Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church, Canada

The Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church is a place of spirit, faith, and community. But the existing interior lighting did nothing to convey this. Decades-old analog technology with minimal functionality was in place, its service life pushed beyond reasonable limits.

Our retrofit focused on two main spaces, the sanctuary and the chapel. Featuring a mix of cove lighting, down lighting, and track lighting, the sanctuary was particularly important as it’s the focus of the congregation for nearly every church service.

A recurring challenge was that the existing analog lighting was much larger in form factor than modern products. Our team provided solutions that did not entail architectural or contractor work that would have resulted in extra costs. For example, we found a six-inch product to replace the existing eight-inch lighting and then had a goof ring installed to cover the excess space so it appeared seamless to churchgoers.

For the sanctuary down lighting, the church requested brighter lighting to suit senior age groups. To accomplish this, we used a light meter to gather existing light levels, built a 3D model with the proposed photometric files, offered a demo of the new lighting with our software and solicited user group feedback. The new sanctuary cove lighting is tuneable white and matches the daylight autonomy from the decorative clerestory window above the Baptistery.

We were also able to go above and beyond the request for tuneable white and provide full RGBW functionality for the track lighting. This enables enhanced use of the space for special services and performances by the church band.

Another significant challenge was the sloped downlighting; the existing installation was set up in such a way that it could not be removed. Our solution was to painstakingly and precisely measure lighting angles so we could source a product that was compatible with the sloped ceiling adaptor.

A new lighting controls setup was also required. The large and clunky existing console, as archaic as a 1960s mixing board, was well past its prime. We directed the contractor to put new control wires in place for all lighting locations to set up power packs with dimming capabilities. The new lighting control console can now be operated with one hand and provides exponentially greater possibilities.

The other focus of the retrofit was the chapel. Unique features of this space include the tuneable white cove lights that can match the daylight autonomy from the clerestory window. The angled lectern lights, had a much larger form factor; it proved difficult to source for that specific aperture as these lights had to be adjustable to focus on the speaker. Nevertheless, we were able to source improved modern versions that are phase dimmable down to 1%.

For the parishioners, the volunteers, and the clergy, the Vancouver Chinese Evangelical Free Church is a place of spirit, faith, and community. By approaching this project as not simply a retrofit but a reimagining, we sought to honour and respect these values.