Altman Lighting at the Hong Kong Science Museum
- Details
Wanting to implement an energy-efficient LED lighting system to accentuate the exhibits, the Museum called upon long-time partner Pacific Lighting Ltd who provided them with complete system of Altman Lighting Pegasus, Spectra Cyc 50 and ME4 luminaires.
“We have a long and successful history of working with the Hong Kong Science Museum designing and installing a number of their exhibition lighting systems,” began Hugh Chinnick, Pacific Lighting director and project lighting designer. “With the latest exhibition, they wanted to use LED technology when possible so the choice of fixtures had to be carefully managed. Although there was no detailed design brief, we knew they wanted the lighting design to create the appropriate theatrical atmosphere, so we chose to implement a system of Altman Lighting LED luminaires.
“When looking at our choices for the fixtures in the design, we had to keep in mind the physical size, light output, beam spread, fixture control, and of course cost,” continued Chinnick. “Since the Museum already has a flexible grid system with distributed dimming and DMX outlets, the challenge really became how to effectively amplify the theatrical environment once all the set pieces and exhibitions elements were in place.”
The Spectra Cyc 50 is a 50W RGBA or RGBW cyclorama wall wash designed for both theatrical and architectural applications. “I really like the flexible beam control and seamless coverage with defined upper and lower beam cut-off of the Altman Spectra Cyc,” added Chinnick. “Plus, with the compact beam angle range of the Pegasus luminaire we had the ability to go from a spot to a very wide and flat beam field giving us tremendous flexibility in creating the ideal design. After some creative rigging and a little bending of artificial tree branches, we ended up with a wonderful new lighting design that included 15 Pegasus, five Spectra Cyc 50 and 20 ME4 luminaires from Altman Lighting.
“I really enjoy using the Altman Lighting luminaires in this type of application because they easily meet both the physical size and excellent performance criteria,” concluded Chinnick. “In the completed project, we now have Altman fixtures hanging all around the new exhibitions which include the Mangrove Forest, Forest Trail, Woodlands Diorama, Sunrise in the Savana Diorama, and the Sandy Beach Diorama. When the new exhibits opened, it was amazing to see the reaction of the visitors to the Hong Kong Museum and by choosing the LED lighting solutions from Altman Lighting we really achieved a distinct advantage for success.”
(Jim Evans)
