Lightfactor supplied all the equipment for the new installation - which was sourced from a variety of British manufactures, including customized Par 64 and AR111 fixtures from James Thomas Engineering, and a custom lighting control panel designed by Mick Hannaford and made by LightProcessor. The result has transformed St Barnabas into a modern, practical and well-lit venue appropriate for a dynamic range of church-based activities.Built in 1915, St Barnabas's spacious 15m high environment has several unique features, including an unusual fresco above the high altar that helps soften the otherwise austere atmosphere. However, the lighting has had very little improvement since the 1970s.
Dixon - who also works prolifically in television, corporate events and theatre - lives locally, and has been involved in many St Barnabas events and activities over the last 20 years. He knows the space intimately and has lit a range of different performances there. He knew how positively the interior would respond to new lighting, and worked hard at getting the green light for the new scheme to proceed.
His design had to be conducive to worship and aesthetically pleasing, but also had to satisfy certain criteria. These included being able to light the nave separately for 'collegiate'-style services (with choir and the congregation facing each other) to light the roof and the supporting structures, and also to provide lighting suitable for large orchestral concerts.
Dixon consulted Paul de Ville - who has several impressive church installations under his belt over the years and asked him to collaborate as project manager. De Ville started with helping to finalize the equipment list to fulfil the design brief once the scheme was approved and lay out the scope of works for the installation engineers and time table the project.
De Ville said: "It's important to help the church staff and parishioners understand the impact that a new lighting scheme will have on their day-to-day use of the building. For once, I was not alone, as Andrew kept all parties fully briefed as to where we were up to in the project. This meant we were always welcomed and looked after throughout the installation, which went like clockwork and was a real joy to work on. In fact, the response has been fantastic and has made this project one of the highlights of my year."
Challenges included keeping the installation as unintrusive as possible, allowing access for servicing and maintenance, and delivering the precise lighting brief to budget. The building is also Grade II listed, so the team had to satisfy the guidelines and standards of both The Council for the Care of Churches and English Heritage.Lighting for the nave and west end choir gallery is now fixed in the main roof, underneath a special walkway, ensuring all fixtures are accessible from a flat walking surface. The lamps are 500W Par 64 adjustable long-nosed cans, specially made by James Thomas to fit beneath a flat surface. Four are used for the choir gallery, and the other 20 along the nave, placed to light the centre and the outsides of the space separately.
This provides virtually shadow-less and glare-free (De Ville came up with the idea of fitting a hexagonal mesh to the front of the cans to reduce the glare) lighting of up to 300 Lux on the choir and congregation's books. The chancel area is lit with higher-level presentation lighting - enough to illuminate a full 10-piece orchestra. Lights going onto the nave roof are Illuma Par 30 T1248s, complete with a specially modified 'eyelid', to contain the amount of light falling onto the walls and corbels. They also visually link the upper and lower parts of the space. For additional drama, Par 16 fittings are used to
