Lighting the Wards
Actulite polarised daylight lighting from Aura Corporation has been specified for four operating theatres and two patient wards at Barnsley Hospital. The hospital selected Actulite as a long-lasting, energy saving and high quality lighting solution, which could also be installed into existing light fittings.
Managers at the hospital looked to change the lighting as part of the upgrade of the operating theatres and selected patient wards. Commenting on the project, Rob Rennison, estates manager at Barnsley Hospital said, “We sought to replace the existing lighting to improve energy efficiency whilst at the same time reducing maintenance costs.”
Another important consideration was the quality of lighting. Frank Cicero, hospital projects manager explained, “There are strict guidelines for lighting in theatres with regards to colour rendering, which is very important when carrying out surgery. The Actulite polarised daylight lighting was first of all installed into one operating theatre, in order for us to gather reactions from theatre staff.”
Following positive feedback from staff, a specification was put together for the upgrade of three further operating theatres. So impressed were organisers, they also chose Actulite for the lighting refurbishments of two wards.
The Aura Corporation supplied around 250 units to the hospital. This included the range’s retro conversion kits, which allows the Actulite polarised daylight lighting system to be fitted into an existing light fitting, and the company’s long life SuperLife lamps, “The Actulite lighting can be retro-fitted which minimises disturbance to the area. We were extremely impressed with the SuperLife product, which offers a guarantee of 80,000 hours on both the ballast and tube. Not only has this reduced energy output, this will also greatly reduce our maintenance costs for the foreseeable future”, said Frank Cicero.
The Actulite polarised lighting consists of a patented Actulite multi-layered light polarising panel, high frequency control gear and specially manufactured triphosphor full spectrum fluorescent tubes. As a result, it emits a quality of light virtually identical to that of natural daylight which is low glare with excellent colour rendition. It eliminates the harsh ‘yellow’ light associated with traditional fluorescent lighting and can help with the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
The hospital and staff are very impressed with the end result. Rob Rennison added, “The Actulite panel gives an improved lighting quality, with a marked difference between Actulite and the old lighting. Staff are very happy with the lighting and we can also rest assured that it will require very little maintenance in the future.”
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