Coliseum Auditorium Lighting – Phase One
Retrofitting LED technology into any building such as the London Coliseum Theatre, designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1904 always poses its own unique challenges. English National Opera were keen to find an LED lighting solution which was not only sympathetic to the fabric of the building but retained the characteristics and features of the existing Tungsten lighting.
The first Phase of the project has seen Push The Button retrofit LED lighting into the existing “Dome” Fittings. These fittings found on all levels had 3 x 42-Watt Halogen Capsule Lamps and matching the brightness was of key importance. Because of the reduced brightness of the LED technology lamps Push The Button carried out thorough light level testing to ensure that the new fittings matched the existing fittings perfectly. The installation used six GDS ArcLamp ‘Fade To Warm’ lamps in each fitting which not only matched the light levels but replicated the fade in the existing tungsten lamps.
To achieve the retrofit in a short closure period, Push The Button designed a custom plate to be retrofitted into each light fitting. The existing Glass Domes were also replaced with Plastic Domes to enhance audience safety. The entire project was achieved in the closure period and the team will now start work on the next phase of the project.