Lighting Design International sent us their recent project, Bluewater Winter Garden. Please see below for further details:
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The architectural and lighting challenge was to transform the dated and under-lit ‘Winter Garden’ at Bluewater, in to an exciting, contemporary, easy to navigate environment, encouraging visitors to return throughout the day and evening. On Lighting Design International’s initial visit, it was apparent existing lighting was soulless and utilitarian, with a large percentage of illumination provided by halogen downlighters. Lighting levels were inappropriate and inadequate, when considering time of day, contributing daylight, space use and human factors.
LDI wanted to make visitor experience paramount, by enhancing daytime and evening ambiance, visual comfort and wayfinding, whilst adding feature lighting for improved atmosphere, sensual feedback and charm. Increased levels of daytime illumination, less visual ‘clutter’, improved technology and energy saving were also prerequisite. Superb low loads were achieved: Installed power density 9.6W/sq m, daytime operational power density 7.2W/sq m, evening operational power density 3.2W/sq m.
Key objectives and solutions were to:
1. Increase light levels to the mall access and ground floor food counters, providing better balance compared with day lighting experienced in the central atrium. Lighting contrasts were historically too large, with daylight contributing over 7000lx in the atrium, and patchy existing light levels ranging from 21lx to 120lx. LDI used an organic array of 2000lm 3000K Xicato dark light DAL downlighters to provide a minimum of 350lx. Light is colour consistent, high colour rendering, low glare and efficient.
2. Increase mall access apparent brightness by lighting surfaces to reflect light into the space, including ceiling uplighting and direct lighting to vertical surfaces and columns. 460m of Ecosense driver integral linear LED was employed to uplight the ceiling. The dynamic lattice of sweeping light troughs, gives a bright and interesting ceiling plane leading the eye through the space, from mall to the food counters.
3. Improve ambiance with dynamic lighting that can adapt from day to night. It was important for spaces to feel impressive, light and voluminous during daytime, and intimate during the evening. To create moodier lighting, LDI introduced a splash of colour with infinity coffers in the mall link, uplit trees in the atrium, uplit roof structure and refreshed colour uplighting to the iconic lake glass towers. Colour feature lighting linked the three individual zones (mall link, atrium seating, lower seating) with the same identity, whilst allowing white light to be lower during the evening.
4. Atrium; metal halide gobo projectors placed in trees and high level atrium structure give patterned light of varying intensity to the main communal seating creating an indoor moonlit piazza effect. Luminance levels are set lower for intimacy, without feeling flat and lifeless.
5. LDI designed custom pendants, from Mike Stoane Lighting, provide ambient lighting to the lower seating. With 12m ceiling height and huge glass façade, it was important to reduce the feeling of scale during the evening, the six 2m x 2m x 0.8m, 150kg pendants helped by lowering the perceived ceiling height and providing focus to the space. Pendants are internally lit with cold cathode, and have lockable Xicato downlighters to give pools of light to the seating.
LDI have created an atmospheric welcoming space with their creative energy efficient solution adding depth drama and focus.
