About
Marconi House is an imposing development of 86 luxury apartments that have been developed behind the Grade 11 listed façade of this historic building. Originally built as the Gaiety Restaurant, adjacent to the Gaiety Theatre in London’s Kingsway, the building was taken over by the English Electric Company in the 1920s and houses the room which served as the first broadcasting studio of the BBC. This iconic building is located just a few minutes walk from Covent Garden and Leicester Square and now features a 24-hour concierge, spa, restaurant and lounge facilities.
Despite the very high standard of development, lighting in the communal areas had become outdated. This had led to escalating maintenance costs and the failing system was no longer fit for purpose.
Future Lighting was delighted to be commissioned to assist with the design and build of a new, energy-efficient lighting scheme to replace the existing system while still complementing the original design of the building.
Key Issues:
- High wattage lighting with associated high running costs
- Ongoing lighting failures resulting in a poorly-maintained feel
- A mix of lamp types and poor colour matching
- Vast heat created from the existing fittings making the lobbies unbearable during summer months
- Failed and insufficient emergency lighting
The main apartment lobbies from the eighth floor down used very carefully designed, recessed linear fluorescent luminaires. The original designer had specified T5 fluorescent technology which worked well until it began to age. Several years down the line, a huge amount of heat was being generated, reducing the energy efficiency of the system as well as making the common areas unbearably hot for residents.
The maintenance team had done their utmost to repair the system but the task was never-ending, so property managers Galliard Homes contacted Future Lighting for help. We arranged a survey and proposed a retrofit LED solution that would utilise the existing flush lamp housings. We built a custom made system and provided a free trial offering two colour output options. Residents were given the opportunity to look at the proposed installation and choose a preferred colour. Warm white 3000k was chosen and the new design began to take shape.
Challenges:
- Utilisation of the existing wiring to prevent major cosmetic damage.
- Designing a lighting scheme that would complement rather than detract from the original design of the building.
- Avoiding disruption to residents and their visitors.
The Future Lighting Solution:
Apartment Lobbies
- Removing high wattage lighting technology.
- Building a custom LED solution that would fit within the existing luminaire housings.
- Incorporating an emergency lighting solution within the modified fittings
Entrance hall
- Removing all alcove fluorescent lighting and replacing it with a new LED custom-built solution, to provide equal colour rendering throughout, reduce energy and remove all ongoing maintenance issues.
- Removing all high wattage halogen lamps and retrofitting new LED alternatives.
- The works were completed in less than five days without disruption to the building, its internal or external decor or any interruption to residents.
New LED lights pay for themselves with the money saved each year
The savings made at Marconi House are hefty. The lighting upgrade totalled £16,530 and will reduce energy costs from £11,800 to £2,027 per annum. Both Galliard Homes and their residents were delighted to discover that their return on investment (ROI) will only be 20 months. In addition, Future Lighting has given a 5 year guarantee on the refurbishment and FREE ongoing maintenance.
Building Type: Residential
Number of dwellings: 82
Technology Used: LED
Money Saved: £9770.00 (pa)
CO2 Saved (T): 44.32
ROI: 18.5 months
Have you got a lighting problem? Let us help you find a solution.
Contact us for further information on 0203 826 9999 Or email info@future-group.co.uk
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