Client Introduction
Savills Management Team
Working in partnership with Wirefield Ltd.
Project Background Brief
Wirefield, in collaboration with Tridonic, spearheaded a state-of-the-art lighting retrofit at the Observatory Shopping Centre in Slough. This initiative focused on replacing outdated lighting with Tridonic’s LED technology and a wireless controls solution. The upgrade encompassed the car park and stairwells, achieving substantial reductions in both energy use and operational costs.
The goal was to overhaul the existing lighting infrastructure to improve efficiency and reduce costs across the shopping centre’s car park and stairwells. Tridonic provided their LED technology, which was integrated with Wirefield’s wireless controls technology, forming a system that allowed for real-time lighting adjustments and management. This was achieved without extensive rewiring or manual controls.
“15 tonne reduction in CO2 emissions annually.”
Challenge
The original setup used energy-intensive fluorescent lighting controlled by an outdated and costly building management system. The challenge lay in updating this system to a more energy-efficient solution without disrupting the shopping centre’s ongoing operations.
As the car park was in use while the upgrade was in process, health and safety of the installation team and general public was an extra challenge. The onsite team needed to find a solution that allowed the car park to remain open and compliant, whilst also giving their onsite team the protection and space to conduct the lighting upgrade.
Solution
Wirefield specified their GTB anti-corrosive luminaire, which contained Tridonic LED and driver technology necessary for the retrofit, ensuring high-efficiency lighting throughout the car park and stairwells. The installation featured wireless controls technology, which allowed for the fine-tuning of lighting systems via an app. This technology supported automated emergency lighting tests and made the project compliant with current safety standards, while enhancing maintenance efficiency.
With the help of the onsite security and local business operating from the car park the installation was completed without any concerns by sectioning off different small zones each day (determined by circuit breaker supplies), allowing the fittings to be installed while the rest of the car park was in use and lit.
The public stairwell lights are left on 10% illuminated for safety reasons. When activated maximum output is achieved and triggers additional lights going up and down the stairwell to illuminate a safe passage. After 3 minutes of no detection the lights go back down to 10%.
The car park has now a different setup, when one light is triggered additional lights are activated to provide a safe passage. The car park lights will go off completely when not in use. When triggered they will achieve maximum output for 30 seconds then drop down to 10% over 10 seconds and then stay lit at this for 30 seconds before turning off. All lights can be adjusted and controlled, adjusted via the app on a tablet or PC.
“Total energy reduction of 37% saving approximately £9,893 annually”
Results
Project compliance and energy savings were enhanced through the synergy of LED technology and Wireless Controls. 250 installed lights Tridonic supplied all LED and driver technology for 250 newly installed lights.
The combination of Tridonic’s LED technology with Wirefield’s wireless controls significantly reduced the energy consumption and carbon footprint of the Observatory Shopping Centre. This project demonstrates how innovative lighting solutions can transform spaces, reduce environmental impact, and provide significant cost benefits. The retrofit was completed with minimal disruption, thanks to effective planning and collaboration between Tridonic, Wirefield and their commissioning team. The upgrade has set a benchmark for future expansions, aiming to replace the obsolete building management system entirely, and has been highly regarded by both the client and the centre’s visitors.
Wirefield Eye-Wi
Emergency lighting is a fundamental part of the risk assessment for health and safety plans in all commercial buildings. But what if you’re not compliant? We can help!