Bespoke Anolis Solution for NIDA

Leading European LED manufacturer Anolis has engineered and produced a custom lighting solution for a major new installation in the impressive foyer space of The Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)'s award winning theatre complex in Kensington, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

A new energy efficient lighting scheme has been installed, replacing 28 recessed 500W PAR 56 halogen fittings with the brand new Anolis ArcSource 48 MultiChip (MC) fixture, specially designed by Anolis for this project.

The Anolis ArcSource 48 MC consists of twelve 10 Watt Cree MCE RGBW LED chips, which enable full and seamless RGB color mixing plus an excellent selection of 'real' whites in a variety of color temperatures.

NIDA's lighting supervisor Adrian Wright explains that top of their brief for the new lighting was to make a significant reduction in electricity consumption across NIDA's public areas. They also wanted to utilize lightsources that offered more versatility and dynamics than just a 'standard white' lighting scheme.

Practically, the Anolis scheme uses 60% less power compared to the previous installation and further long term savings will follow due to the reduced ongoing maintenance required for LEDs.

Wright and the senior management team at the award winning venue complex made their decision after considering several options and proposals for LED replacements, selecting Anolis for its quality, light output and the bespoke retro-fittable design that is unique to the Anolis ArcSource 48 MC fitting.

The concept for the new ArcSource was designed and developed by Anolis in just 4 weeks, and delivered to NIDA by Anolis' Australian distributor, the ULA Group.

The building, designed by HASSELL in association with Peter Armstrong Architecture a decade ago has bold glazed walls, a dramatic sloping canopy and takes on beacon-like lighting qualities after dark.

There were many challenges involved in lighting the foyer's interior - the throw distance for the fixtures is over 10 meters, so it was essential that the output was the same as the previous scheme, whilst maintaining energy efficiency, low power consumption and operating costs.

Anolis' optimized light engine produces a fully homogenized light source - smooth, rich and powerful - across the entire color spectrum, which was a primary factor in choosing the Anolis ArcSource 48 MC over other products, as they didn't want to see any blockiness or pixilation in the source. Wright says, "I also wanted plenty of headroom on the intensity front, and as a result, our currently programmed lighting states are all around 50 per cent." They are run via an Ecue control system.

The ArcSource 48 MCs fit nicely into the original PAR 56 housings at NIDA, producing more Lux than their predecessors, with convection cooling ensuring silent operation and each unit individually DMX addressable.

The new lighting has transformed the look and feel of the foyer. With a virtually unlimited color palette at everyone's fingertips, the space can be themed and colored for different events and occasions without needing additional equipment.

NIDA is a high profile centre of excellence and training for gifted young people interested in professional careers in theatre, film and television and the performing arts, and everyone is delighted with the new investment.

Adrian Wright concludes, "I'm impressed with the support from both Anolis and the ULA Group in enabling us to choose such an outstanding lighting fixture."