Sandwell Council House, Oldbury
Sandwell Council House is home to Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands. The building houses several offices and working spaces for a range of departments managing local authority services around Sandwell.
The building is undergoing plans for total refurbishment, focused on rationalising and maximising office space. This is to create a more contemporary working environment which will enable culture change. Central to achieving this was a significant upgrade to the lighting system in the offices.
Tamlite Lighting was part of the pilot project encompassing Urban Design, Highways, Planning, Asset Management and Leisure Services. The lighting system, room design and layout underwent a major overhaul, as part of the overall objective to improve working conditions.
Agile Working Environment
An agile working approach was introduced to give employees the option to locate at any available desk suitable for their work. This, in conjunction with a new lighting system, gives employees a workspace that provides a much better collaborative environment. As a result, it allows them to stay focused on tasks for longer.
Tony Davies, Project Manager at Sandwell Council House, said, “As a local council, we take employee wellbeing seriously. We have over 200 people in this office alone, and the Tamlite lighting design team understood and developed a lighting scheme that complemented our agile working plan.”
Tall windows encase the large office, providing an abundance of natural light. This is a major benefit in terms of people’s wellbeing at work. The human circadian rhythm is strongly linked to the intensity level and colour temperature of natural light. People will feel more alert, active and, as a result, can feel further productive when exposed to more natural light.
Adaptive Lighting
The new lighting system works in conjunction with the natural level of illumination. Fittings with photocell receptors were specified, reducing the intensity of the luminaires when natural light levels increase. This ensures that daylight is still the main source of illumination for occupants. However, in the darker months the ambient light adapts accordingly with the installed fixtures.
Tony Davies said, “The new lighting system has received a lot of positive comments. People have said that it feels much brighter in the office now. Plus, the fittings themselves look great. They're more than just a flat panel, they give a bit of character to the room and create a more visually pleasing environment.”
The use of daylight harvesting photocell controls, on top of the initial switch to LED, ensures that energy consumption has been significantly reduced. “We have an energy policy at Sandwell. The energy savings associated with LED lighting made the decision for us. Tamlite’s quality luminaires and warranty made it easy to choose them for the project."
Keen to promote circular economy and sustainability, Tamlite luminaires can be maintained far beyond the warranty. This ensures long-term, quality lighting solutions.
Take a look at the emergency part of this case study, or contact our team for more information.
