Alton Towers has engaged Premium Lighting Solutions (PLS) to design and install lighting in the pool area of the resort’s Splash Landings Hotel. The pool has a bright and tropical aesthetic reminiscent of the Caribbean. As such, a lighting model capable of creating the illusion of a Caribbean island at dusk and dawn was required.
Alton Towers had a very specific brief – to provide energy-saving lighting to improve light levels in the main pool area, while creating different light temperatures in specific spaces.
Installing the floodlights represented a formidable challenge for PLS. The water park is vast in scale, covering 40,000ft². This space is filled by one million gallons of water and covered by a 50,000ft² cellular roof. The fact the new lighting installations took place during the winter season added to the challenge, and there were concerns that harsh weather conditions would impede progress.
In addition, access limitations meant that the installation team carried out much of the work using ropes and climbing equipment. However, despite the restrictions and the poor weather conditions, the project was finished ahead of schedule.
The benefits of the new light installations were immediate. PLS created bespoke colour rendering to suit the waterpark’s needs. Warren Critchley, technical services maintenance manager at Alton Towers, comments: “The lights are performing as they should do – illuminating instantly and producing excellent light quality. Therefore, I am extremely pleased with them.”
Not only do the new lights enhance a tropical and idyllic atmosphere, they have also drastically reduced carbon emissions. To date, the water park has saved over 4t of carbon – which is equivalent to annual savings of 57%.
Keith Wyatt, commercial director at PLS, says: “The Alton Towers example shows that creative lighting projects like this are capable of incorporating energy efficiency. Whatever the design, significant reductions in energy output, and therefore costs, are achievable.”
