Bath Central Library opened in 1990 in the Podium shopping centre, right at the heart of the community. During its 30 years, the library has hosted numerous events, workshops, introduced public computers, and free internet access. It has provided a safe, quiet place for students to study and do research.
To update the lighting, the council required a design that improved performance and delivered energy savings to help keep ever-diminishing budgets low while enhancing the library experience. Having previously worked with the Zumtobel Group lighting brands Zumtobel and Thorn products, particularly Zumtobel’s SLOTLIGHT infinity, they asked the lighting group to design a proposal for consideration.
The lighting brands Zumtobel and Thorn delivered a design that met the council's brief and energy-saving requirements. The winning project scheme consisted of Thorn’s Omega Pro 2 and Chalice and Zumtobel’s SLOTLIGHT infinity, and VIVO II spotlights.
Visitors are instantly welcomed at the reception desk by the bright, ambient light from Chalice 200 downlights. Chalice provides a high lumen output of 3000lm to delineate the reception area whilst distributing a comfortable glare free illumination creating the ideal working environment. Its efficacy reaches as high as 125 lm/W for low energy consumption. Maintenance costs are also kept low thanks to its 50 000-hour lifetime.
Navigation in the library is critical. To find the right shelf and book, Omega Pro 2 connectivity-ready square recessed luminaires were selected and installed in the main library, meeting, and exhibition rooms, delivering the right light to aid concentration.
SLOTLIGHT infinity direct/indirect is installed in varying lengths of continuous rows throughout the children's library, story area, study area, homework, and IT section. The light line integrates attractively into the architecture and is ideal for responding to different room scenarios and user requirements. The indirect/direct distribution creates a cosy, intimate atmosphere for meeting spaces in the story area. At the same time, its opal optic generates continuously homogeneous glare-free illumination without shadows or overlapping, perfect for computer screens.
Additionally, VIVO II spotlights have been used to highlight the meeting and exhibition room features. Library staff can select different beam widths for the spotlights, enabling easy reconfiguration if the exhibition is changed.
The new lighting scheme has delivered an energy saving of almost 60%.
Councillor Dine Romero, cabinet member for Children & Young People, Communities & Culture at Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “The new lighting makes the library an even more pleasant and welcoming place for residents to enjoy. The energy saving features are particularly important as they support our goal to reach carbon neutrality in B&NES by 2030.”
For more information on Zumtobel Lighting please visit the website https://z.lighting/en/zumtobel/ and for Thorn Lighting: www.thornlighting.co.uk.
Project team:
Client: Bath and North East Somerset Council
Electrical contractor: MFM Bristol
Products:
Zumtobel
SLOTLIGHT Infinity
VIVO II
Thorn
Omega Pro 2
Chalice 200
