The Manx Electricity Authority (MEA) has constructed a combined cycle gas turbine power station at Pulrose on the Isle of Man. The structure includes a 75m tall flue stack and 30m high glass wall (turbine hall) that allows the generation process to become visible. The design includes a bold lighting concept in conjunction with lighting design firm Speirs & Major Associates.
The new plant has been designed to be cleaner environmentally and, because the plant no longer lies hidden outside of town, less visually intrusive. A striking water feature has been built into the design and, instead of the two chimneys of the old plant, just one, of modern design, is featured.
Iain Ruxton of Speirs & Major comments: "Obviously if you build a brand new power station generally you build it outside of town. But this was an existing site where they knocked out half of the station and built a new gas turbine station. When it was originally built back in the 1920s it was on the edge of town but now the town has gradually expanded around it and there are houses close by."
IP-65 rated Martin Architectural Exterior 600 washlights are used to provide a 360-degree colour changing illumination on the outside of the 75m flue stack with white floodlight used on the inside. "We have several effects," Ruxton states. "We've got colour change on the outside or we can take the color down and bring the floodlights up on the inside and make the mesh transparent." The Exterior 600s are paired (six pairs for a total of twelve) and are located at varying heights in order to work around the pipe work - ground level, a few meters up, and on the roof on another part of the station.
Calmer looks are used during the weekday evenings with more dynamic scenes playing out on the weekend. A clean, white light illumination chimes on the hour. Lee Engineering Ltd. supplied the Martin Architectural fixtures.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
