Month: October 2025

Lucent Lighting are proud to announce that their Mix range has been awarded the respected GREEN award in the Lighting category at this year’s Build Back Better Awards, recognising the company’s leadership in sustainable product design and circularity.

The Mix85 and Mix60 luminaires are designed in line with circular economy principles, featuring interchangeable front plates, multiple trim and trimless kits, and a construction that prioritises reusability and minimal waste. Manufactured using 89% recycled materials and with 99% of components fully recyclable, Mix exemplifies Lucent Lighting’s dedication to reducing environmental impact without compromising on design or performance. Both models have also been independently verified through CIBSE TM65 and TM66 assessments, with Mix85 recording a total embodied carbon of 6 kgCO2e and a TM66 circularity score of 2.5 – Excellent, and Mix60 achieving 3 kgCO2e with a matching TM66 circularity score of 2.5 – Excellent.

Alongside its strong environmental credentials, Mix has been designed with ease of installation and maintenance in mind. Both the Mix85 and Mix60 feature toolless installation and focusing, as well as quick-release, screw-in LED engines for rapid servicing. Multiple installation kits ensure compatibility with all ceiling types, from plaster and partial skim trimless to wood, stone, and plasterboard. A wide choice of finishes, from classic white and black to custom RAL and plated options, ensures seamless integration with any interior design scheme while supporting rapid project delivery and long-term cost efficiency.

Mix also offers maximum flexibility for architects, lighting designers, and specifiers. Its fully adjustable design allows for 30° tilt and 359° rotation, delivering targeted illumination exactly where it is needed while blending effortlessly into its surroundings. With efficacies of up to 133 lumens per watt and outputs of up to 1775 lumens, Mix85 exceeds Part L2 compliance while offering excellent beam control and visual comfort. The range is fully compatible with Lucent’s extensive module family, including Quantum, Ambiance WarmDim, Dynamic White, SuperSpot, LED50 One Gen3, and Shallow Height, providing unparalleled adaptability across sectors and applications.

By embedding sustainability at every stage of the product lifecycle, the Mix range demonstrates that high-performance architectural lighting and circular design principles can exist together, perfectly.

Lucent Lighting’s Mix is more than a product – it’s the future of sustainable illumination.

For more information about the Mix range, visit www.lucent-lighting.com

White Light (WL) is proud to have once again supported Gilded Balloon at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, delivering full lighting and rigging across 18 venues in celebration of the company’s 40th anniversary.

As one of the Festival’s “Big Four,” Gilded Balloon transformed university buildings and cultural spaces into vibrant performance venues. With Teviot Row House undergoing refurbishment, the 2025 programme spanned Adam House, Applegate Tower, and the National Museum of Scotland; each presenting unique technical challenges that WL met with precision, creativity, and collaboration.
“Working with Gilded Balloon is always a rewarding experience,” said Dan Last, WL’s Key Account Manager. “Their ambition and adaptability push us to innovate, and this year was no exception. From custom truss structures to advanced LED rigs, we tailored each solution to meet the demands of the space and the vision of the team.”

Highlights included the transformation of one large workshop space in Adam House into separate venues—’Nip’ and ‘Dram’—using soundproofed truss boxes and LED rigs to reduce heat output. In ‘Other Yin,’ we overcame rigging limitations by deploying lightweight ETC ColorSource Pars, enabling a thrust stage layout without compromising on theatrical coverage.

A major technical milestone was the rollout of a unified lighting control system across all venues. WL engineered a cost-effective solution using ETC Nomad running Eos software paired with third-party hardware, streamlining operations and enhancing technician mobility. The system has since been adopted for West End and opera productions, underscoring its versatility and impact.

WL’s Project Manager Tom Tomkins shares his highlight collaborating with the team on-site: “One of the real joys of working at Gilded Balloon is collaborating with such a diverse and enthusiastic team of technicians. You meet people from all over the world. As a platform that opens doors into the industry, Gilded Balloon attracts a lot of new talent, and it’s incredibly rewarding to support their development. We often begin the build by guiding them through safe rigging and installation practices, and by the end of the install period, they’re confidently operating lighting desks and running their own shows. Watching someone go from handling a light for the first time to leading a full production in just a few weeks is what makes this work so special.”

Sustainability remained central to WL’s approach, with 17 of the 18 venues operating fully on LED rigs. The final venue retained a hybrid setup due to legacy infrastructure, with plans in place for a full transition.

WL has partnered with Gilded Balloon since 2014, growing from nine venues in one building to 18 venues across three. This enduring relationship reflects a shared commitment to technical excellence, creative storytelling, and building communities through live performance.
As Gilded Balloon marks four decades at the Fringe, WL looks ahead to 2026 and the reopening of Teviot Row House; ready to adapt, innovate, and illuminate the next chapter of this iconic institution.

Photo courtesy of White Light, Photo by Tom Tomkins

Pharos Architectural Controls will be exhibiting at NYControlled 2025, New York’s premier trade show dedicated to lighting controls, held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC. The event opens with a hands-on workshop on Tuesday, 14 October, followed by the main exhibition on Wednesday, 15 October.

Over the course of two days, the event will feature a curated programme of manufacturer-led tech talks and educational sessions on lighting controls, complemented by an exhibition floor showcasing leading controls manufacturers and trade associations – making it the ideal forum to connect with specifiers and integrators.

At table 402 visitors will be able to meet the Pharos team, where they will demonstrate the newest developments across its ranges, with a focus on key updates to Pharos Expert and Pharos Designer.

The latest release of Expert 2.0 introduces Groups, providing a new way to organise fixtures within a space. This allows users to control smaller fixture groups, with run-time overrides available via the Expert Touch mobile app or touchscreen wall stations. Programming tools have also been refined: static scenes can now be embedded into timeline scenes, while dynamic scenes have gained extended properties such as broader speed ranges and longer loop times, offering more subtle playback. Visitors to the Pharos table will be able to try these features in a hands-on demonstration.

Expert now also supports the Pharos RIO D4, a DALI four-port device that connects to an Expert system using a single PoE connection. Up to four RIO D4s can be linked to Expert Control, enabling as many as 16 additional DALI interfaces in one system.

For Designer, the team will present the latest enhancements following the launch of DMX Record. New functionality includes DMX Record remapping, giving users the flexibility to route recorded universes to different outputs, including the controller’s local DMX ports. Another major improvement is to eDMX pass-through, which now allows eDMX (Art-Net or sACN) from any console to be passively routed through a Pharos Designer LPC to another eDMX universe, local ports, or Pharos DMX gateways such as the EDN and RIO G4.

Michael Grosse (MG), Regional Sales Manager at Pharos said: “NYControlled attracts a highly engaged, controls-focused audience, making it the perfect platform for us to showcase our Expert and Designer ranges. These solutions enable specifiers and integrators with the tools to design, manage, and maintain exceptional dynamic lighting experiences.”

For more information on Pharos Architectural Controls and the upcoming tradeshows Pharos are exhibiting at, visit: https://www.pharoscontrols.com/

Further enhancing its versatility and design appeal, Ansell Lighting has expanded the popular Primo Track lighting range with two innovative new additions.

Ideal for use across commercial, retail, hospitality and residential environments, Primo Mini and Primo Deco offer track lighting users greater choice and flexibility, improving both aesthetic and design capabilities across a wide range of applications.

Compatible with the Primo Three Circuit range, the Primo Deco Trackspot is a high-end architectural luminaire developed specifically for projects where visual appeal is paramount.

Distinctively shaped, the Primo Deco Trackspot offers a fresh, circular design that complements modern interiors. Available in a black or white finish, the fitting can be further enhanced with a stylish brass baffle as well as honeycomb, dome and decorative lenses.

Available in 7W, 12W and 25W versions, the fitting delivers high-quality light with excellent colour rendering, thanks to its high CRI performance and 4000K colour temperature. It also offers 350-degree rotation and 0–90 degree tilt on the bracket, providing excellent adjustability for directional lighting.

The Primo Deco Trackspot also has Triac dimming as standard. Both DALI dimming and OCTO smart control options are also available.

Primo Mini, is a 24V track system suitable for more discreet display applications.

Included within the system is the Primo Mini Trackspot – a compact, 24VDC track light that is lightweight and sleek in appearance. It features 360-degree rotation and a 0–180-degree tilt range for complete flexibility, and incorporates an anti-glare design to enhance visual comfort.

The Primo Mini range also includes a selection of other architectural luminaires suitable for both residential and hospitality settings, allowing the creation of cohesive, layered lighting designs, including:

Three stylish pendants – a slim light pendant, a white glass globe and a black light pendant – all available in cool white or warm white
A slim and flexible Neon Tube
A slim suspended Light Line
A range of Neon and Optic Line luminaires, available in 1250mm and 2500mm lengths

Mark Abbott, Managing Director at Ansell Lighting, said: “Track lighting has been a mainstay of commercial and hospitality lighting schemes for many years but until recently, styling choices have been notoriously limited.

“We’re now seeing increasing demand for design-led solutions that not only deliver on performance but are as stylish as the spaces they are intended to light.

“The latest additions to our Primo Track range have been developed specifically to meet this demand. Combining advanced lighting functionality with elegant, architectural styling, they give designers greater freedom to achieve the right aesthetic without compromising on performance.”

For more information on the Primo Track range visit: www.ansell-lighting.com

St Marylebone Parish Church, an architectural jewel of London, stands as the fourth church built on or near its historic site, with the present structure completed in 1817. The Grade I listed building within the Regent’s Park Conservation Area recently underwent a significant restoration to remove it from Historic England’s ‘At Risk Register’. Designed by Thomas Hardwick in 1814 as a chapel-of-ease, the building was altered upon completion of construction to serve as the parish church. Throughout its history, the church gained a vaulted crypt, a neoclassical and pre-Raphaelite transformation and narrowly survived a bombing during World War II. As part of the St Marylebone Changing Lives campaign, heritage lighting specialist William Sugg & Co. was commissioned to restore four distinctive pedestals and three lanterns, as well as create two replica bespoke lanterns that would honour the church’s legacy.

Beyond its architectural significance, the church plays a vital role in the life of the community. It hosts a wide range of services, concerts, exhibitions and outreach programmes. The church is also home to the Marylebone Health Centre and the Marylebone Project, which supports vulnerable women. The recent restoration project sought not only to preserve the church’s historic fabric but to enhance its accessibility and relevance as a vibrant, inclusive hub for all.

Specialist Restoration

Beginning in 2013, Caroe Architecture was chosen to undergo the intensive conservation of the building, a project that called for a sensitive approach that respected the church’s architectural heritage. In early 2022, William Sugg & Co. was entrusted with the restoration of the two lanterns and pedestals at the main South Entrance, and the bracket and cradle-hung lantern that guides parishioners to the doorway. By 2024, the project expanded to include repairs and the replacement of missing decorative elements, including the ram heads and laurel swags on the north side pedestals, as well as the creation of exact replicas of the original front lanterns for the North Entrance.

“Being part of the St Marylebone Parish Church restoration offered our team an incredible opportunity to revive cherished heritage features and ensure their preservation for future generations. The unique challenges of the project allowed us to utilise traditional skills together with innovative tools to restore and craft solutions that support the aims of the Changing Lives campaign,” comments Lucy Bubb, MD of William Sugg & Co.

History Meets Technology

The original lanterns on the north side of the church had been lost to time, with only historic references and surviving examples at the South Entrance to guide the restoration. The original restored lanterns could not be removed without disrupting church activities, so William Sugg & Co. enlisted Darren Bennet of Benetex to undertake detailed 3D scans of the lanterns in situ. Over successive site visits and collaboration with the William Sugg & Co. team, these scans were transformed into precise 3D models, forming the blueprint for restoration and replication. Many ornate lantern components originally cast in iron were rendered in aluminium, where casting would have been prohibitively slow and expensive.

Restoring and designing the lantern and pedestal parts from external 3D scan data posed unique difficulties, as the scans captured only outer surfaces. The process required careful internal design assumptions and hands-on problem-solving, with the absence of internal geometry leading to thoughtful discussions and live adjustments throughout the manufacturing process. This modern approach allowed the team to recreate intricate historical details and modernise the fixtures in line with current standards.

Andy Jones, Fabricator at William Sugg & Co., comments, “We needed to produce replicas that were visually identical to the historic lanterns at the church’s main entrance. The hands-on process evolved as we went, with 3D scanning giving us a solid starting point. From there, we used our experience to resolve functional issues, such as water ingress, until they perfectly replicated the originals. There’s a real sense of pride in seeing the finished lanterns light up the church, knowing every detail was considered, crafted and improved along the way.”

Illuminating a Lasting Legacy

The newly restored lanterns feature a top-mounted LED light source, complemented by frosted glass, creating a warm, authentic glow reminiscent of the original gas lighting. The project culminated in four beautifully restored and striking pedestals, three restored lanterns and two replicas using modern techniques outside St Marylebone Parish Church, ensuring that every aspect of the church’s historic lighting remains true to the original Neoclassical vision. William Sugg & Co.’s lighting solutions now illuminate the church’s facade and create a welcoming atmosphere at the newly restored entrance, symbolising the church’s renewed role as a beacon of hope and opportunity through the St Marylebone Changing Lives campaign.

CU Phosco, in collaboration with 5G Synergiewerk and Telefónica, has completed
the successful installation of six Connected Urban smart poles in Munich.
Strategically placed near key subway stations, the smart poles were deployed to
eliminate mobile coverage blackspots and increase network capacity ahead of
Oktoberfest, one of the world’s most attended public festivals.

The project follows previous successful installations of Connected Urban smart poles
in Augsburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hannover and Würzburg and reinforces CU
Phosco’s growing reputation as a smart city infrastructure leader across Germany.
Each pole combines cutting-edge lighting with integrated 4G/5G radio equipment, all
within a compact and aesthetically sympathetic footprint designed to suit the urban
landscape. The base section comprises 2 x 900mm door openings and the overall
height of the poles ranges from 11.9m to 13.9m including the tri sector cannister
antenna on the top of each pole.

The Munich installation supports Telefónica’s wider densification strategy, increasing
mobile network performance where demand is greatest. The six smart poles were
installed in key pedestrian areas around subway stations, offering a dual benefit:
improved network coverage for safety and situational awareness, and enhanced
connectivity for high-density public use.

Connected Urban smart poles are modular and highly adaptable, able to host a
range of smart city applications – from antennas and CCTV to public address
systems – all from one discreet structure. These poles are a direct replacement for
traditional street lighting columns and are designed to integrate seamlessly into
existing streetscapes.

The first installation was marked by a high-profile demonstration event attended by
Telefónica and key government officials, highlighting the importance of smart
infrastructure in modern urban planning.

Keith Henry, General Manager and Telecommunications Product Manager at
CU Phosco Australia, said: “This project continues the momentum of Connected Urban across Europe. The
deployment in Munich shows how smart lighting infrastructure can play a vital role in
creating safer, more connected urban environments. We’re proud to work alongside
Telefónica and 5G Synergiewerk to support Germany’s vision for smarter cities.”

The Munich deployment of Connected Urban smart poles has delivered improved
mobile performance in high-traffic areas, providing greater safety and convenience
for residents and visitors alike. In addition to supporting Oktoberfest, the upgraded
infrastructure is expected to serve future large-scale events and daily use, especially
in the surrounding transport zones.

Ralf Gerbershagen, Managing Director of 5G Synergiewerk GmbH, commented:
“This collaboration demonstrates the strength of engineering-led partnerships. Each
Connected Urban pole combines innovative design with practical functionality,
helping urban planners addres
s both short-term needs, like major events, and long-
term network challenges.

With further rollouts anticipated in Germany and other key international cities,
including London, CU Phosco continues to redefine the role street-lighting
infrastructure plays in modern city design.

For more information on Connected Urban, visit www.cuphosco.com.

Images courtesy of Telefonica Germany

Leading lighting manufacturer Light Forms has contributed bespoke and sustainable lighting solutions to the refurbishment of Manchester’s iconic Renold Building, a project delivered for Bruntwood SciTech with interior design by the award-winning agency SpaceInvader.

The Renold Building is a striking example of modernist architecture and has newly been granted Grade II listing status, 20 years after its initial application. In the course of this project, the building’s interior has been transformed into a vibrant centre for community, business, and innovation, championing material innovation, creative reuse, and a strong sustainable ethos. The project reflects the building’s legacy as an educational space while looking to the future, providing co-working, office space, and meeting facilities.

For this project, Light Forms created a series of truly unique lighting solutions that reflect the building’s sustainable and innovative spirit. Eighty bespoke cardboard tube pendants were designed specifically for the project, forming a key feature that emphasises the circular design approach. In addition, disused fluorescent tubes found in a storage area on site were repurposed into striking feature pendants, while old metal shade pendants, discovered tucked away under the stairs, were refurbished and reinstated to take pride of place. Light Forms Lightrod 80 fittings were utilised in both suspended and wall-mounted versions, providing versatile and elegant illumination, while Tin Can pendants were incorporated in circulation areas to complement the building’s industrial aesthetics.

Through these installations, Light Forms has helped to breathe new life into the Renold Building – blending creativity and sustainability to illuminate a space that celebrates both its history and its future.

Paul Shoosmith, Director at Light Forms, said, “Working on the Renold Building allowed us to celebrate its heritage while embracing sustainability and creativity. It was the perfect project to showcase what bespoke lighting can achieve. Every piece created was designed specifically for this space, from cardboard tube pendants to repurposed materials, making the lighting as distinctive and innovative as the building itself.”

Project Credits

Sister – Manchester’s new innovation district

Interior Design – SpaceInvader

Contractors – Overbury

Electrical Contractors – E&ES

Lighting – designed and supplied by Light Forms

Photography – Mike Dinsdale

Helvar Components are preparing to expand their well-established Freedom product family with the launch of the new 42 W MINI-sized radio-integrated LED driver with sensor connector. Designed for wireless luminaires in space-constrained applications, this compact solution delivers all the benefits of Freedom’s luminaire-based product family in a smaller package.

With the MINI driver customers gain access to a complete radio-integrated control solution with sensor input, without the need for external control units or third-party components.

The Freedom Series was engineered to solve a growing challenge in wireless lighting: how to build wirelessly controllable luminaires that are simple to design, reliable to operate, and cost-efficient to manufacture, without being tied to a single control system. As pressure mounted for D4i-based solutions with powered DALI buses, Helvar Components took a different path in MINI series.

Freedom, the complete luminaire-based product family for wireless LED lighting, offers a modular, scalable approach to wireless lighting, supporting multiple leading protocols – including Casambi, ActiveAhead, Mymesh by Chess, and Pulse Systems – through either plug-in nodes or fully integrated drivers.

This latest product release takes that concept even further. The 42 W MINI driver (LC43MINI-FD-300-1050) includes trusted technology combined with a sensor-ready interface and built-in wireless connectivity. It simplifies the design and sourcing process, offers competitive pricing compared to traditional D4i/Powered DALI solutions and brings reliability. Thanks to Freedom, luminaire manufacturers no longer need to source sensors, nodes, or drivers from multiple suppliers, and they no longer face the compatibility issues that often follow.

For luminaire manufacturers and project stakeholders working with Casambi-specified lighting schemes, this launch offers an upgrade in lighting flexibility and integration. The MINI driver enables a cleaner, faster and more cost-effective route to producing smart luminaires, while keeping installation simple across multiple project sizes. Whether it’s used to control individual luminaires or commissioned to manage entire spaces, the integrated sensor connector brings added intelligence without complication.

With a cost-efficient and small “plug-and-play” sensor – the Helvar Components ‘Freedom Sense’ available, you can have control of a single luminaire or commission a master-slave style, giving whole room capabilities that can be mounted independently in the ceiling with a holder bracket. The Freedom nodes also provide actual ‘freedom’ of optimal antenna positioning, especially in metallic linear solutions.

This key ‘Freedom Sense’ innovation is significantly lower in cost than traditional Casambi system sensors, yet it enables the same functionality and does so more easily. By eliminating the need for Casambi-licensed sensor components, ‘Freedom Sense’ reduces the costs of the entire project for luminaire manufacturers and end users. Customers can achieve advanced wireless control and presence detection with fewer components and a far more competitive price point, while still retaining full compatibility with Casambi-based systems through the Freedom driver and node platform. It’s a smarter way to build scalable wireless lighting, without compromising on performance or flexibility.

With Helvar Components’ Freedom approach, you even retain the flexibility to address future project specifications using the same design footprint – whether that’s for Casambi, ActiveAhead or other protocols in the wireless system.

With compact size and powerful integration, it’s the next development in wireless luminaire design, and it lands in Q3 2025, with priority support and resources available for existing Freedom Series customers and Casambi-focused partners.

The ideal solution for high-impact spaces such as sports halls and outdoor pitches, Ansell
Lighting has added two new robust luminaires to its lighting range.

Designed specifically for large, outdoor areas, the Exa floodlight is manufactured from
coastal marine grade aluminium and finished with a premium AkzoNobel anti-corrosion
powder coating, offering exceptional durability. Combining strength with outstanding
performance, it offers a powerful high-lumen package ranging from 60,000 lumens (400W)
up to 180,000 lumens (1200W).

A range of accessories are also available to further enhance Exa’s performance, including a
narrow beam lens to minimise light spill and a floodlight visor for glare control. An innovative
magnetic aiming device also aids fast and accurate installation, ensuring greater precision
on site.

Providing an equally robust and powerful option for demanding indoor spaces, Ansell
Lighting has also unveiled Ocu-Lux, a multi-wattage linear high-bay that combines impact
resistance with superior performance.

With an outstanding 185 lm/W efficacy, Ocu-Lux delivers maximum energy savings and is
fully tested and approved to DIN18032-3 for ball impact resistance. Suitable for suspended
or surface mounting, it is OCTO-ready and has Zhaga sensor ports for flexibility and control.
Ocu-Lux also offers a choice of wattage options – 160W, 120W, 80W – providing flexibility for
varied mounting heights and lux requirements. Quick and easy to install, it also features a
rear fast connector plug, while 1–10V dimming comes as standard.

Mark Abbott, Managing Director at Ansell Lighting, said: " There is a lack of robust, high-
performance solutions in the market that can meet the challenges of both high-impact indoor
and outdoor environments in education and sports settings. Exa and Ocu-Lux address that
gap, combining durability, efficiency and flexibility with simple installation and control
options.”

For more information on Exa and Ocu-Lux visit: www.ansell-lighting.com

Since 2020, Pharos Architectural Controls solutions have been pivotal in the control of lighting at Niagara Falls. More recently, and to celebrate 100 years of illuminating the world-famous landmark – culminating in a special event between 12 and 14 September – additional solutions from Pharos have been used.

Throughout 2025, the Niagara Falls Illumination Board (NFIB) has been marking its centennial anniversary – a milestone that commemorates 100 years since the Falls first became lit every evening. These nightly illuminations are used not only to add a majestic visual to the intense power of the water, but also to honour global causes, notable calendar events and cultural moments.

The celebrations have included a large event in June to commemorate the first lighting of Niagara Falls with timed fireworks, and other activities throughout the summer.

The final celebrations were held between 12 and 14 September 2025, where a Pharos Designer LPC X (Lighting Playback Controller X) augmented the existing Pharos system to deliver a synchronised audio output for a son et lumière presentation. For many years, the Falls have been illuminated every night with the use of a four-universe Pharos Designer LPC, but this special anniversary show is the first time a sound and light show has been created for the natural phenomenon.

Three 30-minute displays took place per night, starting with the National Anthems of both countries that the Falls crosses – Canada and the USA. The Falls were bathed in the colours of each nation, followed by a short history of the Illumination Board and the different technologies employed before the advent of the current LED-based fixture system.

Visitors were then treated to a 20-minute music medley, with the LED lighting being complemented with laser projections on the rock-face of Goat Island, situated between the Horseshoe Falls and the US Falls.

To bring this to life and deliver frame-accurate synchronicity of the lighting to the music, Pharos lent an LPC X for the duration of the celebrations as it has audio output capabilities. The existing LPC project file was easily adapted to give patch and programming to the LPC X. Audio files were uploaded as part of the show file and placed on the same timelines as the lighting presets to ensure easily coordinated programming. Designer’s Music Timelines also allowed presets to be positioned according to bars and beats in musical time to guarantee even finer orchestrated accuracy with lighting effects. Lighting and music data from the LPC X created an output in perfect harmony as timelines were played back, for a seamless sensory and immersive experience.

Additional installation and integration for this was coordinated through Pathway Connectivity, specialists in DMX network solutions. Pathway Connectivity have programmed the Pharos system, while Linus MacDonald has acted as lighting consultant to support the creation of the events.

The LPC X also controlled four independent laser projectors integrating with the Pangalon Beyond Laser system from FFP Lasers of Oakville. NFIB rented ruggedized fibre from PRG to extend the Pathway VIA network to the laser position deep in the Niagara gorge along the river’s edge.

A PA system spanning 2,000 feet was installed along the Niagara Parkway sidewalk to pipe sound over the Pathway VIA network using Dante throughout the park, while the whole show was monitored online from the SixEye cloud solution to enable seamless control and responsive troubleshooting. A large video screen was erected on the US side of the Falls with a large PA, so visitors on American soil could enjoy the celebrations too.

Michael Grosse (MG), Regional Sales Manager for the Americas at Pharos Architectural Controls, said: “Niagara Falls is one of the most-famous global landmarks and projects, both in respect of scale and visual appeal, to use our products. To know a system from Pharos is illuminating one of the most visited sites in the world every evening, gives you a huge sense of pride.

“We were honoured to provide the technology to make these centenary celebrations happen. The scalability of a Designer system made it a simple proposition to drop an extra controller onto the network and into the project file to fulfil the temporary requirements for these festivities and to illuminate the Falls in such a grand and captivating way – bringing together visual and audio effects.”

Robert Bell of Pathway Connectivity added: “The Pharos Designer LPC has been integral to the success of the illuminations of Niagara Falls since we upgraded the system in 2020. We were therefore delighted that Pharos were more than happy to support the anniversary celebrations with the generous loan of an LPC X.

“We’d particularly like to thank Pharos CEO Simon Hicks, and MG, for coordinating this activity and for their continued support.”

The anniversary celebrations have been organised by the Niagara Falls Illumination Board, which is made up of representatives from the City of Niagara Falls Ontario, City of Niagara Falls, New York, Ontario Power Generation Inc., New York Power Authority, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Niagara Parks Commission. It is the Illumination Board’s responsibility and mandate to finance and maintain the nightly illumination of both the Horseshoe and American Falls.

The NFIB was formally established in February 1925. The Board managed an initial budget of $58,000, which was used to install 24 state-of-the-art arc lights. These powerful lights, mounted near Horseshoe Falls, were originally developed as searchlights for Britain during war-time air raids and each used 4,500 watts to illuminate the cascading water.

Project Credits

Lighting Controls: Pharos Architectural Controls

Programming, Network and SixEye Integration: Robert Bell of Pathway Connectivity

Laser Programming: Dave Nash, FFP Laser Systems

Cloud Support: Jack Neill of Pharos Controls

Lighting Consultant for NFIB: Linus Mac Donald

Music Medley Composition: Drew Waters

US (Goat Island) Video & PA: Dave Guilford, Ripe Audio

Trans-border RF Link: Craig MacDonald, RF Wireless

Canadian PA: Brandon Jary, PYNX Audio

Temporary Fibre Network Extension: PRG

Network: Pathway Connectivity Via switches and Pathport gateways

Backup: Pathway Connectivity Vignette