Built to the highest environmental standards, Kildean Business Park, near Stirling, demanded the latest thinking in energy efficiency – including state of the art lighting. Whitecroft Lighting’s Kevin McCully explains how Organic Response maximises the value of natural light.
Developed by the Stirling Development Agency as a joint venture between Cromwell and Stirling Council, Kildean Business Park was envisioned as premium commercial office space, in an area of Scotland popular with high-growth technology businesses, financial services, and life science companies.
Designed by architects Michael Laird Associates, the 7,000+ square metre building is visually striking both internally and externally, combining a sophisticated blend of metal panelling and charcoal coloured brickwork – and a lot of glass!
Kildean is also a leader in sustainability, meeting stringent ESG objectives and achieving an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating, so it was imperative to incorporate low-carbon technologies that drove up carbon efficiency wherever possible.
David Garden, Senior Electrical Design Engineer at M&E consultants Henderson Warnock explained the challenge: “Kildean is one of Scotland’s most architecturally striking and sustainable commercial buildings, so to help achieve this we had to explore and embrace the latest in lighting innovation and design.
“This meant keeping an open mind on how to light different areas of the building, with certain zones requiring a bespoke approach, and the client demanded a system that saved energy and complemented the building’s level of specification and high-end design.
“Glass is a big feature, creating an abundance of natural light, but this meant there was limited scope for obstructive cabling, so the lighting needed to fit seamlessly into the building and still deliver the connected automatous controls that can adjust the lighting throughout the building.
“Whitecroft Lighting quickly identified its Organic Response® lighting system as the best option to realise the client and architect’s vision.”
Organic Response was developed to suit the needs of the latest flexible commercial space, and although the three floors at Kildean are currently open plan, they could in the future be partitioned and adapted to the needs of new tenants – so the lighting must be able to respond to evolving needs.
Kildean’s extensive use of glass also means that the lighting must work in harmony with ever-changing natural light conditions, to save electricity and maintain occupant comfort and welfare, and with the pronounced change in seasons, in locations as far north as Scotland, accentuate variations in the levels of natural light.
As the sun moves across the sky, particularly over long summer days, it can create significant differences in natural light levels in different parts of the building.
Organic Response gives every light fitting its own sensory capabilities (as opposed to just rooms or clusters of lights), so each luminaire can respond individually throughout the building and adapt to factors such as changing daylight and room occupancy.
This includes real-time adjustments to the natural light coming through the large windows: for example, if a cloud comes across the sky, the lights will fade up, and these adjustments in the sunnier months will help offset the electricity used during prolonged winter darkness.
Organic Response is also future proofed against changes in space usage, as offices can be repurposed or custom partitioned based on future needs, with individual lights adjusting and responding to deliver the desired quality of light without the need for recommissioning.
A further benefit of Organic Response is that it removes the need for a full wire installation and possible obstructive cabling. Lighting and controls are interconnected using infrared, jumping from one light to the other, and the system is wireless to the extent that kinetic, blue tooth enabled light switches can now operate without a power supply. This makes them easy to reposition to suit.
The lighting at Kildean also reduced materials and embodied carbon through a modular design that promoted product circularity. The lighting contains removal units that allows the replacement of key components, lengthening the life of the product and materials.
For example, this will free future facilities managers at Kildean to just replace the LEDs with the latest generations of more energy efficient models, or even change the lighting aesthetics in line with future office refits.
David Garden agrees: “Henderson Warnock’s clients are increasingly driven by ambitious carbon reduction targets, and this often fits well with Whitecroft’s impressive journey in developing circular products.
“At Kildean, Whitecroft supplied low-energy modular LED lighting products that are easily upgradable by design – incorporating replaceable modules that lengthen the life of materials and promote the minimisation of waste.
“This was another big influencing factor in Henderson Warnock specifying Whitecroft at Kildean, because Whitecroft can deliver a practical and measurable solution to saving carbon across the lifetime of its lighting: easily upgradable lighting that is circular by design.”
Kevin McCully is a Senior Account Manager at Whitecroft Lighting.