STREET AND AREA LUMINAIRES
Main Street Glenorchy, Tasmania transitions to 2700 K
ADSA Prized Installation
- Completed2021
- ClientGlenorchy City Council
- Sales PartnerSouthern Lighting and Distribution
- Lighting DesignSouthern Lighting and Distribution
- Electrical ContractorFrontline Electrical
- Photography and VideographyIP Media for WE-EF
The Glenorchy City Council of Tasmania sought to upgrade lighting to a central public space in the city; the Main Road of Glenorchy – representing the main shopping precinct. The primary objective of the revitalisation project was to enhance human comfort. Within the project, the understanding of reducing light pollution, improving human experiences and the perception of safety were the driving criteria behind the Glenorchy City Council’s redevelopment.
Mitigating the potential negative impacts of light pollution was a key consideration that demanded:
– Choosing the warmest colour temperature possible for the project
– Quality optics – that place light where it is needed and prevent glare
– Avoiding upward light spill altogether
Additional project considerations were;
– A quality luminaire made from marine grade aluminium to ensure robustness and durability and longevity to maximise the sustainability of the solution
– Strong service support both on installation and for any post-commissioning issues, backed by a strong warranty
– Minimising power consumption and maximising energy efficiency
Challenges
As a busy high precinct main street, optimising the improvement to human amenities whilst minimising light pollution and delivering a solution that illuminated in an efficient yet conservative approach, whilst utilising existing pole infrastructure, required a strategic lighting design approach.
With 4 stages from March 2019 through June 2021 – and further stages ahead, there were many key stakeholders involved in the development and delivery of the project. The project also presented many complexities for the electrical contractors with there needing to be an upgrade from utility supply to metred supply to also contend with along the way.
Solution
According to the team at Southern Lighting, “WE-EF LIGHTING has been a leader in the fields of human-centred design and light pollution mitigation, as evidenced by their recent expansion of 2700 K across their entire product range and highlighted further by the fact that they were the first Australian company to have its products certified by the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance (ADSA). This made them an excellent fit to meet the deliverables of the main road development”.
Of particular importance, were the technological features including One LED Concept and optical modular system, which were employed to allow the project to occur with the use of the existing poles.
“Further to this, the existing two luminaire arrangement – one mounted at 9 m for street lighting and one mounted at an opposed direction on a lower bracket for the pathway – was able to be replaced with a single luminaire meeting the same requirements. This greatly improved the aesthetic of the upgrade and the carbon footprint of the project at large”, explains Southern Lighting. A warm colour temperature of 2700 K was chosen to “create a more humanised environment in order to nurture increased pedestrian activity. This also has the benefit of reducing the light pollution footprint due to reduced short wavelength content when compared to more traditional cool white sources”, according to Southern Lighting.
28 x RFL540-SE street and area luminaires were selected for this project, with full cut-off and greatly reduced glare compared to traditional streetlights, as well as a peak intensity angle of distribution at 65 degrees, ensuring there is zero upward waste light above the horizontal, which is in line with International Dark Sky recommendations for dark sky sensitive lighting.
To supplement the street lighting, additional low-level lighting was also added, disguised within the concrete details of low-level walls and seating, to help promote amenity and a more human scale. This helped increase vertical luminance and the perception of safety for occupants of the space.
Frontline Electrical, while managing the complexities of this installation, demonstrated a complete understanding of the sensitivities around the human and light pollution issues in not compromising or taking shortcuts throughout the many stages of the complex installation.
With quality contractors to guide the installation and a strong service support promise backed by WE-EF’s renowned 10-year warranty, the project commissioning was well executed.
“WE-EF LIGHTING were the first Australian company to have its products certified by the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance (ADSA). This made them an excellent fit to meet the deliverables of the main road development”
Result:
While many European cities have made the transition towards warmer colour temperatures, in Australia, 2700 K has, so far, been predominantly used in less urban settings. As such, the delivery of this beautiful Tasmanian project represents a great milestone as the first ‘High Precinct Main Street’ in Australia to move to a 2700 K Dark Sky Sensitive Design. At the same time, it is also a first for Tasmania for delivering ADSA Approved Lighting.
Marnie Ogg, Founding Director, Australasian Dark Sky Alliance (ADSA), commended Glenorchy City Council’s commitment to people and place and leading local government support in combatting light pollution (the fastest growing pollutant) stating;
“Glenorchy Council’s commitment to reduce light pollution and improve the environment with the Main Road Glenorchy project is exemplary. In choosing a warmer 2700K colour temperature light source, a luminaire mounting position with no upcast, and inclusion of adaptive controls results in a main street with reduced sky glow, improved well-being for people and wildlife, and reduces overall energy consumption.”
In recognition of the project’s excellence, on August 14, 2021, Frontline Electrical were also elected ‘State Winner’ in the NECA Excellence Awards 2020/2021 for the Lighting Design and Installation of the Glenorchy City Council CBD Revitalisation Project, a great accolade for the team and key stakeholders involved; congratulations to Greg Fox of Glenorchy City Council, Martin Jackson of Frontline Electrical and the Southern Lighting Team.
WE-EF is incredibly proud to have been able to aid in the delivery of environmentally considered lighting solution for this milestone project and we look forward to seeing many more councils follow suit in reducing light pollution and their carbon footprint whilst still providing excellent amenity for the users of spaces – wherever they may be.
