Wink provided the lighting design on this beautiful and historic Round Tower at Clones in Co Monaghan, accentuating the monument and making it a focal point of the town at night.
However there were two significant issues when lighting this monument which had to be overcome. Firstly, Wink had to light the tower mitigating any light spilling onto the nearby homes which were very close to the structure. We also had to contend with the location of the monument which was on in a graveyard where light fittings could not be placed. The distances varied from 20mts to 40mts.
This was a considered lighting proposal which went through all stages from conception to product decisions and installation co-ordination.
We approached the project with a determination of the issues of the site, then drew up calculations and a project plan.
The brief
The round tower is located in the town of Clones and the aim was to accentuate this monument, showing the detail and character of the historic structure. This in turn would provide a lovely visual aesthetic of the tower at night for inhabitants and will draw in tourists.
The design calculation
As there were a number of issues with the location of the site, we gathered all the information regarding lighting the tower and compiled a lighting calculation. We generated the calculation using the Dialux software to determine a way of projecting the light without it spilling onto the nearby houses.
Through this calculation we determined that the best method of greatly reducing/eliminating the spill of light onto the nearby houses was to use an elliptical lens on a narrow beam. As the beam was very narrow and contained, it significantly reduced any annoying glare on these homes.
We also had the additional issue of the monument being in a graveyard and where to place the lighting posts. The location of the projectors hampered the possibilities, however using the combination of both a 4º beam and the elliptical lens helped to manage this. This lens when rotated in a given direction which controlled the beam into a linear effect.
The result
This gave a nice even light and highlighted the structure without any glare onto the nearly houses.
If we had used a floodlight, the other house would have been a blast of light.
The result was a beautiful and striking illumination of a historic structure and is now a focal point in the town.
