Bluewater reuses iconic lights on its mall
Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent has reconditioned and upgraded its 57 iconic ‘lighthouses’ which punctuated the main mall.
The destination, managed by Landsec, is one of the UK’s busiest retail locations, welcoming over 27 million visitors annually.
With a commitment to maintaining its architectural integrity and enhancing sustainability, the centre’s management tasked Trojan Lighting Solutions with modernising the lighthouses in the main Thames Walk.
These eight-feet-high wood and metal pillars, a key design feature since Bluewater’s opening in 1999, were originally fitted with inefficient fluorescent lamps.
The challenge was to upgrade the fixtures to energy-efficient LEDs without altering the aesthetic or causing significant disruption.
Trojan’s approach demonstrates innovation, creativity, and a strong commitment to environmental responsibility.
The company began by conducting a thorough assessment of the existing lighthouse structures, focusing on their construction, wiring and connectivity. This detailed analysis allowed the firm to design a bespoke solution that preserved the lighthouses’ external appearance, ensured their lit effect was the same as the original design intent and completely modernised their internal components.
Trojan engineered new metal housings and gear trays to accommodate advanced LED boards, drivers and a Tridonic control system, ensuring lifespans of up to 100,000 hours.
This upgrade not only drastically reduced energy consumption by 59 per cent, from 91W to 37W per fixture, but also aligned with circular economy principles by minimising the need for future replacements.
The use of backward-compatible Tridonic components further supports sustainability, facilitating easy upgrades and compliance with EU regulations. The DALI-based lighting controls installed by Trojan enables centralised, smart management of the lighting system, allowing for energy-efficient, demand-driven operation.
This contributes to a significant annual energy saving of 1.3 million kWh, reinforcing Bluewater’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
Trojan Lighting Solutions’ work on this project reflects its commitment to sustainability, innovation, and social responsibility.
By upgrading the lighthouses with minimal disruption and a focus on environmental impact, it preserved a key architectural feature of the shopping centre while significantly improving its energy efficiency and generating positive feedback from the client.
• Learn more about remanufacturing and see stands from Trojan Lighting Solutions and others at Circular Lighting Live 2024, Recolight’s flagship conference and exhibition, which takes place on Wednesday 9 October 2024 at the Royal College of Physicians in London. Free to specifiers, Circular Lighting Live 2024 will feature leading experts, specifiers and policy makers who will share their insights into forthcoming standards and legislation, emerging technologies and new business models. More info: www.circularlighting.live
