Posted on: 24th October 2005, United Kingdom E-mail this page to a friend

Architect Jefferson Sheard has recently designed the new £27m Hillsborough College Campus for Sheffield University. This design and build project has achieved a high quality end result designed in partnership with the installing electrical contractor NG Bailey, with much of the detail lighting design done in-house at Trilux Lighting

The building is designed to provide flexible space and create a more central, accessible campus for two existing sites that are being relocated. It includes full range of teaching and administration facilities. Airy, attractive courtyards, roof terraces and circulation spaces encourage interaction and communication, whilst the highly visible entrance, with it's copper clad walls, gives an impact and makes a statement about the College 'brand'.

The lighting brief called for energy efficient, easily maintainable, flexible lighting, which had a decorative element for certain areas and kept different types of luminaire to a minimum.

The solution was a pre wired trunking system 'E Line' from Trilux. This choice cut down installation time and could be tested electrically before the luminaire attachments were fitted. Multi lamp high frequency ballasts were specified and in most cases 80w T5 lamps, but lighting levels can be altered by reducing to a lower wattage T5 lamp on the same ballast if the use of the space changes. There is a choice of prismatic panel or various louvre options depending on the requirement of the particular space, however the Trilux philosophy is to use soft tone louvers giving comfortable visual brightness, good uniformity and a light airy environment whilst withstanding the rigours of school life.

The dramatic main atrium space needed a light fixture to compliment the unembellished clean lines of the architecture. The suspended decorative version of ROB architectural high bay gives a soft general light and allows a small proportion of illumination upwards onto the glazing, accentuating the upper structure. Again a highly efficient fluorescent light source is used, but this time in a compact version, twin 42w lamps give a strong punch and keeps the colour continuity with the rest of the building.

Sport is a strong feature of the college; the lighting of the sports hall and exterior multi purpose sports area has achieved a good uniform illumination without shadows using fixtures able to withstand impact from fast moving balls.

The theme was continued outside. For the amenity and street lighting the ceramic version of metal halide lamps was used, which gives a very pleasant white light with good colour rendering. Consideration was given here to light pollution so the 98 Series Conical Lantern with it's carefully controlled light distribution was used in the pedestrian areas, and the roadways benefit from the sophisticated photometrics of the Lumega range.