In the summer of 2019, we were approached by BAM to support them in delivering a series of concept luminaires for a new facility at the University of Leeds campus.
The International Centre for Engineering and Physical Science (ICEPS) will provide state-of-the-art facilities for the faculties of Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Astronomy and Computing. This presented a thrilling prospect for Kemps, especially considering that the project is situated in our hometown of Leeds.
We were delighted to witness one of our most significant projects making its debut on Netflix in the upcoming suspenseful murder thriller “Bodies.” This particular project serves as the backdrop for a futuristic police station set in the year 2053, and if this is a glimpse into what lies ahead, we eagerly anticipate more opportunities for collaboration!
Please take a look at the images below.
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The brief
There were five aspects to the concept:
Additional to these concepts, more lighting areas were added using our standard Figaro 60 products as the design and build progressed.
The atrium
The atrium and stair feature lighting included direct/indirect, and RGBW. The original specification was for DMX control, but there was no DMX control system or DMX cables installed in the building. We needed to come up with a solution to control the atrium lights to enable faster animations. We agreed the stair feature would be controlled via the building control system using DALI. We did the same for all areas except the floor standing fittings.
Another consideration was the indirect light detail which would be visible from above and needed to be diffused. We designed the FIGARO 100 to give diffused direct/indirect RGBW lighting, with independent up and down control. This was achieved with Casambi receivers and integral DMX drivers. We concluded the same profile could then be used for the feature stairwell pendant and the exhibition space suspended LED rings.
Kemps came up with a solution to control the atrium lighting using a small, low-cost, standalone DMX system, combined with Casambi Bluetooth control. This method involved using DMX to Casambi transmitters which convert DMX signals to data. Data is transmitted via Bluetooth and received at the fittings by Casambi to DMX receivers. This data is then transmitted in the fittings as DMX signals back to the internal DMX drivers. After much work and finetuning, this method proved to work effectively.
The pendant and exhibition lighting
Once the control was arranged, the rest of the design and build went quite smoothly, including the stairwell feature pendant which were all RGBW direct and indirect. The exhibition space required several different sizes of suspended rings, with direct & indirect RGBW light with DALI control.
The floor-standing lights
The floor-standing lights had a design brief that required dynamic white controlled light, via the building control system. This threw up a challenge, as the fittings needed to be used in several locations that could be interchangeable. This would require DALI to be available at every possible location the fittings were used, and it was agreed this wouldn’t be possible.
Kemps came up with the solution to use Casambi in each fitting, with a Casambi bridge module connected to the master system. This way, each fitting could be placed anywhere with a power supply, without the need for DALI access. The DALI master system sends commands which are transmitted via the Casambi bridge and received by each fitting.
The stairwell fitting
Another challenge arose once the feature stairwell fitting was installed. It turned out the building control system was not compatible with the DALI DT8 drivers integral to the fittings. Kemps were asked to come up with a low-cost solution.
Our solution was to use the standalone DMX system used to control the atrium fittings but splitting into two separate universes; one for the atrium; and the other for the stair feature pendant. We added an interface capable of taking DMX signals and converting to DALI DT8, transmitting to the stair feature pendant via a dedicated DALI cable.
Balustrade fittings were designed to suit the existing concept brief and were manufactured and installed without any problems.
With such a large project, there will always be complications and changes in strategy. We were pleased to be able to problem-solve and provide low-cost solutions in several situations. We are extremely pleased with the completed results of this project. ICEPS is a huge asset to the campus.
Please take a few minutes to look at our fantastic ICEPs video
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