A comprehensive range of luminaires from Whitecroft Lighting has been used to illuminate and create visual effects at the new Heart Centre in Walton on Thames, Surrey. Cold cathode lighting had originally been specified for the scheme but O & H Properties decided to use LEDs to create the visual effects required and offer greater colour change flexibility, along with the low maintenance of LED lighting.The Heart Centre is set to transform shopping in Walton with a contemporary covered mall that has a mix of over 40 major brands and independent retailers. The site has nine high quality restaurants and cafes that will give visitors, residents and workers a destination for shopping and socialising. The development also includes a beautifully landscaped piazza with an open-air pedestrian area and a management suite creating an informal, relaxed and stimulating atmosphere.
The development is the work of O & H Properties and is part of the regeneration of the town centre. Chris Singyard of Interserve Engineering Services, who has provided the mechanical, electrical and public health service for the project, found that Whitecroft could fulfil the majority of the luminaire types that had been chosen for the project and deliver on time.
Whitecroft's Chimera colour changing system allows the designer to create stunning effects and striking visual environments. Using the latest LED technology, the Chimera range combines a long operating life and high output within a compact design. A wide range of control options are available to meet the specifiers' needs including linked drivers that can control up to 256 surface, recessed or linear configurations, allowing large areas to be controlled by one master. Colour change sequences can be paused, quickened, slowed or reversed whilst memorised colours can be recalled at the touch of a button or colour change sequences can blend between two memorised colours.
Whitecroft's LEDs, supplied with drivers and controllers, have been installed in the main body of the mall, running along both sides and providing RGB colour change (red, green and blue that can be mixed into other colours). The positioning of the LEDs played a vital role in the project as only the lighting effects are seen and not the lamps.
Whitecroft's 35W and 70W Spectre, special adjustable IP65 flood downlights, have been employed on the exterior of either side of the mall to provide an attractive and welcoming feature. Low maintenance Compass directional downlighters with reflector rotation of 340° and tilt of 0° - 60° have been installed through the interior of the mall, creating a bright and spacious feel. Compass luminaires have also been used in the entrance halls. The Management Suite has been lit using Cascade, Espirit and Egress luminaires from Whitecroft.
