RIDI has recently supplied a number of innovative lighting solutions for five floors of India House on the Butlers Wharf Estate near Tower Bridge. Originally converted during the eighties by Sir Terence Conran, the site has recently been purchased and renovated by Milton Investment Fund.

The building has been refurbished for use as leased premises for small and medium sized companies with a modern high-tech, rather than warehouse, look. The brief was to create a light and airy feel to the premises with a well-lit ceiling and a lighting solution that was marketable as 500 Lux, Category 2 - without resorting to a conventional lay-in recessed design with its associated dark ceiling and walls. The building has varying ceiling heights, ranging from 2.45m on the first four floors to around 3.0m on the top two floors. With a need for consistency throughout, thoughts of using a suspended direct/indirect luminaire were ruled out.

By utilising the building's many structural columns as uplighting points, with the cast splay heads around the columns forming an excellent angled reflector, RIDI's
AIDA-W wall uplighters with a punchy 1x42W TC-TEL lamp were ideal for this application. Compact and unobtrusive, with an elegant modern look, its perforated side bands add an element of direct light whilst also lending a transparent feel to it. Technically, the luminaire also gave a very wide upward distribution that made it suitable for lower ceiling heights and kept the scheme within LG3 compliance.

A shallow void depth above the plaster ceiling on the lower four floors ruled out conventional recessed options for providing the main lighting . Linear T5 luminaires proved ideal for this application as Milton did not want a ceiling cluttered with 600 x 600 type modules. RIDI's EBRL 128 SG, 28W T5 Category 2 louvred luminaires, that measure a mere 100mm wide and designed to give the effect of sleek linear downlighters, provided the main direct lighting.

The resulting effect from the direct and indirect luminaires is one of a contemporary but flexible lighting scheme with a warm and inviting ambience. The office areas are now provided with excellent shadow free lighting that creates a perfect working environment both technically and aesthetically.

The refurbishment of India House was a great success for Milton, with all six floors being let either on or within weeks of completion, attracting companies from the I.T. and Media industries due to its close proximity to the City, the high quality of the refurbishment and Butlers Wharf's fashionable working environment.

View photos from this installation