Waterfront LED Street Lighting from WE-EF

The ability of WE-EF ASP530 LED luminaires to withstand the harsh and corrosive environment of the Hobart harbour made the products the optimum choice.

Lighting technology brings vibrancy to the Hobart waterfront - Tasmania

The Hobart waterfront has experienced a renaissance in recent years, which has put it on the map for cultural visitors and seafarers alike. The first stage in redeveloping the public space areas, from Sullivan's Cove to Princess Wharf, included a new lighting scheme using state-of-the-art luminaires from WE-EF LIGHTING supplied by Southern Lighting & Distribution.

The twice-yearly festivals hosted by the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) have gone a long way to attract visitors to the area, which encompasses Constitution Dock, the finishing line for the famous annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. "In fact," says Stuart Hamilton from Southern Lighting, "We had more cruise ships in Hobart last year than Sydney. "Hobart waterfront is really growing as a place to visit and has turned the corner in the past few years. The new lighting is certainly adding to the experience that more and more tourists are enjoying," he said. "It's vibrant with so many of people there, and because of the quality and uniformity of the lighting it feels safe. It's easy to get around and there aren't the dark patches that previously existed."

However, it was not a project that happened overnight. There were many local authorities involved. Eventually, when the old, rusted poles needed to be replaced, a new design by Simon Gullifer at Rexel Holdings Australia was developed.

The superior optics and efficiency of the luminaires, the pole and luminaire design, and most importantly their ability to withstand the harsh and corrosive environment of the Hobart harbour, made the WE-EF products the optimum choice.

we-ef street lighting
The [S65] optic was the best optic out of the six standard WE-EF lens options, with good glare reduction and the needed distribution for illumination of large street spaces.

What looks like a fairly standard outdoor lighting application actually belies the technical challenges created by the twists and turns of the waterfront public spaces, which can at times incorporate restaurants, car parks and in some places are adjacent to roadways. "Every luminaire was basically lighting a different concept, so it was quite tricky," Hamilton explained.

The chosen solution was the WE-EF ASP530 LED post top luminaire with full cut-off 'streetlighting' distribution and a 36 LED 72 W, 4000 K light source. This will replace the existing 150 W high-pressure sodium fittings. The ASP530 LED luminaire had been installed throughout the Hobart CBD few years earlier, so selecting the same luminaire for the waterfront established an architectural link between the two areas.

The LED modules of the ASP530 luminaires use the patented WE-EF OLC® One LED Concept technology. OLC® combines the multi-layer lighting approach with modular PCB/LED/lens engineering, and thereby balances the need for safety with visual comfort and energy savings.

"The [S65] optic gives a slightly better glare reduction due to its cut-off. It also had the needed width to deal with the fairly large street spaces. For this project it was the best optic out of the six standard lens options," Hamilton said.

The powdercoat finish of the luminaires and poles was a tricky subject; the paint colour needed to match the existing set-up while the pole and bracket design had to mirror 'traditional looks'. WE-EF supplied a non-standard grey colour with a hint of blue, often used for marine vessels, both for the luminaires and the poles.

For maximum corrosion protection, WE-EF's 5CE+Primer was included. The 5CE+Primer features an additional specially formulated 'intercoat' bonding epoxy primer, and is particularly suitable for coastal installations with aggressive environments.

All existing and new banner fastening holes were pre-drilled and tapped for clean non-corrosive fastening on new poles. "The logistics of getting the poles right was quite complex," Hamilton explained. "We probably had around 27 poles in 15 different types".

In addition to the main benefits of the lighting upgrade - the improved quality of light and reduced energy usage - the maintenance situation has improved dramatically. Since the project was completed in late-2013, TASPORTS reports it has not had to repair or replace a single light. For an organisation with concerns about maintenance at the waterfront, that is a great outcome, and one they are likely to continue experiencing during the next 20 years.