Manchester’s Arndale Walk Way Gets Upgrade

When it comes to shopping in and around the city of Manchester, it has to be the Manchester Arndale Centre, which offers a huge selection of retail outlets from leading high street names, through to a multitude of smaller, stylish specialist outlets, all located under one roof. With a central location, access is made easy with bus, train, and tram networks to the suburbs and beyond. When it came to providing a new lighting system to the covered walkway situated close to the main entrance, Ansell Lighting was the selected company to offer a lighting solution which produced a striking aesthetic appeal, whilst also providing adequate illumination for those walking through the covered walkway to enter the Arndale Centre or to continue up the pedestrian street towards Piccadilly.

The fitting of choice was the from the Aztec Floodlight range, with the 50Watt Asymmetrical Floodlight fitting being selected, as this was deemed to create the optimum solution for this application.

This floodlight is one within the Aztec range, which offers both Symmetrical and Asymmetrical floodlights versions from 50Watt all the way up to 300Watt in a 5000K Daylight colour temperature. This high-performance floodlight is constructed from powder coated die-cast Aluminium, making it ideally suited for commercial and industrial applications, alongside having a high output, offering excellent Lumen per Watt efficacy. With a pre-installed breathable gland, which prevents internal moisture accumulation, and is supplied pre-wired with 1500mm of rubber insulated cable, allowing ease of installation. The design of the fixing bracket allows installation without its removal, further offering that ease of installation for the contractor.

The range of 220/240V non-Dimmable fittings can operate in temperatures from -30C up to +50C, have a CRI of 70 and a lifetime to L80 of 54,000 hours. Having an ingress protection to IP66 alongside an impact rating of IK08, further reinforces its use in industrial applications. The symmetrical range of fittings have a beam angle of 115°, whilst the Asymmetrical range includes highly efficient lens technology for anti-light pollution with a beam angle of 60°x120°. The option of an integral Electronic Photocell is also available. A 5year warranty is provided across the whole range.

There are additional accessories available, offering suitability for a multitude of applications, with both a 60mm and 76mm Pole Mount Adapters and a 40-90mm Pole Clamp Accessory for the smaller 50Watt, 100Watt and 150Watt fittings and a 40-150mm Pole Clamp Accessory for the larger 200Watt and 300Watt fittings.

Whilst this discusses the full range availability of standard Aztec fittings, it is not however, the complete Aztec Floodlight offer from Ansell Lighting, in that the whole range as discussed above, is also available in a coastal version, offering fittings which are constructed from die-cast marine grade aluminium, with a 304L Stainless Steel bracket, having a surface electrophoresis and corrosion-proof treatment, making them ideally suited for both coastal and arduous conditions. These fittings are fully tested in a concentrated saline 3,000-hour salt spray environment meetingthe requirements of EN ISO 9227.

Getting back to the application being discussed here, the proposed 50Watt fitting was designed into the project to replace the existing outdate and defunct fluorescent lighting, which was both inefficient and would not provide compliance with the latest ecodesign regulations. The solution of illuminating all sections of the underside of the roof structure from both side of each of the sections, provided the exceptional illuminating effect specified, whilst achieving the required levels of illumination on the floor, thereby allowing safe access through the space.

The finished upgraded solution provided the optimum lighting solution, using energy efficient lighting fittings, in offering the client with an increase in the level of illumination, alongside achieving a reduction in energy usage, and one which removes the need for regular lamp replacement, thereby also reducing maintenance and access costs within an area having significant pedestrian use.