Product category:
Electrical hardware
News Release from: Luxo Vega | Subject: Lighting for interior design
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 06 June 2000
Light boxes for the Tate Modern
The majority of the lighting for one of London's largest cultural projects, Tate Modern which opened on 12 May 2000 has been supplied by Vega Lighting.
The majority of the lighting for one of London's largest cultural projects, Tate Modern which opened on 12 May 2000 has been supplied by Vega Lighting The transformation of the former Bankside Power Station on the south bank of the River Thames, complete with its soaring central chimney, into a symbol of London in the twenty-first century, gave Vega one of its largest projects
Designed by Swiss architects, Herzog and de Meuron with engineers Ove Arup and Partners and taking over two years to complete, the ?134 million project - thought to be the world's largest modern art museum - stands at 11,000 square metres with a cavernous six-storey entrance hall.
Vega definitely had its work cut out, for its main task was to provide lighting that allowed for constant control, ambience and flexibility of the movable walls in galleries situated on levels three, four and five.
To do this, the company provided a 1200 x 1200 mm 'light box' with 'H' section hangers suspended from the structure on studding.
The dimensions of the 'light box' changed to suit each bay for instance, 3 bay was made up of 1200 x 3600 mm, 4 bay at 1200 x 4800 mm or 5 bay at 1200 x 6000 mm 'light boxes.' Fixed to the 'H' section hangers are the gear trays, access panels and extruded aluminium side rails, which had to be painstakingly fixed with special glue.
The side rails in turn held the light box in line, supported the glass panels and the Concord Lightspan 3 track.
Each panel took Vega up to 45 minutes to complete.
To create an ambient effect Vega utilised Tridonic's Digital Dimming control gear, which were split into two circuits.
Each circuit is made up of different colour temperature lamps allowing the colour of the light box to be altered by dimming one or other colour circuits.
Each ceiling of the gallery bays also had to simulate daylight.
The effect was achieved using 2 x 5 mm thick glass and 0.8 mm opal UVB interlayer making up a 10.8 mm thick glass panel that is sand blasted on the under side to stop reflection.
Other jobs included the illumination of the restaurant on Level 7.
The effect was achieved by using a special continuous linear system complete with T8 Tridonic High Frequency Dimming Control gear and opal diffusers.
The illumination of the caf? on Level 2 was created using special luminaires designed by architects Herzog and de Meuron with 2500 mm drop and T5 55 watt circular lamp high frequency dimming, controlled by Luxmate.
This is the first time the system has been used in the UK.
The grand staircase is also lit with continuous T5 linear system mounted in the handrails.
John Savory from Vega, commented: "Working on the Tate Modern project is the most complicated and longest running job we have ever completed.
It was a real challenge." As well as the gallery space, the new Tate Modern will house an auditorium for conferences and film screenings, education centre, gift shops, information centre, a caf? and restaurant with views across London.
It will also be linked to St Paul's Cathedral by the first new bridge to be built in central London since 1894.
The galleries are show the Tate Collection of international twentieth-century art, featuring major works by the most influential artists of this century including Bourgeois, Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian, Duchamp, Dali, Bacon and Warhol.
Funding for the project came from grants of ?50 million from the Millennium Commission, ?6.2 million from the Arts Council, grants from the government's urban regeneration agency, English Partnership together with the local authority, Southwark Council and money raised from individuals, charities and foundations.
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