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T W E N T Y T H I R D E D I T I O N
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SERV I CES & TREATMENT :
HEAT I NG & L I GHT I NG SERV I CES
A contemporary approach to lighting in the
Learning Courtyard at Hampton Court Palace,
with LED downlights mounted in the canopy of the
new reception building and LED uplights in the soil
of the edge planting, emphasising the texture of the
historic brickwork.
heavily on the architecture. Ambient
lighting is created by a mixture of new and
existing Windsor lanterns, which are highly
traditional, attached to the 17th-century
barracks. For the new buildings a more
contemporary approach was taken with LED
downlights mounted in the new reception
canopy and LED uplights in the soil of the
edge planting. The result successfully blends
the traditional and the contemporary.
LIGHTING FROM WITHIN
Using light from within to highlight
a building at night can also be highly
effective. At the Sheldonian Theatre,
Oxford, one of Sir Christopher Wren’s
most celebrated buildings, the brief was
to design a scheme that would improve
the quality of the lighting and bring
equipment up-to-date, while remaining
sympathetic to the historic surroundings.
Concealed within the window sills, the
luminaires cannot be seen from normal
viewing positions. Asymmetric lenses
were fitted to cast light inwards, away from
the glass, providing washes of light to the
window reveals and vaulted ceilings in
the upper and lower galleries. In addition,
linear fluorescent luminaires were selected
to mimic daylight, rendering the colours of
the interior far more naturally than could be
achieved with incandescent luminaires. The
effect is dramatic and has greatly improved
the building’s street presence, allowing users
to enjoy the volume of its interior space as a
feature of the streetscape at night.
SYMPATHY WITH ORIGINAL DESIGN
INTENT
It is sometimes possible to go beyond a
successful replication and realise the original
design ambition by using technology that was
not previously available.
Hoare Lea Lighting was commissioned
by architects Jaques Muir and Partners to
restore the facade of the 1930s art deco Apollo
Victoria Theatre, London. The idea was to
recreate a scheme originally envisaged by its
architect, Ernest Wamsley Lewis, but which he
could not achieve at the time due to technical
problems. In a 1973 interview, Wamsley Lewis
explained that his intention had been to
incorporate bands of green lighting into the
original façade. Horizontal housing slots for
lighting still survived on the facade, indicating
the correct position for the linear lighting
treatment and enabling the scheme to be
accurately completed.
The obvious choice was cold cathode
lighting as the neon lighting systems
available in the 1930s used similar
technology. However, the lighting design
team wanted to improve on the power
consumption, durability and colour. With the
help of LED manufacturer NJO, a fitting was
developed with similar characteristics to cold
cathode lighting, but with the advantages
of colour changing and energy efficiency.
The result is a flexible design which enables
the lighting to support the promotion of the
current production (
Wicked
) as well as a
variety of future shows.
WHITE LIGHT/COLOUR TEMPERATURE
One of the fundamental requirements for
a pleasant lit environment is the use of
luminaires equipped with a white light source
such as metal halide, compact fluorescent,
or LED. These lamps have superior colour
rendering properties, allowing colours to
be seen more naturally and creating a more
comfortable environment.
At night, eye sensitivity changes to the
‘dark-adapted eye’ which is more sensitive to
the blue end of the spectrum, meaning we can
see better under white light sources.
Lamp colour temperature can create
different moods and impressions. A warm
3000K temperature would create a softer more
comfortable atmosphere while a cooler 4200K
is crisper. At the King’s Bath (title illustration)
the warm natural colours of the stone are
complemented with warm white LEDs, while
cooler 4000
o
K colour temperature lamps
emphasise the green of the algae-rich water.
ENERGY AND MAINTENANCE
Low energy use and low maintenance were
important requirements in the lighting design
for the Edwardian facade and entrance of the
Grade II listed Corn Exchange in Manchester.
The building has been refurbished and
rebranded as a food and retail destination and
the lighting design formed a central part of
this transformation.
The new lighting scheme adds definition,
drama and interest, while showcasing the
historic architecture of the Corn Exchange
and reinforcing its position as a Manchester
landmark. The lighting shows the form and
fabric of the facade through colour temperature,
variation in luminance levels, contrast, shadow,
grazing (directing light across a surface to
emphasise texture), uplighting and a respect for
the architectural detail.
Custom-made adjustable bracketry allowed
the installation to meet the complex mounting
requirements created by variations in ledges
and sill details and to avoid penetrating the lead
weatherings, while ensuring that fittings were
positioned and aimed as required. The scheme
is carefully integrated, with light fittings
coloured to match the lead on the building
ledges. Care was taken to ensure that fittings
do not protrude beyond the ledge, making the
installation effectively invisible.
DESIGN PROCESS – PLANNING
Historic buildings are generally well protected
and any change which affects the character
of a listed building requires listed building
consent. Such restraints combined with
discerning stakeholders, serve to protect sites
from inappropriate lighting.
The effect of a proposed external lighting
scheme on a sensitive building or space can
be difficult to appreciate. Computer generated
imagery (CGI) can play an important role here,
allowing lighting designers to show clients and
design teams how the building will appear and
to explain the nuances of the proposed design.
CGI was used successfully during the Corn
Exchange project (overleaf), assisting with
the planning process and helping the team to
understand the proposed scheme, especially
those unfamiliar with the technicalities of
lighting design.
OBTRUSIVE LIGHT
An exterior lighting scheme is a key
component of the night view and we must
be mindful of ‘obtrusive light’. This term
describes poorly controlled and distributed
artificial light, which results in adverse
impacts to the surrounding environment.
Obtrusive light impacts can include:
• sky glow: the upward spill of light into
the sky, which can cause a glowing
effect and is often seen above cities
when viewed from a dark area
• light spill: the unwanted spillage of light
onto adjacent areas, which may cause
problems for residential properties
and ecological sites in particular
• glare: the uncomfortable brightness
of the light source against a dark
background, which dazzles the
observer; it may cause nuisance to
residents and a hazard to road users
• light trespass: the spilling of light
beyond the boundary of a property,
which may cause nuisance to others.
Obtrusive light has negative impacts on the
visibility of the night sky, on the night-time
appearance of buildings and landscapes, and
on wildlife (especially bats). It is only relatively
recently that policies and good practice
guidance (see further information) have been