Smart lighting solution for Scolmore headquarters

Scolmore Group looked close to home when considering the product requirements for the expansion and total redesign of the showroom and visitor centre at its Staffordshire headquarters.

Originally opened in January 2009, Scolmore’s visitor centre then catered for groups of up to 24 people and was designed as a facility to showcase and demonstrate the growing range of products to customers, as well as serving as a venue to host internal meetings and presentations. As the business has developed, the requirement to invest in the visitor centre and showroom facilities became a high priority.

Now able to comfortably accommodate up to 60 guests at any one time, the facility – which at 180m2 is double the size of the original space – is designed to host a range of events, including product launches and demonstrations, training sessions for customers, as well as corporate and industry events.

One of the key considerations for the refurbishment of the visitor centre was the ability to control the lighting – from an energy efficiency point of view, as well as to offer ease and flexibility of control to reflect the variety of lighting functions and scenes required, depending on the particular event or activity taking place. Products from across the Scolmore Group of companies were brought together to bring about a smart solution that would stand the test of time. These included Ovia lighting, Click wiring accessories, and CCTV and emergency lighting products from ESP.

The vast ceiling space was divided up into nine main sections to allow for banks of lighting to be installed and controlled – with downlights taking up the centre space along the length of the ceiling and also as spotlights around the edges. This means that various areas of the room can be lit as required, for example, the front part with the screen can be dimmed during a presentation with the back area lit for the candidates’ comfort.

Ovia’s Inceptor Omni fire-rated, integrated LED downlight with pre-wired driver and flow connector was selected, and a total of 40 Omnis were installed for the project. As well as in the ceiling, they were fitted in pairs across the top of the display pods, which are used to group the various product ranges together.

Flexibility and ease of installation are vital attributes of the Inceptor Omni and key features are an adjustable colour temperature switch, interchangeable

Products from across the Scolmore Group were bought together to bring about a smart solution that would stand the test of time

fixed and adjustable bezels, as well as an insulation support clip for use when insulation is present.

Helping to attain the quick and easy installation of the lighting products was Ovia’s Click Flow lighting management system, which was incorporated into the ceiling space. A number of eight-way distribution boxes were used to provide the means to make multiple connections from one box, via a plug and play operation. As well as adding to the speed of installation, it also assists when any future maintenance testing is required.

When it came to control of the lighting throughout the visitor centre, Scolmore’s Click Smart+ system provided an ideal solution, offering both simple and flexible installation and easy programming. Scolmore’s comprehensive range of Click Smart+ products were created to simplify and streamline connected products – lighting controls, smart sockets, security cameras and sensors. It utilises Zigbee technology – one of the most widely adopted smart home communication protocols.

Total control of the lighting is achievable via the Click Smart+ app. Having control of the lighting contributes to significant energy saving, with energy only consumed when needed. Installation was simple and flexible. No additional cables or wall cutting were required to install the system as the receivers can be installed behind light fittings or into suitable installation boxes and the transmitters are powered by battery, so there was no need for any wiring or additional power supply.

The Click Smart+ controls make it easier to switch and dim wirelessly from preferred locations without the use of switch drops. Each of the pods that houses the various product collections has a dimmer receiver installed, which means the individual pods can be lit up or dimmed as required, for example, when a particular range is being showcased during a presentation.

Katie Plumstead, Group Marketing Manager for Scolmore Group, says, “What this project demonstrates is the ease and relatively inexpensive way we have been able to transform the configuration of the lighting in the visitor centre, not just to control when the lights come on and off, but giving us the ability to bring together groups of lighting and incorporate dimming capabilities in any combination to really add a smart and bespoke element to whatever function the room is being used for.”