The fourth and final Edwardian food hall project had many unique challenges inspiring bespoke integrated solutions, to ensure high levels of product focussed illumination in balance with sympathetic architectural lighting to showcase the halls unique character and architecture. Lighting details are all uniquely tailored to products or features, ensuring the lighting is complementary to exposed chocolate, as well as varied packaging, historic plaster mouldings, architectural finishes, decorative tiling and guests complexions. High colour rendering 2700K was key for an inviting hospitality feel to architecture and when expressing the rich tones of the varied chocolates on sale or in production.
Shelving was designed to a minimum brief of 2000lm on product, and perimeter shelving had to achieve this without additional illumination from the historic ceiling, while ensuring products could be stacked to the front of shelves and protected from heat generated by lighting. All perimeter shelf lighting is flexible and integral. Each bespoke adjustable shelf houses a concealed homogenous diffused linear LED that is spaced away from the product by a heat insulating gap. Light levels and contrasts are boosted to the front of the shelving and beyond to customers grasps via concealed focussed rail lighting at the top of each shelving unit. Perimeter shelving displays also provide ambient halo lighting to the historic tiling, soft concealed uplighting to signage zones and integrated 2400K feature lighting to branded prismatic signage panels.
All lighting had to be harmonious in colour strategy with product focussed lighting all 2700K even inside the bespoke fridges. Specialist encapsulation had to be used for the homogenous waterproofing of the internal fridge illumination, to ensure the compound did not shift the colour of the LED or reduce the colour temperature too greatly. Extensive light tests were carried out on varied shades of chocolate, including white, to ensure all dark and milk chocolate tones appeared sumptuous and delicious with white chocolate staying fresh and light in tone. The same tests were conducted on coloured foils, glazes and decorations to ensure coloured confectionary such as Bon Bons were vibrant and enticing with high colour rendering and dot free illumination. Internal fridge illumination is concealed from customers view in a bespoke curved or straight profile at both the front and rear of the serve over fridge. Lighting to fridges is bolstered for added contrast and illumination levels by focussed spotlighting from above, ensuring the chocolates are well lit when inside the fridge or when presented over the fridge to the customer.
Retail gondolas have adjustable integrated shelf lighting and prismatic illuminated signage panels, and their top shelves are precisely picked out by a discrete bespoke track system which also uplights the historic ceiling mouldings. Contrast is achieved by ensuring spotlights are only focussed on retail displays and energy consumptions are reduced by placing lighting only where it is required instead of even illumination across the hall. Further reductions are made through lighting control.
Ambient lighting is warmer and more luxurious at 2400K from the back lit alabaster ceiling, bespoke decorative countertop lamps and various prismatic signage panels. Colour temperatures selected help to convey a sense of luxury, while bespoke decorative lights convey opulence and downlighting focussing to the chefs at work brings a touch of theatre to a truly decadent room, full of the sights, smells and tastes of chocolate.
