Pharos Architectural Controls help create a natural nocturnal habitat

Visitors to the Night Safari, the world’s first nocturnal wildlife park and a multi award-winning attraction experience at Singapore’s Mandai Wildlife Reserve, are enjoying an authentic glimpse into the lives of nocturnal animals, thanks to a lighting control system from Pharos Architectural Controls.

The Pangolin Trail at the Wildlife Reserve is the latest addition, bringing the total number of trails at the popular animal sanctuary to four. The Night Safari concept consists of a series of activities – including trails, talks, tours and the main ‘Creatures of the Night’ presentation at the Night Safari Amphitheatre – that showcase the natural habitats of over 900 nocturnal animals. The design brief called for a seamless integration of light and darkness to mimic the serene effect of moonlight. This allows for the creation of an environment where nocturnal animals would feel at ease, therefore remaining active and visible to visitors.

Light Collab were appointed as lighting consultants for the ambitious project, utilising a lighting control solution from Pharos consisting of two Designer LPCs (Lighting Playback Controller), each with two universes of DMX, and six Designer BPSs (Button Panel Station) to control a range of luminaires from respected manufacturer Martin.

The Pharos Designer LPC features individually controllable and independently running timelines and scenes, ideal for programming multiple areas and zones across the exhibition. It offers the freedom of real-time manual overrides, with the versatility of powerful show control and integration features providing an engaging and immersive visitor experience whilst ensuring an appropriately lit environment for the wellbeing of the animals.

The Pharos Designer BPS is a versatile eight-button Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) station with integrated button LEDs for Pharos Designer controllers. These give staff at the wildlife reserve manual scene selection and light level adjustment control as required.

The Pharos solution is controlling twenty-seven fixtures from Martin’s Exterior Wash family, which have been strategically placed across the Pangolin Trail. Together they are achieving the desired illumination envisioned by Light Collab, while maintaining the delicate balance of light and shadow that is critical to give nocturnal species the confidence to emerge from hiding. The system is also allowing for the creation of dynamic lighting scenes, promoting movement and interaction among the species.

The project presented unique challenges, including the need to customise the fixture colours to blend with the natural surroundings of the habitats, and the requirement to ensure durability against potential vandalism from curious animals. The sheltered walkway of the exhibit also features high colour rendering spectrum and glare-less RGBW spotlights to ensure minimal lighting interference while providing an optimal viewing experience for visitors.

As a result of the efforts of the Light Collab team and partners involved, the Pangolin Trail, Night Safari was recognised at the 2025 LIT Design Awards, winning in the Visitor Experience & Museum Exhibition category.

Tony Symms, Regional Manager for Asia Pacific from Pharos Architectural Controls, said: “The Pangolin Trail is a truly engaging and fascinating exhibit at the popular Mandai Wildlife Reserve. The atmosphere and illumination created to replicate nocturnal conditions for the animals to emerge from hiding demonstrates the real impact lighting, and lighting control, can have. The combination of the Pharos Designer LPC and BPS is enabling visitors to see nocturnal creatures up close and behaving naturally – something that simply would not be possible without our technology.”

Adriel Soh, Applications Engineer for Asia Pacific from Martin Professional, said: “The Pharos Designer LPC and BPS are both excellent solutions that integrate seamlessly with our full range of luminaires. The LPC is delivering a spectrum of dynamic lighting scenes with amazing precision, alongside the freedom of real-time manual overrides should this be needed. The results are incredibly impressive and deliver exactly what is needed for this ambitious wildlife experience.”

Project credits

Client: Mandai Wildlife Group.

Lighting Consultants: Light Collab.

Lighting Controls: Pharos Architectural Controls.

Lighting Manufacturer: Martin.

Photo credits: Harman Professional APEC.