Clarity, with Zeebar owners EPC Ltd, decided on a combination of bespoke and off-the-shelf LED lighting, together with conventional luminaires and lightsources. The main technical lighting challenge was to make Zeebar's 40m exterior canopy appear look black during the day, and then come alive with colour and movement at night. The solution used a combination of Clarity's Ionic RGB colour changing strips and Microdex panelling with a black underlay. Clarity's Microdex appears as an evenly illuminated surface when lit from along one edge with the Ionic strips. Once the Microdex panels were approved, Clarity collaborated with architects Barton Willmore to finalize the details of the canopy.
Clarity worked with several local 'partner' companies on the project; including sister company LEDstorm who produced the bespoke elements of the canopy. The manufacturing detail of the canopy's steel work and frame together with the integral panels were managed by LEDstorm's technical director Simon Reed.
The Ionic LED strips and Microdex are sandwiched between a protective top sheet and a black under sheet. Reed designed the wiring detail so all the LED drivers and DMX controls could be mounted in an electrical cupboard on Zeebar's first floor. Clarity also commissioned all the venue's lighting.
Additional external lighting fixtures were specified from Clarity's standard product range, including the Wall Sphere, a 6W Luxeon LED wall wash for internal or external use, and the Mini Updown, a bi-directional 2 x 1W Luxeon LED architectural fitting.
Upstairs in the VIP bar, a feature Colour Wall has been installed, which consists of linear Clarity Multileds, mounted behind fabric material panels. This is run via a DMX controller with eight preset colour options and sequences. With the light source hidden, the power and intensity of the Colour Wall emulates a fabric texture. The panels and frames can be removed during the day to let in natural light, and replaced at night to change the feel and boost the intimacy of the space with saturated colour. Clarity has already started work on EPC's next project, where its Colour Change Bar Top feature has been requested.
