Author: russellcoombes

The Adelphi Building in London has undergone a comprehensive lighting retrofit, bathing the iconic facades with dynamic colour changing scenes, while ensuring efficient energy savings.

The grade II listed commercial space is in an enviable position in the City of Westminster, London, facing the Thames. The project brief – which was delivered by Lighting design studio Silent Design and leading lighting solutions provider, Tridonic – was to improve the exterior lighting to the front and rear of the iconic building, creating a striking design while showcasing the benefits of wireless lighting.

To deliver the project, the existing lighting needed to be replaced on both the front and rear façades of the building, alongside offering time-controlled events of scenes and sequences. Silent Design created a scheme which gives a subtle and compassionate lighting upgrade to the front façade that would not disturb its close neighbours but still give it providence. To the rear, a colourful and dynamic play of light has been introduced, which is visible from the other side of the Thames River.

Silent Design specified smart lighting solutions from Tridonic, including drivers and controls. As the building is listed, this presented challenges around delivering the required level of control without having to put in new cabling infrastructure. Tridonic’s basicDIM Wireless was therefore identified as the ideal control technology to meet the requirements of the project.

John Bowden from Silent Design, explains: “Due to the planning restrictions, the lighting to the front façade on John Adam Street needed to be kept warm white, at 3000K only. The lighting to the rear of the building, which faces the river Thames, had more flexibility, and it was determined that an all RGBW colour change design would be best suited for this application. Tridonic’s Casambi-enabled technology controls the exterior, spot and linear lighting, enabling dimming of white colour to the front of the building and control of the RGBW lighting to the rear.”

As most of the original exterior lighting had become neglected over the years, it was only about 20 per cent functional and the use of high-powered discharge lamps on the original fittings meant they were costly to maintain. Thanks to the new LED upgrade, maintenance will be kept to a minimum. The use of remote LED drivers and controls means the fittings are also easily maintained without having to go out onto the exterior of the building.

James Huntington, controls and solutions manager for Tridonic, said: “Tridonic’s Casambi-enabled wireless controls allow the end-user to easily set up scenes and animations via the app, along with timed activation based on the time and date of the year. Animations have been programmed in for special days like St Patricks Day and Pride month, providing the building with a renewed sense of relevance and a whole new lease of life.

“This captivating lighting design further promotes the Adelphi as a landmark and notable architecture in the UK’s capital city. This building can be seen from across the other side of the Thames River and has made a positive visual impact on the London skyline”.

John Bowden from Silent Design adds: “Tridonic’s innovative basicDIM Wireless was the perfect control technology that we needed to meet the requirements of this project. This control system not only allowed us the ultimate control to set dynamic lighting scenes, but it is user friendly for the client to set their own animations.

“The system also ensures significant energy savings for the building. The solutions from Tridonic have greatly improved both the appearance and function of the renowned Adelphi Building.”

Project credits:
Client – Savills London
Lighting Design and Commissioning – Silent Design
Drivers and Controls Solutions Provider – Tridonic
Installation – Virtus Contracts

Leading manufacturer of performance architectural lighting, Lucent Lighting, has completed yet another successful project in the Middle East with an array of luminaires specified in the outstanding One Za‘abeel development.

The One and Only Hotel located within the ultimate urban resort saw Lucent Lighting involved with dpa lighting consultants who were appointed to the development and specified Lucent Lighting as one of the preferred lighting manufacturers for the project.

Located in the centre of Dubai, at the entrance to the International Financial Districts, One Za‘abeel is a contemporary development offering the ultimate experience in urban living. The site offers residential, commercial and leisure space, with captivating 360° views of the cityscape.

With the facilities split across two skyscrapers, the impressiveness of the development has been made greater through the creation of the world’s longest cantilevered bridge. Sited at 100 metres in the sky and 230 metres long, the bridge is suspended between the two towers. It is another example of how Dubai is pushing the boundaries of modern architecture and engineering.

Lucent Lighting’s ProSpex range has been widely used across the development. This family of attractive downlights offer integrated recessed lighting coupled with architectural design. The range incorporates different sizes, outputs, and control methods, as well as fixed, adjustable and wallwash variants.

ProSpex 100 luminaires are now illuminating levels 25; the guestrooms and corridors of levels 30-44, and levels 46-53. A range of fixed, adjustable and wallwash have been specified, enabling the lighting design to have a harmonious aesthetic but different functionality where required.

Adding to this, the ProSpex 100 has been used in Tower A’s One Mezzanine and Destination, and the Serviced Apartments.

On levels 25 and 46-53, the ProSpex 140 has also been fitted, offering a superior lighting effect alongside a stylish design.

Demonstrating its versatility to fulfil the lighting requirements of different spaces, ProSpex 100 and ProSpex 140 are installed in the ground floor and first-floor podiums. A blend of fixed, adjustable and wallwash variants have been specified. This is alongside Lucent Lighting’s Plus XL with Lucent’s LED71 module.

In Tower A’s spa and gym, as well as the ProSpex 100, Gimbal Mini Twins are providing illumination. These accent downlights feature 2 fully directional gimbal heads, adjustable to 35° in certain directions.

Moving to the dining facilities, in the Specialist Restaurant ProSpex 100 fixed, adjustable and wallwash luminaires have been fitted, alongside the Line Flare Trim. This is an LED trimmed downlight with ultra low-glare, and flare aperture, and is available with a number of different LEDs. The 2, 5 and 10 lamp versions have been chosen for this space.

In the All-Day Dining area, ProSpex 100 and ProSpex 140 luminaires provide light for diners at all times of the day and the nighttime hours.

The range of luminaires from Lucent Lighting works in perfect harmony with the chic and stunning interior design running throughout the entire development. A selected group of designers worked on different elements of the project including WGC International..

James Morris-Jones, International Sales Director at Lucent Lighting said: “The design and architecture of One Za‘abeel is an example of real ingenuity. To be involved in such a ground-breaking project gives us a real sense of achievement.

“It is always a delight to work alongside lighting designers dpa lighting consultants to create beautifully illuminated, prestigious projects.”

Project credits:

Lighting Design :- dpa lighting consultants

Local Lighting Supplier :- Huda Lighting

Lucent MENA Partner :- Monarca

A landmark lighting conversion project in Japan has created a stunning result at the historic Tower of Osaka Castle.  

The tower was originally built in the 1580s, two years after the construction of Osaka Castle, but was destroyed by fire in 1615 and again in 1665. The current castle tower, restored in 1931, has become a must-see attraction for those visiting Osaka, especially as it offers a panoramic view of the city from the observation deck on the eighth floor. 

Major renovations were carried out in the 1990s, to cope with the ageing structure and to improve its earthquake resistance. During this project, a new lighting scheme – respecting the prestige of the historical Osaka Castle Tower – was designed by world-famous lighting designer Motoko Ishii.  

In 2023, the latest project was commissioned to convert the floodlights to LED and offer controllability. Architectural and commercial lighting solutions provider Architainment Inc in Japan, led the installation, specifying Pharos Architectural Controls to supply the control elements of the upgrade, installing a Pharos Designer LPC (Lighting Playback Controller).

The project also aimed to reduce the structure’s electricity consumption and operating costs in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. As well as the switch to LED technology, which saves money due to its higher efficiency and less energy intensive requirements, fewer devices have been used to illuminate the stone walls. By cutting the number of devices by around half, energy and costs have been reduced. As well as overhauling the night-time aesthetic of the building, the project has delivered a reduction in annual energy consumption by approximately 85% and reduced annual carbon dioxide emissions by around 41 tonnes. Additionally, the introduction of IoT lighting through cloud computing was incorporated to improve facilities management, predictive maintenance, and energy usage reporting. 

The LED conversion needed to create a lit environment that was appealing to locals and visitors, whilst maintaining the original design principles. This has been achieved through the installation of full-colour LED lighting solutions from Lumenpulse – supplied and commissioned by Architainment Inc and controlled by the Pharos Designer LPC 1. The ability to illuminate the keep and the surrounding environment in an array of colours has enabled the tower to be appreciated even during dark hours and become even more of an attraction as night-time falls. 

The Designer LPC 1 features individually controllable and independently running timelines and scenes. It offers the freedom of real-time manual overrides, with the versatility of powerful show control and integration features. With a compact form and minimal power requirements, the LPC can be installed anywhere. 

The project also features a Pharos Cloud portal, allowing for full device interoperability and access – anywhere in the world. The system also integrates a backup redundancy controller that will switch over in the unlikely event of a fault. 

Tony Symms, Regional Manager at Pharos Architectural Controls, said: “The Tower of Osaka Castle has such a rich history, and Pharos is proud to now be part of its future. The use of colour LEDs, controlled by our award-winning Designer LPC is a fantastic combination; illuminating the structure, showcasing its architecture, and creating a beautiful atmosphere at night.” 

Kengo Hayashida, CEO of Architainment Inc, added: “Osaka has a proud heritage, and the Castle Tower is an integral part of this. By improving the existing lighting scheme through the use of LED technology and control solutions from Pharos Architectural Controls, we have been able to deliver significant savings, cost reduction and an improved aesthetic that still remains true to the original lighting design.”  

Mr Hayashida from Architainment Inc added: “This is an incredibly impressive result, achieved through the collaborative approach of all partners and stakeholders, alongside the utilisation of the best technology available.” 

Emergency lighting, systems and solutions expert Mackwell recently played a key role in the creation of a bespoke counselling and therapy centre for bereaved young people in Derbyshire.

The project, which was made possible through a special airing of the popular BBC programme DIY SOS for Children in Need, will help hundreds of children and families experiencing traumatic loss. The vital service was made possible thanks to funding through Children in Need.

DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles, a team of volunteer tradespeople, and the suppliers including Mackwell, headed to Treetops Hospice in Risley, Derbyshire, where the new build has expanded the capacity and services of the existing centre.

To add crucial testing systems to the new building, Mackwell’s N-Light EC test and monitoring system was supplied through their Smart Building Partner Scenariio. The N-LIGHT Ecosystem from Mackwell is a fully comprehensive portfolio of fully compatible testing and monitoring components. The N-Light EC system was the first emergency lighting test system to be able to connect in this way. Low voltage DC grids with a structured cabled infrastructure are seen by many as the future of smart buildings and is another example of Mackwell’s forward thinking towards a sustainable built environment.

Mackwell luminaire products were also featured in the build, the XYLUX LRX downlight, XYVEX semi-recessed exit signs and TEMPUS EXB2 signs all played their part in ensuring discrete yet highly effective emergency lighting solutions. All of these solutions had RJ45 connections to interface with Cat 6 structured cabling with the entire lighting installation being connected via a low voltage grid, perfectly illuminating escape routes.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, Mackwell’s solutions are a practical alternative to standard emergency luminaires and offer an unobtrusive powerful emergency lighting solution.

Making the DIY SOS project even more special was the cadre of celebrities on hand to assist. As Radio 2 was in nearby Leicester for the Radio 2 in the Park event, there was no shortage of helpers. Scott Mills, Zoe Ball and even Sam Ryder pitched in to support the construction. Richie Anderson and Owain Wyn Evans met some of the brilliant young people who have sadly lost loved ones and will benefit from the new centre.

For the DIY SOS team, the build was a monumental challenge, creating a brand-new child-friendly counselling centre in what was once just a meadow. The sound-proofed counselling rooms will help children and young adults across a range of ages. It will also be a welcoming multifunctional space for the charity’s group therapy projects, a complementary therapy room and an outdoor seating area. All of the new centre celebrates the natural beauty of the surrounding landscapes.

To officially open the building, Sophie Ellis-Bextor visited the centre for a special kitchen disco.

Rene Joppi from Mackwell said: “The expansion to the existing functions of Treetops Hospice will offer much-needed support to bereaved young children through counselling and therapy. Mackwell is delighted to have played a role in bringing this centre to life, and it was an inspiring project to be part of.”

The Industry Committee for Emergency Lighting (ICEL) is delighted to host, after an incredibly successful event in 2023, the highly anticipated ICEL Emergency Lighting Conference 2024, set to take place on the 12th of September. As the key event for the emergency lighting industry, this gathering will bring together key stakeholders from across the supply chain, providing a platform for industry collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The Emergency Lighting Conference has been carefully curated by ICEL to deliver insights and expertise in emergency lighting. By joining us you will have access to speakers, experts in their respective fields, who will address your questions, what your responsibilities are, any legislative changes, and strategies to drive change in the future. Presentations delivered throughout the day will enhance your knowledge and give you the tools to form a better understanding in the latest advancements.

With networking opportunities to interact and collaborate with industry professionals, emergency lighting manufacturers, and other influential stakeholders so you can forge partnerships, exchange ideas, and explore new business opportunities that will drive success in your endeavours.

Admission to the ICEL Emergency Lighting Conference 2024 is free of charge for all attendees, thanks to the generous sponsorship of emergency lighting manufacturers. However, due to the overwhelming interest and venue constraints, registering does not guarantee immediate attendance. A selection process will be implemented to accommodate as many guests as possible while ensuring a balanced mix of representation across all functions of Emergency Lighting. A separate email will be sent in August to confirm attendance for those who register their interest.

The Boathouse is a new independent café on the banks of the River Wey, which opened its doors in the summer of 2023 to introduce Soulspace, an independent members club, coworking space, event hire area, and café. The Boathouse Café serves a seasonal menu made from local produce, offering a peaceful haven along the English riverside. People can take in the beautiful views over a morning coffee, working lunch, or celebratory dinner and drinks.

The Boathouse features beautiful, sustainable design from the Interior Design agency Raw Clay that uses natural materials and responsible sourcing, taking inspiration from the river. Lighting Design studio Mistry Lighting created a lighting scheme which encompasses the entire building, featuring architectural lighting, hospitality lighting and commercial lighting. Mistry Lighting specified elegant lighting solutions from Lucent Lighting to meet the requirements of each distinctive space.

The lighting design enhances the interior and architectural features of the building. Layered lighting produces a creative and inspiring office environment to work in; the low-level decorative lighting brings comfort into the space, while table lamps provide additional task lighting when required. Pre-programmed lighting scenes within meeting rooms grant the user full flexibility to change the colour temperature and intensity of light levels to suit their requirements.

The Boathouse Café is cleverly illuminated to bring out the stunning architectural and interior features of the space, providing an ambient atmosphere for drinks, and dining and accommodating events held in the restaurant.

The architectural lighting has specifically been designed to use tuneable white lighting that changes colour and intensity throughout the day to reflect what is happening outside. Office lighting plays a crucial role in health and well-being, as it can significantly impact various aspects of both physical and mental health.

When tuned to cooler, bluish-white light in the morning and warmer, reddish-white light in the evening, light promotes the production of melatonin at night, aiding in a more restful sleep. During the day, the exposure to brighter, cooler light enhances alertness and cognitive performance. This dynamic lighting system helps regulate the circadian rhythm, leading to improved sleep patterns, enhanced alertness during the day, and better overall well-being.

Mistry Lighting have implemented this lighting system for the office spaces, illuminating a cool colour temperature in the morning which increases in intensity and colour throughout the day, and after lunch, the lighting slowly starts to turn warmer in colour temperature and dims down in intensity towards the evening hours.

The lighting scheme has been designed to be human-centric, to contribute to a healthier and more productive workplace. Furthermore, it supports energy efficiency goals by optimising lighting levels based on occupancy and external lighting conditions, thereby reducing energy consumption, and minimising environmental impact.

The beautiful, innovative and responsive lighting scheme has helped transform The Boathouse into the perfect place to work, relax, and grow, fostering an intimate sense of community and collaboration.

Project credits:
Lighting Designer – Mistry Lighting
Architect – Mitchell Evans
Interior Designer – Raw Clay
Photography – Gavriil Papadiotis

Products used:
ProSpex Soft 70 trim Accent downlight
ProSpex Soft 50 Trim Accent downlight
ProSpex 100 Trimmed Accent downlight
ProSpex Focus 60 Accent downlight
Micro 40 Focus Accent, Trimmed
ECOdrive 240/A constant current DALI dimmable
ProSpex Tube LED Mini TW Tubular Spotlight
ProSpex Tube LED Mini Gen2 Tubular Spotlight
ProSpex TubeLED Micro Tubular Spotlight

Lighting controls specialist Pharos Architectural Controls is bolstering its award-winning portfolio with the introduction of two new remote device solutions – RIO D4 and RIO G4.

Pharos RIOs – Remote Input Output devices – provide convenient Power-over-Ethernet solutions enabling a variety of show control, integration, and data infrastructure distribution over the control network.

The RIO D4 is a new DALI remote device. Each RIO D4 supports the distribution of four DALI buses in a low-profile, cost-effective plastic DIN enclosure, which can be used as an output for control and as an input for triggering. Each device can be placed where it is needed and connected to Pharos controllers over an Ethernet network.

Pharos is also announcing the new RIO G4, a four-port Ethernet network gateway, supporting the distribution of four DMX/SDI universes – also in the new enclosure style. Configuring and patching to the RIO G4 will be the same as for the 10 and 20-port Designer EDNs, seamlessly allowing more choices when planning DMX distribution across a Pharos installation, and with the reassurance of using Pharos hardware all the way to the fixture.

The Pharos RIO D4 and RIO G4 will be available to order from May 2024, with shipping expected in July 2024.

Jack Neill, Senior Product Manager at Pharos Architectural Controls said: “RIOs are a popular and essential part of customising a Pharos control solution with the ports and protocols needed to fulfil any installation requirements. With these two great new products, which will be easy to install, cost-effective and reliable, clients can get even more choice over the system that best suits the needs of their project.”

The RIO D4 and RIO G4 will be compatible with Pharos Designer controllers when support is introduced in v2.13 of the Designer 2 software.

DesignPlusLight are delighted to unveil their latest commercial project: One Paddington Square. This iconic ‘glass cube’ building, designed by Renzo Piano, resides above Paddington’s rail network and forms part of the new Crossrail entrance.

Comprising 17 floors of mixed-use commercial and retail space: DesignPlusLight worked with leading architects TP Bennett to design the upper 9 floors of the building.

The brief was to create food and beverage and break out leisure spaces on each floor that seamlessly blended with dealer floors, open plan offices and glass partitioned meeting rooms – all with a panoramic view of London’s cityscape. TP Bennett designed a bespoke staircase that spanned the internal spaces for their client which culminated at the 16th floor hospitality level which included reception, conference meeting rooms, concierge, entertainment bar and a 150 seated auditorium with state-of-the-art video conferencing facility. All with an exceptional 360-degree view over the London city basin.

The steel and glass construction of the building provided significant challenges to the lighting design. During the day the building is flooded with natural light. Automatic BMS systems control the impact of daylight into each floor. Daylight and PIR sensors integrated into the lighting controls enable the management of the artificial lighting during the day to ensure minimal use of energy.

“The challenge with extensive glazing is whilst it affords a spectacular vista during the day, as night falls the glass can become a reflecting mirror of the interior”, says Principal and Founder Sanjit Bahra. “To overcome this, we layered lighting effects to highlight the internal form and structure of each space so that the internal view became the interesting night time scene”.

The 16th floor located the entertainment and VC suites – comprising reception and concierge, a 150 seated video conferencing auditorium (with the latest camera technology) and a champagne bar area. Tuneable white LED sources were designed on this floor to ensure the lighting married with the changing colour temperature of the outside space and daylight.

Specific colour temperatures were selected for the auditorium to ensure the best presentation across all visual material (often to international clients). The ceiling height was restricted to 2.6m in the auditorium. A layered ceiling helped to create the impression of height which followed the raked seating arrangement. Linear lighting was seamlessly detailed into the panelled ceiling to further enhance the dimensions of the space and also provide forward facial light to the stage.

DesignPlusLight designed a bespoke metallic chandelier to span the bar and hospitality area. The aesthetic was driven by the material of the building and the corporate identity of the client. It had to feel robust, create a strong impression and also work with the ceiling height and span of the space. We took inspiration from the views afforded from this height and collaborated with Stoane Lighting to produce suspended rods with lit elements. The undulating arrangement gave the impression of floating clouds and the gentle movement of light evoked a murmuration of birds. This also helped lead guests into the space whilst still admiring the magnificent views across London.

The 50 x 50 metre square footprint lends itself to a very regimented office floor plan arrangement. Curved lines of light help break up the rectilinear space and guides one’s eye across the workspace to the more relaxed break out seating and eateries. Suspended acoustic lined panels add a further layer of softness and texture and provide a visual anchor to the more informal areas.

TP Bennett designed an internal staircase that allowed personnel to move between all 9 floors without having to use the central core lifts. This became a feature in its own right, comprising of two sections made of steel, travertine and glass. DesignPlusLight continued the indirect lighting approach to enhance the curved balustrade and soffit details – giving the staircase a sculptural quality.

Lighting mock ups and site trials were required to ensure that the lighting were beautifully detailed within the fabric of the staircase so that the light sources could not be seen. The lighting and material all blended seamlessly into one beautiful construction.

The central core was used to house more private meeting rooms, yoga studio, library and places for respite. The interior design finishes and indirect lighting further enhanced the feeling of quiet contemplation – in contrast to an active office space outside.

Designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification and BREEAM Outstanding rating – DesignPlusLight have set the tone for the future of sustainable and elegant lighting within the commercial and hospitality sectors.