Take Control

Mike Cascarino, of Michael Grubb Studio, shares his knowledge on the value of lighting controls and how to successfully integrate them into a project.

level of integration. The best control manufacturers have handshake protocols, where they talk to one another and allow different devices to communicate.

The risk with lighting control is that so much flexibility creates the possibility of overengineering a lot of spaces. The inverse of that is making sure you are using control effectively for the environment. The approach for using controls differs between project sectors such as hospitality and commercial projects versus residential.

With hospitality and commercial projects, you often end up working within set protocols. The main goal is setting scenes that work for the site and are triggered by the astronomical time clock throughout the year. This creates a malleable space with 6-10 pre-programmed scenes, dimmable options and set levels. This works well for offices that are only used during the day and have set areas that act as feature spaces.

This differs to private residential projects as we aim to give more access to the end user to choose how they want to interpret the space and trigger the lighting around their life. More flexibility is required as it would not suit to trigger an effect at the same time each day with changes in routine, schedule and mood. Through touch controls via mobile, tablet and app it is easy for clients to have a base understanding of how to control the lighting through a simple interface.

Specific controls can be introduced for these various areas – for example, in modern offices reflecting the circadian rhythm is important to make the space as useful as possible. Clients understand that in the modern market a workplace should be more amenable and friendly. This adds character and reflects the energy the company wishes to project as a place that is worth spending time in.

Trying to integrate lighting control into decorative pieces can be difficult, as decorative lighting features rarely have control. Some fittings act more as a statement piece rather than a light source, and this needs to be considered early on in a project. It can be important to a designer to include an expensive decorative fitting, yet it is necessary to take early steps to see how it impacts the rest of the environment. More fittings are becoming readily dimmable, yet often the issue faced is that the LEDs cannot be swapped to become warmer or cooler, and the fitting may just be too bright or dim to work within the rest of the design. Having more flexibility is better for any scheme in the long run, to find a middle ground of meeting the vision of the designer while incorporating control by swapping components where needed.

Controls can aid the balance between architectural and decorative lighting in a space rather than focusing on either element. Control allows the lighting to balance focus between the two by adapting the lighting across the day. A day scene can focus on architectural features such as the walls and textures, whereas a night scene can draw focus to a decorative feature such as a pendant. This effect can be achieved without additional fittings and utilising the features available through clever control. www.michaelgrubbstudio.com

It is important that the end user is trained in using the control system installed, and the onus is on manufacturers to improve the user experience and understanding. The end user should have a base understanding of the controls and why the lighting was chosen. For a private residential client, they should understand as much as they are willing to learn about the controls to utilise the tools that have been given to make changes to their environment as and when they like. This can be aided by manufacturers through online resources and videos.

There was a lot of caution in regard to control and control systems than I initially expected there would be when I started working in architecture. It is amazing now to see people be less afraid of control as a concept, and to adapt to the playful and adventurous nature of control. It allows us to future-proof spaces for clients and find new ways of being sustainable and reducing energy costs. Control creates the ultimate adaptability, allowing clients to work with more than just the lighting that they have, and creating the lighting that they want and need.

Founded in 1824, the Athenaeum broke the mould, as it was the first private member’s club to allow non-partisan membership based on excellence and achievement rather than wealth or background; and later have the first female chairman and club secretary in the London Clubs.

Located in a Grade I listed building, designed by Decimus Burton, the club has a rich history that counts Dickens, Darwin, Faraday and Lewis Carrol among its members. DesignPlusLight was involved in the refurbishment of the Athenaeum Club over a period of 10 years, from 2009 to 2019. The refurbishment was mainly to upgrade the lighting, to bring the Athenaeum into the 21st century while still respecting the historical features of the building and creating a design sympathetic to

Back to the Future

Sanjit Bahra, of DesignPlusLight, walks darc through The Athenaeum Club, which utilises lighting controls to bring the Grade I listed building into the modern age.

its architecture and aesthetic. Comprising a classical entrance hall, double height staircase, grand dining space, coffee lounge, three libraries, reception room, meeting rooms and guest bedrooms, the club has all the features of a boutique hotel in one of London’s finest neighbourhoods, at the bottom of Regent Street.

The lighting design needed to involve each room and area, to ensure the entire club was given a modern upgrade, and the lighting effect was married throughout. The aim was to refurbish the club to bring the lighting technology into a modern sphere, while respecting the integrity of the space and ensuring the design was carefully thought out to be sympathetic to the historical listing.

A mixture of wired and wireless Rako controls were selected to modernise the lighting system, which used to involve banks of switches and dimmers to be operated on a daily basis. The control system allowed for simple points of control to each space. It offered scene setting at the touch of a button and automatic astronomic time clock operation, while still respecting the listing status of the building and reusing the existing wiring to preserve the structure.

We selected Rako controls as they have proven to be an excellent solution for heritage projects, where one is often limited to the existing wiring and the listed status creates challenges in bringing new wiring into the space. Wireless modules allow separate lighting points in one room to be combined together from a point of control to create the impression of an integrated system – without having to rewire and physically group everything together.

During the day the grand staircase is bathed in natural daylight from the glass cupola atop a triple height volume. However, at night it felt incredibly dark and dreary as the only light source was a central pendant that struggled to light the space sufficiently. We added layers of lighting into the cupola, cornices, and even concealed spotlights to illuminate the artwork and sculpture. Previously this would have been a maintenance nightmare as the club would have to scaffold the entire stairwell to access any lighting within the triple height volume – at great cost. However, with LED technology this level of maintenance is no longer required.

We had to climb into eaves to install wireless control units for the cupola LEDs, and the staircase was the most difficult area to connect from the entrance all the way up to the glazed rooflight. With the Rako control units cleverly tucked away and branching off existing supplies, we were able to create more circuits for the lighting layers added and to connect the lighting throughout. When a button is pressed the staircase is illuminated from the entrance up to the very top. Integrating the staircase and common areas on an astronomic time clock meant that the stress of manually changing the lights was taken away and the club was always presented at its best irrespective of the time of day or season. The Rako controls added a longevity, ease of use and elevation of the presentation of space that could not have been achieved before.

Rako were also able to incorporate boosters that compensated for the thick stone walls, enabling control and connection throughout difficult areas, which simply could not have been achieved with a conventionally wired system in a Grade 1 listed building – with decorative finishes, panelling, and stone flooring.

The main challenge that we faced was utilising the existing wiring within the space – as the building is listed, we were unable to install any new wiring, so we had to be innovative in our technique to use what was already there effectively. Another challenge, which was an interesting observation, is that as the refurbishment took place over a decade, we began to see the development in LED lighting across the years. The lighting included first-generation strip lights by Architectural FX and LED Linear, and as technology changed, we had to ensure it married up between rooms and that the products, LEDs, and control methodology were all suitable. We needed to ensure that the lighting was consistent throughout the space and that one room did not appear more refreshed than another. The design incorporated decorative lighting and unique listed pieces, which we integrated lighting into throughout the entrance staircase, libraries, coffee lounge. The design focused on hiding the fittings within the decorative elements so that the fixtures themselves would not be seen, but the effects of the luminaires would stand out.

The enchanting library was brought to life through museum quality picture light modules and a refurbishment of the existing brass rail structure, illuminating the books beautifully. Unique box uplights by Stoane Lighting were created to highlight fireplaces and mantels, uplighting mirrors. This library is the jewel in their crown, and it was particularly important to give the impression that nothing had been altered, but still miraculously lit.

The coffee lounge was originally illuminated by three brass pendants with globes. The use of candles was incorporated, yet the space felt exceedingly dark and austere at night, or on a winter’s afternoon. By using concealed LEDs (by Stoane Lighting) to provide the light throughout the space and keeping the pendants as decorative elements, this created the illusion that the pendants continued to provide the light to the room while brightening the space significantly to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The cornices and window reveals were uplit using pieces from Light Graphix to accentuate the impressive architecture. We even concealed LED spots from Precision Lighting into the pendants to highlight the decorative Acanthus ceiling roses above – which one never really noticed before and now became a striking feature within the space. The contrasting morning room opposite was covered in gilded wallpaper that was listed to high heaven. We took the decision to not uplight the cornice and resplendent ceiling – instead we illuminated the artwork with LED museum quality picture lights from TM Lighting and made a feature of the fireplace presentation. The result was a very cosy and intimate club picture room with a painting of Charles Darwin beautifully lit on the main axis. www.designpluslight.com

As we progressed with the design, we focused on linking decorative elements into the control system to make the integration simple and seamless.

This project really has a special place in my heart. I truly feel it showcases the magic of lighting design. One can only be a caretaker of a listed structure. Any refurbishment with new lighting and technology must be sensitive to the style and design aesthetic of the building.

We received incredible feedback from club members about how grand and well-lit the club looks, commenting that they could truly see it for the first time. The members loved it, and when walking into the space seeing it looked resplendent, it was so joyful to see as a lighting designer. I felt a huge responsibility to take care of the building, and I believe that we accomplished this through the lighting design and controls supplied.

Design Details

The Athenaeum Club, London, UK

Lighting Design: DesignPlusLight

Lighting Specified: Architectural FX / LED Linear, Light Graphix, Light Projects, Mike Stoane Lighting, Precision Lighting, TM Lighting, UFO

Lighting Controls: Rako

DesignPlusLight worked on renovating this historic members’ club for a decade, bringing its dated lighting scheme up to date using LED fixtures and Rako lighting controls.

Working with the existing decorative fixtures, the team balanced the new architectural lighting design to emphasise the beauty of the older pieces and their surroundings.