlighted Let’s Glow SF as a psychedelic, hypnotic fusion of art and architecture. Outlets like SFGate noted that the installations were not just projections but carefully crafted artworks tailored to each building, with Winter Crystals introducing lasers into the mix. The Downtown SF Partnership called the piece a “stunning laser art installation,” with one online commenter confessing that they had been skeptical of lasers but found the show entrancing and magical. Mayor London Breed and other city officials praised the festival for creating lasting memories and boosting downtown businesses, noting that the combination of art, technology and architecture inspired people to venture out and enjoy the city. The 2024 edition of Let’s Glow SF was widely regarded as the biggest and brightest yet, with Winter Crystals often singled out for its novel use of lasers and vivid imagery.
Impact and Takeaways
By harnessing lasers as its medium, Winter Crystals distinguished itself within a festival dominated by video projection. The result was a skyscraper that felt alive: shimmering frost patterns slid across its surface, brilliant colors danced through the mist and passers‑by paused to take in the wonder. The installation demonstrated how lasers can transform urban architecture into a canvas for storytelling, adding atmosphere and excitement while drawing people together. It also underscored the value of public art in revitalizing downtown spaces. Winter Crystals proved that lasers can create a shared sense of wonder and community in the heart of the city.
Invitation
Are you ready to reimagine your skyline? PRECISION specializes in large‑scale laser artworks that blend technology, architecture and imagination. Let’s work together to design an installation that captivates audiences, celebrates your space and tells your unique story with lasers. Contact us to learn more.