H
otel Verde, part of the BON Hotel Group and
owned by Mario and Annemarie Delicio, has
been dubbed ‘Africa’s greenest hotel’. Every
aspect of the hotel is designed to be as sustainable
as possible, employing systems that save water
and electricity while reducing waste. The build-
ing features green landscaping, a vegetated roof,
impressive three-3 kW vertical axis wind turbines
and a façade of photovoltaic panels contributing to
renewable energy, generated on-site. The lighting
infrastructure formed a central part of the energy
savings envisioned by the owners and they wanted
to invest in cutting edge, energy efficient lighting
technologies with fittings that were in line with the
aesthetics of the hotel.To achieve this, they turned
to lighting experts Eurolux and Blair Hammond &
Associates for help.
The brief
Eurolux and Blair Hammond & Associates were
contracted to design and supply lighting solutions
for Dematech’s offices, Hotel Verde’s bedrooms,
conference rooms, living wall, parking garage
and exterior lighting, which included architectural,
street and security lighting.The brief was to create
an exceptional guest experience showcasing the
beauty and functionality of energy efficient light-
ing, whilst adhering to the most advanced global
sustainability standards. Given the hotel’s location
– a stone’s throw from Cape Town International
Airport – aviation standards required the hotel to
illuminate downwards only, further defining lumi-
naire selection.
To achieve all of the above, a complete lighting
design and specification was completed for each
of the areas, taking into account luminaire speci-
fications and lighting control systems. A detailed
Basis of Design (BoD) document was also compiled
to document all technical aspects of the concept
design, relevant codes, systems, equipment and pa-
rameters required to achieve amaximumLeadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating.
The design
Each area of the hotel was modelled using lighting
design software to confirm correct light levels and
to ensure achievement of the lowest possible light-
ing power density targets, over and above the LEED
baseline values. “Lighting design software enables
the client to make an informed decision by being
able to visualise the effect of the lighting designs;
this allows the design process to run smoothly
and accurately,” explains Daniel Hammond, lighting
designer at Blair Hammond & Associates.
LED light sources were installed throughout the
hotel’s interior and exterior, with the exception of
the conference rooms and task lighting for offices.
In these spaces, low brightness T5 fluorescent fit-
tings were installed to illuminate work space and
minimise glare. Eurolux supplied 2 560 m of LED
strip lighting and 528 drivers for the hotel.To ensure
optimum use of light and energy, all fittings in the
conference rooms, reception and restaurant are
controlled by a lighting control system, installed
by a specialist company.
The energy efficiency of the hotel is further
boosted by a range of sensors. All public areas,
including the passages, boardrooms, underground
parking areas and gym have motion-sensors that
activate the lights when motion is detected. After
a timed period of about 15 minutes, without any
motion being detected, the lights will switch off. In
addition, light level sensors measure the amount
of natural light received through the windows and
then dim or brighten the output of the lights to
ensure sustained light levels. The lighting designs
by Blair Hammond & Associates specified the lat-
est LED technologies, with careful consideration of
stable colour temperature, good colour rendering,
durability and, most importantly, aesthetics.
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LiD
08-09/14
