Case Study

Marconi House

Marconi House is an imposing development of 86 luxury apartments that have been developed behind the Grade 11 listed façade of this historic building. Originally built as the Gaiety Restaurant, adjacent to the Gaiety Theatre in London’s Kingsway, the building was taken over by the English Electric Company in the 1920s and houses the room which served as the first broadcasting studio of the BBC.
  • Project:
  • Energy efficient lighting scheme
  • Building:
  • Marconi House
  • Client:
  • Galliard Homes
  • Instructing Client:
Problem areas identified were:

The main apartment lobbies from the eighth floor down used very carefully designed recessed linear fluorescent luminaires. The original designer had specified T5 fluorescent technology which worked well until it began to age. Several years down the line, a huge amount of heat was being generated, reducing the energy efficiency of the system as well as making the common areas unbearably hot for residents.

The maintenance team had done their utmost to repair the system but the task was never ending, so property managers Galliard Homes contacted Future Lighting for help. We arranged a survey and proposed a retrofit LED solution that would utilise the existing flush lamp housings. We built a custom made system and provided a free trial offering two colour output options. Residents were given the opportunity to look at the proposed installation and choose a preferred colour. Warm white 3000k was chosen and the new design began to take shape.

Problem areas identified were:
  • High wattage lighting with associated high running costs
  • Ongoing lighting failures resulting in a poorly maintained feel
  • Mix of lamp types and poor colour matching
  • Vast heat created from the existing fittings making the lobbies unbearable during summer months/li>
  • Failed and insufficient emergency lighting
Challenges Included:
  • Utilisation of the existing wiring to prevent major cosmetic damage.
  • Designing a lighting scheme that would complement rather than detract from the original design of the building.
  • Avoiding disruption to residents and their visitors.
Energy saving
Money Saving
Aesthetically Pleasing
Despite the very high standard of the development, lighting in the communal areas had become outdated.

The Future Lighting solution

Apartment Lobbies

  • Removing high wattage lighting technology.
  • Building a custom LED solution that would fit within the existing luminaire housings.
  • Incorporating an emergency lighting solution within the modified fittings

Entrance hall

  • Removing all alcove fluorescent lighting and replacing it with a new LED custom built solution, to provide equal colour rendering throughout, reduce energy and remove all ongoing maintenance issues.
  • Removing all high wattage halogen lamps and retrofitting new LED alternatives

The works were completed in less than five days without disruption to the building, its internal or external decor or any interruption to residents.

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New LED lights pay for themselves with the money saved each year

There has never been a better time to invest in energy efficiency. Businesses are looking to combat rising energy prices, reduce their carbon footprint and maintenance costs. It’s good for the economy and good for the planet. Many businesses are being forced to make these changes through the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. So installing LED lighting is the obvious choice for drastic energy savings and it’s a quick and easy win on CO2 reduction too.

Key statistics
18
ROI(m)
9770
Money Saved (£)
44
co2 saved (t)
94
Positive Feedback (%)