The TivoliVredenburg in central Utrecht, The Netherlands, features seven different music performance spaces and is in the process of having its house and public area lighting upgraded with Anolis Ambiane RGBW LED luminaires.

Project Details

The spectacular building designed by Herman Hertzberger was part of the CU2030 urban redevelopment scheme and opened in 2014. The fabulous state-of-the-art dedicated arts and performance complex incorporates Vredenburg, an original live music venue standing on the site since 1979, with six brand new venues, all fully sound-proofed and self-contained, ranging in capacities from 175 to 2000. The venues are busy year-round hosting a lively range of orchestral, acoustic and electronic, rock, pop and jazz music shows and events.

TivoliVredenburg’s Technical & Facilities Manager Charles Konings approached the Anolis Benelux distributor Controllux, looking for a more dynamic lighting solution for the public areas in particular. “We wanted to be able to have colour and create a nice atmosphere in our public areas,” he explained. He and various producers regularly working there were all convinced that more flexible general lighting would open many possibilities for additional uses – with some public areas already active as event spaces - and improve the overall ambience.

Kuno van Velzen from Controllux recommended the Ambiane recessed downlight. It needed to be an LED source with energy efficiency and longevity in mind, as well as colour changing, dimmable ... and premium quality. The venues, halls, foyers, walkways, stairwells, bars, cafes, corridors, cloakrooms, etc. all required a bright, crisp white for everyday usage and to meet fire regulations, yet be totally transformed by introducing vibrant or subtle colour for special events and other occasions.

Ideal for this ambient lighting application, the fixtures for TivoliVredenburg all have the 63 degree reflector option. The Ambiane is perfect for spaces like this requiring a refined tunable white with a CCT of 6500K plus colour changing options. There is no UV or IR output, the fixtures are cool running and controllable via both DMX and DALI, plus there is the additional quality assurance in that all Anolis products are designed and manufactured in Europe. The units are being retro-fitted into the same slots that housed the TivoliVredenburg’s old compact fluorescents by the venue’s own installation team. They are controlled and integrated into the existing KNX building automation system via DALI, and can be recalled by Hagar SmartPhone App … amongst other methods.

One example of how the Ambiane units are uses is in Hertz, a cosy contemporary space at the top of the building optimised for chamber music and classical recitals. The 6500K colour temperature is ideal for day-to-day use, and they also wanted to have an amber state in there as well as subtle fades over 20 seconds. With the introduction of this and numerous other colour options, the look and feel of the room can be changed at the touch of a button.

Every floor in the building has a different base colour, and the colour changing properties of the new scheme has already made a big impact in enhancing these elements. “It’s made a huge difference, instead of a big white non-dimmable light, we now have colour which can be matched to the type of performance taking place or the surrounding décor,” confirms Charles. As the months progress, the fixtures are being programmed into more of the house systems by Roy Hars taking into account the different requirements from Charles and the individual venue managers. All the time new and different benefits of having adaptable lighting are being discovered.

Kuno van Velzen sums up, “The initial building lighting design offered lights with one cold white colour temperature, and to introduce any mood into the foyers, production had to gaffer colour filter onto the celling, which looked scrappy and was no good for emergency situations! Now they can have coloured light whenever they want, good dimming, and both warm and cool white light … all from one highly energy-efficient fixture!”

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