Month: January 2025

Inspired by the hit movie The Greatest Showman, Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular is a new immersive production that opened its doors last October at the Empress Museum in Earls Court, London. Visitors are invited to explore a vibrant backstage world for an interactive pre-show experience before entering the 700-seat Big Top for a spectacular show where circus blends seamlessly with musical theatre.

Woodroffe Bassett Design (WBD), renowned for their expertise in immersive experiences, West End shows, and live music tours, was tasked with the lighting design for the new production. They partnered with White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to provide the lighting equipment.

Come Alive! offers an immersive pre-show experience that gives visitors a peek behind the scenes of the Big Top, featuring secret performances and intriguing characters, all while enjoying delicious food and drinks. The main event, the Circus Spectacular, blends West End and circus performances, showcasing top international circus stars (including Cirque de Demain Medal Winners and Cirque du Soleil performers) and acclaimed musical theatre talent (Olivier and BAFTA nominees and winners) from the West End.

So how did Adam Bassett and the WBD team approach such a unique production? He explains: “Given the show’s complexity, we had to consider various elements. The immersive aspect is overarching, but within it, the Circus Spectacular is a West End-level musical production incorporating a number of live circus acts, which are stand out moments in their own right. Merging these three components was a challenge that producers Outside The Box Amusements and TSG Entertainment trusted us with, thanks to our experience in each of these genres.”

When creating the lighting design elements Adam continues: “The production’s unique nature required us to carefully integrate all elements. The space, apart from the entrance and exit, is one large open plan. We had to deliver an immersive experience and a 700-seat auditorium show simultaneously. These elements weren’t mutually exclusive, so we needed to design them to complement one other and feel like a natural journey for the audience experiencing the show.

Another key aspect was creating a space that didn’t feel like a traditional auditorium. Bassett adds: “We wanted the audience experience to feel like they were walking through the midway, before entering into the big top. From an immersive perspective, this was crucial to our design.”

WBD put together a team of associates and programmers with experience in these specific genres. Adam Povey was appointed as production electrician to deliver the technical elements, working closely with Dom Yates, WL’s Head of Lighting.

Dom comments: “We were happy to work with both WBD and with Adam Povey once again, delivering the equipment to enhance this unique production. We were pleased to be able to offer the design team a range of different fixtures, which included several new additions to our hire inventory such as Ayrton Rivale, Martin Mac One and GLP Impression X5. We have also supplied the show with two Macula Remote Followspot systems, making it the fourth show this year to utilise this new technology. We drew upon our vast inventory to provide Mac Aura XB’s, GLP X4 XL’s, Ayrton Ghibli’s and ETC Colour Source Spots, as well as a variety of generic fixtures.”

Adam Bassett concludes: “Having worked with WL on numerous occasions, we knew we could rely on their extensive experience in theatre lighting and their adaptability. Their work across various genres made them the perfect partner for this project.”

Photography – Luke Dyson

Lighting Designer – Adam Bassett
Associate LD – Alex Forey
Programmer – Stanley Olden
Lighting Assistant – Hannah Clancy
Production LX – Adam Povey

The redevelopment of the Parliament House in New Delhi, India, was part of the Central Vista Project, which involves the reconstruction of government buildings and public spaces by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Government of India.

Leading architectural Indian lighting manufacturer K-LITE was selected by the CPWD to supply lighting fixtures and poles for the redevelopment of external areas in the parliament complex. As a well-known brand in the designers’ fraternity, renowned for its customization capabilities, K-LITE were appointed from the initial concept design, working closely with the lighting consultant and architect to create a design to meet the brief.

The original Parliament building, constructed in 1927, featured a number of issues including limited space, poor infrastructure, structural safety concerns and the outgrowing of its Heritage Grade-I status. The new building design aimed to resolve these issues, alongside showcasing India’s dedication to sustainability by securing a platinum-rated green building. The new Indian Parliament building has a triangular-shaped layout covering 65,000 sq m, with the ability to host the lower and upper houses of Parliament alongside offices and other commercial facilities. Six gates lead to the building, named after creatures, evoking Indian culture and mythology at its entrance. One of the key objectives of the designer’s, was to replace the Victorian aesthetic with an Indian expression.

K-LITE manufactured the complete lighting system inspired by the traditional stone pole, which had been used in the Parliament and President’s House. The poles have an upper and lower part which provide different lighting effects- the upper illumination is RGBW, whereas the bottom ring provides general ambient lighting. These poles were installed along the landscape and internal road lighting of the Parliament building. The colour-changing lighting allows the government greater flexibility to play with colour schemes and set dynamic displays to celebrate special occasions such as Independence Day, Republic Day, and Gandhi Jayanti.

The redevelopment of the new Parliament building is incredibly significant in India, symbolizing the country’s power and cultural heritage harmonizing with its dedication to modern, sustainable design. The architectural lighting design from K-LITE offers warm, welcoming aesthetics guiding staff and visitors through the symbolic gates and acts as a vibrant beacon to celebrate the country’s national days.

Our sincere thanks to the landscape architect M/s. Design Cell and lighting designer M/s. Design Matrix for their support and guidance in this complete journey to make this project a success.

Project credits: Client Central Public Works Department, Government of India.

Landscape Architects: Design Cell Lighting Consultant: Design Matrix

As part of its programme of events and exhibitions for 2025, lighting controls specialist Pharos Architectural Controls will be exhibiting at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) between 4-7 February.

The exhibition, being held at Fira Barcelona, Gran Via, is the industry’s leading tech show for the systems integration and audio-visual industry. The Pharos team will be on stand 2L800, showcasing their award-winning lighting control solutions.

Visitors to the stand can learn more about the company’s two controller ranges, Pharos Expert and Pharos Designer, and how they deliver multi-protocol support including DMX, eDMX and DALI. They will also learn how specifying Pharos solutions allows them to integrate sophisticated, dynamic lighting control with other systems from building management to show control and everything in-between.

ISE will be an opportunity for those working in the systems integration and AV industry to see Pharos Expert Control in action. Visitors can experience the Expert Touch mobile app and installation-friendly touch stations; explore Expert commissioning software; and learn how to integrate Expert with DALI wall stations. There will also be an opportunity to learn how to use the simple Ethernet API to integrate with home automation platforms and building management systems.

The exhibition will also offer visitors the chance to discover the rich integration solutions offered by Pharos Designer systems, providing even more comprehensive communication options and the ever-growing IO Module library. IO Modules are Designer trigger plug-ins with capabilities to integrate with third-party devices and systems, communicate using industry-standard protocols as well as extending existing trigger functionality. There are also Modules for web-based integration to retrieve live data from online third-party APIs.

Jack Neill, Product Director for Pharos said: “Having the opportunity to showcase our award-winning portfolio at ISE is a fantastic start to 2025. ISE is highly-regarded as the must-attend exhibition for those in the systems integration and AV industries. It’s therefore ideal to showcase the benefits of our Expert and Designer solutions.

“As ever, we are confident there will be a great deal of interest in the solutions offered by Pharos. Our control technology delivers outstanding results for a vast array of applications, and we are constantly evolving our range to meet the changing demands of the industries we operate in.”

Pharos Architectural Controls is an award-winning and independently owned British manufacturer of dynamic lighting control solutions for architecture, themed entertainment, and other specialist industries. Pharos hardware and software solutions are designed and built in-house, backed by a 5-year warranty, and supported by an experienced technical team.

– In a bid to modernise while preserving Bath's rich architectural
heritage, Bath & North East Somerset council embarked on a journey to replace
outdated lighting with energy-efficient LEDs in Kingsmead Square. Guided by a
commitment to aesthetics and sustainability, the council partnered with Acrospire to
illuminate the historic square, resulting in significant energy savings and preserving
its timeless charm.

On the west side of Bath city centre, Kingsmead Square is a bustling hub of street
food delights. Once a site encompassed by the city walls, this vibrant square has
evolved into a destination for artisanal coffee or a drink at its award-winning bars.
With a storied past tracing back to the 18th century, Kingsmead Square exudes the
charm of Georgian architecture with a lively atmosphere that captivates visitors and
locals alike.

Bath & North East Somerset Council, recognising the need to modernise
infrastructure while maintaining the area’s heritage appeal, initiated a project to
replace the squares outdated SON and SOX lanterns with LED lighting.

Stephen Burrell, Principal Engineer Street Lighting at Bath & North East Somerset
Council, emphasised each heritage location’s uniqueness, underscoring the project’s
bespoke nature. He noted, “In our challenge to revitalise heritage lantern locations,
we’ve treated each site as a distinct project tailored to meet the unique demands of
specific areas. As part of a broader initiative encompassing 400-500 luminaires,
we’ve prioritised not only cost savings and budget control but also the integration of
classic aesthetics, particularly in this popular location.”

To meet the council’s requirements, Acrospire proposed replacing the existing SON
and SOX lanterns with its popular 3000K Birkdale luminaires and coordinating
columns. The Birkdale, known for its timeless design and versatility, was chosen to
complement the square’s Georgian aesthetic, providing a warm nighttime glow.

Crafted using locally sourced materials in the UK, the Birkdale luminaires offer
exceptional quality and durability and contribute to a reduced carbon footprint.
Suspended vertically from 1.25″ stainless steel spigots, these luminaires provide an
elegant solution while ensuring longevity and performance.

Stephen emphasised the importance of collaboration with manufacturers like
Acrospire in overcoming challenges inherent in heritage projects. He stated, “It’s
important to collaborate with a manufacturer who understands the intricacies of
heritage projects and is willing to work closely to navigate the inevitable challenges.
Balancing cost savings, aesthetics, and budget control is essential along the journey
of preserving our heritage. Finding this equilibrium ensures the successful realisation
of our vision while honouring the legacy of our historic sites.”

The upgrade to LED technology resulted in significant energy savings while blending
with the warm golden stone of Bath’s Georgian architecture.

To find out more about Acrospire’s heritage range please visit:
https://acrospire.co/ranges/heritage/