Monifieth Parish Church, Scotland, is a newly created bespoke designed church, designed to be a versatile community building for a variety of purposes.
Previously, the town of Monifieth, near Dundee, had three separate churches, all of which required a significant upgrade. Rather than carry out separate upgrades to each premises, a new building was to be created.
Work on the £2.3million building began in 2017, and was completed in Autumn 2019. Tamlite Lighting was specified for the new lighting system throughout the building, which has helped to emphasise the stunning architecture and design.
The new church, designed by Lee Boyd Architects, won several prizes at the Dundee Institute of Architects Awards, including the Supreme Award. This is testament to the visual appeal of the building, accentuated by the sleek, discreet lighting system.
The architect team worked closely with Tamlite, ensuring that the lighting system fitted seamlessly into the building design. As well as its visual appeal, it was necessary for the lighting design to allow flexibility, considering the range of activities carried out in the church, in addition to the regular congregation. To achieve this, Tamlite specified a connected lighting system throughout the church.
Flexible Lighting System
The church caters for visitors of all ages, with children’s activities in the morning followed by over 70s Songs and Memories immediately after. This wide variety of requirements also brings a range of lighting needs, all of which are solved by the new lighting network.
At Monifieth, Tamlite Vision Connect was used, ensuring that the lighting throughout the whole building can be monitored, and pre-set scenes can be created.
As a result, lighting throughout the building can be dimmed and controlled via wall switch, and the range of pre-set scenes can be recalled in each room. These scenes vary in lighting intensity, ensuring that the right level of illumination is delivered when needed.
Ed McIntosh, Property Convenor, remarked, “All comments we’ve received on the lighting has been extremely positive. The design and layout of the lighting fits neatly with the building style, and we are finding that it suits everyone’s tastes no matter their age or the activity.”
Energy Efficient Lighting Scheme
Ensuring an energy efficient system was central to the design of both the building and lighting scheme. Ed McIntosh said, “As an eco-congregation, we are always aiming to reduce our carbon footprint and meet ecological standards. The lighting system looks to keep our costs down in terms of energy and also maintenance.”
With Tamlite Vision controls, facility managers on site have much more control over the lighting, in terms of how and when it is used. This delivers additional energy efficiency over the high-performance luminaires used throughout the church, particularly the sleek SOLO modules in the entrance and congregation area.
Ed McIntosh finished by commenting, “We are very pleased with how the lighting system turned out. The architect worked with the Tamlite engineer to make sure it fitted in with the aesthetics of the new building, and they were more than happy with the fittings chosen. Everything was supplied on time, and so we were able to hit our planned opening date, which was excellent.”
For more information on Tamlite’s communal lighting solutions, visit the website
