Posted on: 1st March 2005, United Kingdom E-mail this page to a friend

Bespoke LED lighting design, manufacturing and installation specialists Clarity Lighting has installed three spectacular light walls in the Executive Briefing Centre at Microsoft UK in Reading.

Microsoft - as a leading implementer of new technology - wanted to take advantage of all the positive mood enhancing properties evoked by tasteful coloured lighting in the built environment. They also wanted to maximise the ambience and accentuate the fabulous aesthetics of their new and ultra contemporary briefing facility.

Clarity's Adrian Britton initially worked with Microsoft whilst consulting on a lighting project at their London office for the Hoare Lea Partnership. Talk then started about their wish to create light walls at the Reading HQ, and asked Clarity was asked to produce some funky and practical light wall ideas for this new facility.

Britton came up with several suggestions and showed Microsoft a number of samples including Clarity's own Microdex flat panelling. This is an elegant screen-style solution fed by top and bottom LEDs for a smooth, even coverage.

Britton worked closely with Microsoft's Head of Facilities, Nicholas Willis, plus Project Managers Simon Fry and Nicola Suter from the in-house office design consultants Workplace Design. Clarity presented a mock up which impressed everyone, and the project received the green light to produce three walls for the Executive Briefing Centre.

The Microdex walls measure 3.2 wide x 2.7 metres high, 4.8 x 2.7 and 4.1 x 2.7 respectively. The first one is behind the reception desk and creates an immediate impact on walk-in. The other two are both in different boardrooms inside the Centre – one of which has no natural light, so the role of the light wall is even more crucial in crafting a pleasant and stimulating atmosphere.

The LEDs are 1W Luxeon linear RGB multiLEDS. The light walls are controlled via a wall mounted scene set device which enables the storage of 8 pre-set scenes and the selection of specific static colours or a timed colour changing option.

Clarity also worked with audio contractors RM Supplies on devising a remote hand held touch-screen controller for the meeting rooms. This overrides the wall lighting controller, giving the presenter the ability to turn the light walls on and off.

Challenges included insetting an LCD computer screen into the reception light wall. The screen panels making up the walls measure 1400 mm x 2600 mm x 15 mm thick, and each weighs 70Kg, so manoeuvring them into place and attaching them to the wall was a tricky operation. It involved pre-prepping and blocking the walls to take the panels, which were eased into place via space left at top and bottom. The LEDs were then mounted on to L-shaped heat-sink trays.

All the control gear is concealed in the ceiling, neatly with Cat 5 cabling running across to the scene set controller.

Clarity also supplied Microsoft with all the environmental lighting in the Executive Briefing Centre, including 3 Watt white Luxeon wall washing fixtures utilised as feature lighting, together with opal glass down-lights over the board room table which has softened the whole ambience.

Additionally 25 compact fluorescent down-lighters for the main area, including a number of maintained emergency. These are covered with special high quality round glass so their crisp white colouration is gently diffused and the highly styled environment is complemented.