UK - As part of an ambitious renovation project to improve the aesthetics and safety at Norwich’s Church of St. Peter Mancroft, a suite of solutions from lighting controls specialist Pharos Architectural Controls has been installed within the historic site to enhance worship and improve its eco credentials.
The Church of St. Peter Mancroft has stood proud in the heart of Norwich for nearly 600 years. As an important heritage site, the church’s lighting needed an upgrade to highlight its architecture, while supporting the multiple uses of the building. To achieve the client’s brief and make the necessary enhancements to the Grade 1 listed medieval building required a high level of sensitivity.
Lighting designers Enlightened were appointed to create a new lighting scheme for the church. The lighting scheme requirements were two-fold: to create beautiful lighting scenes to enhance worship, and to support the staging of secular events within the building, such as concerts and exhibitions. To fulfil the control element of the scheme, Enlightened specified a system from Pharos.
As well as enhancing the site’s visual appeal, the new lighting has formed part of a forward-thinking and ambitious net-zero project to reduce the carbon footprint of the church – which the lighting control significantly contributes to.
A comprehensive LED lighting scheme has been designed by Enlightened to replace the existing outdated and inefficient sodium-based light sources. Over 300 new and fully dimmable fixtures were installed – all with individual control using a Designer lighting control system from Pharos.
Building scenes to support the different uses within the church was an important part of the lighting design, and the Pharos Designer system fulfilled the brief perfectly, enabling pre-programmed scenes to be executed whenever needed.
“We collaborated closely with the client to really understand how they needed to use the lighting and how we could create the various scenes and sequences that might be required,” explains lead lighting designer on the project, Simon Marcus from Enlightened.
“We were also able to show and explain to the client how the lighting could be used to enhance worship and change the mood at any given time. For example, scenes that warm the lights as the congregation stands to sing, which then cool down and focus on the celebrant giving the sermon once the singing has finished, are small but significant ways in which the lighting can enhance the experience within the church, through intelligent lighting control.
“Positioning the majority of the lighting strategically inside the clerestory window reveals gave the correct angles to both illuminate the body of the church and uplight the spectacular hammer beam roof and ceiling bosses. It was imperative to correctly illuminate the choir and sanctuary for both worship and for the many concerts that take place at the Church of St Peter Mancroft.
“The ability to recall pre-programed lighting scenes via the touchscreen on a Designer TPC (Touch Panel Controller) and three Designer BPS (Button Panel Station) interfaces provided user-friendly control to even the most non-technical of people at the church. Mobile access to scene recall is also possible on a tablet within the building, using a custom web interface hosted by the TPC,” he added.
The lighting design also had to consider the sensitivities of the Grade 1 listed medieval building itself. Custom-designed and manufactured plates were used to mount the lighting fixtures, minimising the need for fixings on the structure itself.
The entire Pharos Designer system, installed to create the desired lighting control effects, comprised the aforementioned TPC and BPS interfaces, plus a RIO (Remote Input Output) 44 device all connected with Designer PoE (Power over Ethernet) network switches.
The new energy efficient LED lighting has formed a crucial part of the net zero project for the church, working alongside solar panels, battery storage and new air-source heat pumps. The new lighting is expected to reduce electricity consumption of the church’s lighting by around 80%.
Ryan Sainsbury, regional sales manager for UK and Northern Europe at Pharos Architectural Controls, said: “The Church of St Peter Mancroft boasts a stunning architectural interior that dates back to the 15th century. Working with Enlightened on this project was an immensely positive experience, and it was very rewarding to see our market-leading control solutions bring the new lighting scheme at the church to life. It’s also very satisfying to know that our technology is contributing to a much lower carbon footprint for the site; reducing emissions, and costs.”
