Luceco lights up Luttrellstown Castle

Luttrellstown Castle Resort near Dublin is a luxurious venue for elegant hospitality and entertainment, combining the original 15th century castle, 567 acres of parkland, and a championship golf course with an alpine lodge-style clubhouse.  It is the perfect location not only for golf, but also for weddings, garden parties, business meetings and conferences.

Multiple lighting needs

With such multiple uses, outdoors and indoors, it is not surprising that that the site has multiple needs in terms of lighting and the plan to renew and upgrade the lighting had to cover a range of considerations.   From aesthetic solutions to enhance the ambience of the castle and restaurant to safety and emergency lighting supporting maintenance and repair requirements, as well as the most stylish and practical means of illuminating the pathway to the castle, putting the Luttrellstown Castle Resort in its best light was always going to be a demanding multi-faceted project.

“And this variety of needs was not the only issue,” explained Mark Sherridan, facilities manager at the Resort.  “It was also vital that the new lighting was cost-effective to run and above all, as kind as possible to the environment.”

Trusted expertise

Clearly such a large project needed bespoke specification before any of the installation could begin.  Given the level of detail and the extent of the work required, it was the Luceco Group which was chosen for the task.  Mark continued, “We had worked directly with Luceco before and were aware of the expertise that was available upfront to ensure a fully tailored report of product recommendations to achieve our desired outcomes.”

LED specialist, Luceco worked directly with the facilities manager over a couple of days to map out specifications for the project, after reviewing lighting requirements for the castle and restaurant, as well as the path and greenkeeper’s shed. With the castle being the jewel in the crown of the Luttrellstown estate, daytime and night-time photos of the castle were studied to get a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of different lighting configurations and settings.

Working in partnership

Once the specifications had been approved, Crystal Engineering, an installation partner working closely with Luceco, was then engaged to order and fulfil the installation. Working with installation partners is critical to Luceco’s success, enabling it to focus exclusively on the specification, while the partner company undertakes the installation.

Elegant energy efficiency

Energy efficiency and improved aesthetics were both key objectives.  Much of the original lighting consisted of old fluorescent tubing, which is expensive to run, bad for the environment, and needs regular replacement, not to mention its notoriety for flickering, inconsistent illumination, and limited colour options.  Even some of the castle’s newer lighting was old and did little to create ambience.  Luceco replaced all the interior lighting with LED.  It also specified High Bay lighting for the castle’s lamps and chandeliers and the British General Evolve range of sockets and switches in matte black, modernising the look, while retaining the original opulence. The Evolve range was also used in Luttrellstown’s restaurant, adding a subtle elegance to the room.

Exterior lighting was also upgraded to further improve aesthetics, with Kingfisher Bollards installed in the driveway and around the golf course. The IP65 rated bollards come in 4000k neutral white with a 50k hour burn time and >70 CRI, with an IK08 rating to keep the light protected even in harsh weather. More LED efficient panel lighting and emergency lighting were added around the golf course, while solar Guardian floodlights were installed on roofs, combining an impressive aesthetic with enhanced safety and security.

Finally, Luceco’s Elara Bay fittings were installed in the greenkeeper’s shed.  Ahead of a large event, this facility is sometimes used at night, so maximising safety is the critical issue. The high-performing Elara Bay range comes in 4000k neutral white with a 100k hour burn time and >80 CRI, making it ideal for industrial lighting while providing optimal energy consumption.

Sustainable solution

Mark Sherridan said: “We are so impressed with the outcome of this project. Luceco worked closely with us to tailor a wide range of lighting options and configurations. The result has helped us achieve the ambience we wanted, while maximising efficiency, practicality, and sustainability.”

Luceco’s account manager, William Heather added: “This was a project with multiple requirements in terms of both the client’s objectives and the products required. By utilising Luceco’s specification skills, partner expertise, and the company’s commitment to sustainable solutions, the Luttrellstown Castle Resort has been able to maximise its lighting efficiencies while achieving the greatest aesthetic effect.”

For further information visit www.luceco.com/uk