Bendigo Conservatory Gardens: History gets an update by WE-EF

The Bendigo Conservatory Gardens, located at the heart of Rosalind Park, Victoria, is a landmarked 19th-century glass building made from aluminium. Erected in 1897, this ornate piece of Victorian architecture hosts a display of flora throughout the year and thus required a lighting design befitting of its beauty.

THE PROJECT:

The City of Greater Bendigo wanted to convert the conservatory building and surrounding gardens into a centralised, vibrant hub and event space, to be used throughout the year. They needed a suitable lighting solution that could uniformly light up both the inside of the conservatory and the facade around the exterior of the building, as well as enabling the customisation of colour to personalise each event. To do this, Buckford Illumination Group Victoria provided WE-EF's FLC220-CC and FLC260-CC (colour changing) projectors with Casambi controls to create a uniform lighting solution with colour-changing technology that allows for the luminaires to be easily programmed and changed for each event.

Key Considerations for product selection

• Quality optics that offer accurate lighting and place light where needed without light spillage into the surrounding gardens, thereby protecting local flora and fauna
• An easy-to-use lighting control system for ease of handover to the end client that will not require expensive commissioning or call-out fees
• Luminaires that offer longevity and are built to last and backed by a comprehensive warranty
• Wattages needed to be of high quality with good RBGW capabilities and be energy efficient.

WE-EF's FLC200-CC projector series was chosen for flexible optics of wide, medium or narrow beams which allows to light up a specific area with minimal light spillage beyond the chosen area of architecture. The FLC220-CC projectors were installed around the interior of the conservatory, their small stature made them perfect for delivering discrete precision lighting without taking over the space. To light up the outside of the conservatory the FLC260-CC projectors were chosen due to their high output and linear spread of the lens; only four projectors installed around the building are enough to accurately and precisely light up the metal enclosure of the conservatory without spilling light into the surrounding parkland.

The FLC200-CC projectors were also chosen for their colour-changing capabilities; WE-EF's colour boost technology maximises LED performance by selectively controlling individual colour channels which also helps to create a vibrant, clean and even blend of colours.

Although typically an indoor lighting control system, Casambi was chosen by the Buckford Illumination Group, Victoria for its ease of programming and operating as requested by the end client. However, the aluminium enclosure of the FLC200 projector series caused another challenge for the project because the aluminium enclosure limits the Bluetooth transmission which causes the mesh network to break. To overcome this, additional Casambi components were fitted to increase range and allow for the mesh network to operate correctly.

THE RESULT:

The result of the project is a precise lighting solution with minimal light spillage that illuminates both the exterior of the conservatory alongside the flora exhibition and event space within beautifully. The FLC200-CC projectors fitted with Casambi lighting control system allow the end client to easily change the colour of the lighting to suit the events happening in the space throughout the year without the need for assistance.

"It was great working with a client that was happy to try something new. Casambi is typically used for indoor luminaire control, this was one of the early successful outdoor solutions." - Adrian Marturano Lighting Solutions Consultant, TechIES at Buckford Illumination Group, Victoria.