Total Lighting - March 2016

A stainless steel structure, fabricated
from solid 50x50mm profi le, provides a
foundation, in which the majority of the
lighting has been subtly incorporated, while
custom trunking discreetly conceals the
cable routing, and keeps the visual impact
of the lighting equipment to a minimum.
Special mounting brackets that clip into
the trunking allow high level lighting to be
attached to the structure, and to accentuate
the tree canopy above.
Bespoke frame-mounted LED downlights,
which were designed by Foundry and
manufactured in-house by UFO Lighting, are
used throughout to highlight the stainless
steel structure, and the tables below. Having
been specifi cally fashioned to the same
specifi cation as the stainless steel profi le,
and powder coated to match, the cubeshaped
fi ttings blend so seamlessly with
their surrounding environment that they
appear as a streamlined extension of it.
Each fi tting has been fabricated from
anodised aluminium, and fi tted with a brass
insert for a look of added warmth and luxury.
Internally, the use of the 1W Cree chip and
narrow optics provide the tight beam and
quality of light needed to create dramatic
pools of light on the tables below.
Sharing the load
It’s not always necessary for individual
establishments to take the lead on lighting
design as a way of increasing customer
footfall. Take, for instance, the case of an
area of Manchester, where a refurbishment
programme, which includes advanced
lighting technology, has breathed new life
into bars and restaurants locally. Constance
Wolstenholme of IBT Group explains: ‘The
role of the lighting designer is key to creating
the right ambience for city centre attractions.
A perfect example of how an exciting
specialist lighting design can change the
whole ambience of the area is the recent
installation at Angel Square, which has
undergone extensive refurbishment, the
crowning glory of which is the lighting of the
NOMA tubes, and specifi cally, the soon-tobe-introduced
public interactivity via Twitter’.
During the day, the area reflects an image of
tranquillity and peace but, by night, displays a
vibrancy that reflects the busy atmosphere of
the city. As word spreads, the area becomes
a tourist attraction and, as a result, businesses
catering to the visitors flourish.
In control
Lighting design, and in particular, energy
effi cient lighting design, simply cannot
be fully achieved without the use of controls.
Many older controls, especially those
incorporating scene settings popular with the
hospitality sector, simply aren’t compatible
with retrofi t LED lighting, so in these cases, a
new system is called for.
Smart lighting control within the restaurant
and public areas of properties belonging
to the Bulldog Hotel Group had become
a priority after expertise identifi ed that
inappropriate lighting levels at particular
times led to lack of ambience. It became
apparent that effective handling of lighting
levels were key to maintaining a conducive
and relaxed atmosphere within the dining
and bar areas, but asking staff to manually
adjust lighting at set times of the day and
evening - when busy and under pressure
serving food and drink - proved challenging.
This led to the company researching the
options for one of its fl agship properties -
The Old Bridge Inn and Coffee House
in Holmfi rth.
A need was identifi ed for a simple
automated lighting scene system, which
once set, required no adjustment or
maintenance, but equally could be
re-set to accommodate different events,
and changing levels of natural light during
the seasons. The Group specifi ed a bespoke
solution from Hamilton Litestat.
Hamilton’s team created a purposebuilt
lighting control system with a facility
for multiple scene setting throughout
The Old Bridge’s restaurant and bar. The
system comprised a compact twin-channel
controller, with MCB protection and a built-in
timer to deliver multiple timed scene recall
– from breakfast through to evening dining.
Our initial research
into identifying a suitable
lighting control unit for
the Old Bridge Inn revealed
an off-the-shelf system
that would meet our needs
simply didn’t exist’
www.total-lighting.com • MARCH 2016 • 43