Tridonic supplies mesh wireless controls for LED retrofit of historic Swiss church

Tridonic has announced that it has supplied Casambi-based wireless controls working with lighting design firm Senseco in retrofitting the historic Temple de Lutry in the municipality of Lutry, Switzerland located along the shore of Lake Geneva. Like many historic sites, the church posed a challenge because the structure could not be altered in any way, yet a wireless smart lighting approach delivered a solid-state lighting (SSL) project with custom scenes and even the ability for visitors to control the lighting when services are not ongoing.

The Temple de Lutry was built in the 11^th century as a Benedictine Church and was changed and expanded at key times, including during the 16^th century Reformation when the tower was built along with a Renaissance portal. The temple became the reformed parish church of Saint Martin and hosts famed paintings inspired by the Reformation and created by artist Humbert Mareschet.

Caretakers of the church sought to retrofit the indoor lighting using LEDs, motivated first by energy savings and reduced maintenance requirements, but also to better light the famous works of art and to be able to customize the lighting for specific services and use cases. But the challenge was clear to Senseco. “Under no circumstances were we allowed to interfere with the historical structure of the church,” said Yannick Le Moigne from Senseco. “Laying additional power or data cables was taboo, so we solved the problem with a wireless lighting control system.”

A wireless network would allow the desired control with existing power that had supplied halogen lighting more than capable of powering SSL replacements. Tridonic has partnered with Casambi for one of its smart lighting approaches, basicDIM, as we wrote in a recent article on a Casambi upgrade. The Casambi technology is based on Bluetooth Low Energy radio, as is Bluetooth Mesh. But for now, the Casambi implementation still uses some proprietary layers and the company does not refer to it as a Bluetooth Mesh network.

Wireless connectivity enabled by small Tridonic basicDIM modules afforded the designers freedom to choose any luminaires with a 0–10V or DALI input. The designers used circular LED luminaires in the nave with separately-controlled direct and indirect lighting. Spotlights are mounted discreetly on cornices of pillars to both highlight ongoing services and to reveal the intricate architecture of the space. Other luminaires light the organ, choir, altar, and aisles.

The entire system can be controlled with the Tridonic 4remote BT app shown nearby that runs on Android and iOS devices. The app supports custom scene setting, control of individual luminaires, control of groups, and more. The church is using preset scenes for services, Bach concerts, and music and literary events in the choir or nave.