ExCel London
The new luminaires are individually addressable so we now have the flexibility to address clients’ lighting requirements very precisely, while the improved lighting greatly enhances the experience for visitors and exhibitors alike.
In upgrading its lighting to Philips GentleSpace high-bay LED luminaires, ExCeL London has reduced its carbon emissions significantly while also improving the quality and responsiveness of the lighting for exhibitors and visitors.Situated at the heart of London’s Royal Docks, ExCeL London has 100,000m2 of exhibition and conference space and accommodates 4.1 million visitors and exhibitors per annum. The venue opened in November 2000 and was extended by a third in 2010. It now has 46 sub-dividable halls and hosts a wide range of events that differ considerably in size and lighting requirements.
“With the original system we had very limited control of the lighting, so if exhibitors wanted small areas of lighting switched off this could only be done by disconnecting individual luminaires manually,” recalled ExCeL’s Operations Director Brian Cole. “Given that the luminaires are mounted at a height of 10 metres, this was time-consuming and expensive. Frequent lamp replacement was a further burden on our maintenance resources.In addition,
ExCeL London has a strong commitment to sustainability and is certified to both the ISO 14001 environmental standard and ISO 20121, which sets sustainability management standards in the events industry. Upgrading the lighting, therefore, has added to the already huge savings in carbon emissions that have been achieved in recent years. It also makes the venue more attractive to corporate customers with strong sustainability policies.
The original lighting, much of which was 13 years old, consisted of 2,045 high-bay luminaires using 400W high pressure sodium lamps. In a turnkey project delivered by Philips and installers Elite Renewables, these have been replaced with 2,145 GentleSpace 138W LED luminaires, reducing the installed electrical load by over 60%. Combined energy and maintenance savings are expected to provide a return on investment within three years.
A further financial benefit was that Philips agreed to spread the cost over two financial years.The GentleSpace luminaires are controlled through a DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) control system, enabling individual luminaires to be dimmed or switched off from a central PC or using a hand-held tablet device while in the halls.
“The control system is very easy for our staff to use and has already paid dividends for event organisers” Brian Cole continued. “At one recent show, for example, the organisers wanted around 50% of the lighting turned off. This would have been very difficult to achieve with the old system but the new system enabled us to meet this requirement with great ease and precision.“As well as being more controllable, the new system gives us a much better quality of lighting. Whereas other lighting companies we spoke to simply wanted to sell light fittings, Philips invested considerable time in helping us understand the importance of colour temperature and colour rendering.
The new lighting is a valuable sales tool and a significant point of difference for ExCeL, compared to other venues, as it enhances exhibitors’ displays and means they no longer have to install additional lighting on their stands to supplement poor ambient lighting.“Philips managed the project very efficiently and there were no problems from signing the contract through to completion. The end result is excellent and we have already received visits from operators of other exhibition venues that are experiencing the sort of issues with their lighting that we used to have,” Brian Cole concluded.