Now set to become one of New Zealand’s premier aquatic and recreation destinations spanning 32,000 sql, the Parakiore facility has been designed to provide accessible and engaging experiences for visitors of all ages and abilities. As part of the development, a new Sensory Aqua Centre was created to deliver a dedicated interactive sensory room. Combining lighting, water effects and integrated control systems, the space offers a safe, adaptable environment that promotes relaxation, sensory stimulation and meaningful interaction for its users.

Lighting controls specialist Annelise Goodwin of LS Group was appointed to deliver the lighting controls solution for the sensory room via Grant Robertson of The Light Site. The design brief called for a highly flexible and intuitive system capable of supporting multiple room states, interactive experiences and personalised user settings, while integrating seamlessly with wider building operations.

At the heart of the installation is a single-universe Pharos Designer LPC controller with two Pharos four-port DMX repeaters. Together with a Q-SYS integration platform, the system enables sophisticated control across interactive water features, lighting zones and sensory elements.

The Designer LPC provides the processing power and reliability required for the complex installation, managing more than 100 custom scripts and over 400 commands across the sensory environment. Through a combination of LUA scripting and the Pharos API, the project team developed advanced control functionality that allows dynamic timeline shuffling for the bubble wall installation, as well as simplified recall of individual timelines without the need to create hundreds of separate triggers.

The system controls 10 interactive water features, four non-interactive water features, lighting across four separate zones and an integrated bubble wall feature. Q-SYS is utilised to trigger commands within the Pharos system, allowing the various sensory experiences to operate seamlessly together while providing intuitive control for staff and users.

To enhance accessibility and ease of operation, the installation includes five customisable user presets for regular instructors and returning guests, alongside five base room states (Calm, Colourful, Full Room, Party, Interactive). These presets allow the sensory environment to adapt quickly to different users, activities and therapeutic requirements.

The system also integrates with the wider building management system (BMS), using relay triggers to automatically respond to occupancy and operational states, including open, closed, cleaning and unoccupied modes. This intelligent automation ensures the sensory room remains both energy efficient and easy to manage as part of the wider facility.

Annelise Goodwin of LS Group, said: “The goal was to create a sensory space that was immersive, adaptable and easy for staff and visitors to interact with. Pharos gave us the flexibility to develop highly customised scripting and control functionality, while still maintaining a reliable and intuitive user experience throughout the installation.”

From a Pharos perspective, the project demonstrates how lighting and show control technology can support accessibility and inclusivity within public environments.

Tony Symms, Regional Sales Manager for Asia Pacific at Pharos Architectural Controls, added: “Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre is a fantastic example of how intelligent control systems can create meaningful and engaging experiences for users of all abilities. By combining an LPC with advanced scripting, API integration and Q-SYS control, the team has delivered a highly responsive sensory environment that showcases the creative flexibility of Pharos technology.”

The result is a future-ready sensory space that combines lighting, water and automation to deliver calming, interactive and engaging experiences, reinforcing Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre’s commitment to accessibility, wellbeing and inclusive community design. 

Project Credits

Client: Christchurch City CouncilChristchurch City Council.

Project: Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre.

Lighting Controls: Pharos Architectural Controls.

Lighting Controls Integration: LS Group – Annelise Goodwin.

Lighting Supplier: The Light Site – Grant Robertson.

Integration Partner: New Wave.

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The contemporary glazed architectural masterpiece sits on the footprint of the previous 1976 theatre building (which replaced the original one built in 1934), providing a high-production-value performance environment and a cool 21^st-century counterpoint to the city’s historical Cathedral of St. John.

The new venue is a radiant modern entertainment and meeting hub, buzzing with energy and creativity in the heart of this picturesque city.

The Robe moving lights are divided between Theater aan de Parade’s two multi-purpose halls, the 920-seater Casino Hall and the Plein Hall, which accommodates 400 people.

The Robe product count breaks down to 23 T2 Profiles, 83 T1 Profiles, 11 T1 PC, 80 LEDBeam 350s, 3 TX1s, 12 CUETE Spots, 14 Tetra2s, which are used as cyc lighting, and 4 RoboSpot BaseStations with MotionCameras.

All of this was supplied via Robe’s Benelux distributor, Controllux, together with a number of other lights that completed the specification, plus control and networking infrastructure. Controllux’s project and sales lead Kuno van Velzen started work on this installation in 2022.

Theater aan de Parade stages over 300 performances annually from numerous visiting companies, plus an array of festival and business events, explained head of technical, Alphons Verhallen, who oversees a tech crew of 16.

The T1 and T2 Profiles were selected as the “best multispectral profile moving heads on the market,” commented Alphons.

Having a multispectral LED fixture at the core of the house lighting systems – as opposed to a white LED source – was a cornerstone of the lighting tender.

It is a frequent consideration for theatres and performance venues where perfect colour rendition and skin tones are vital. Robe’s additive colour mixing techniques ensure that these fixtures deliver the richest of saturated colours and the most delicate pastel shades, all with theatrical finesse and quality.

Highly flexible CCT control provides another layer of premium-quality whites that are key in lighting theatre, drama and dance pieces.

The T1 and T2 Profiles are located on the lighting bridges and over-stage bars in both halls. Seven of the T1 PCs are rigged on the Casino Hall portal bars and four on LX2 in the Plein Hall, where they are providing good wash capabilities, with the TX1s also used overhead in this space.

The LEDBeam 350s are multi-use fixtures and, among other things, replace six-bar moving PAR light effects in both halls. The Tetra2s are proving to be handy for cyc and effects lighting in the Plein Hall, especially for bands, concerts and music shows, together with the CUETE Spots, which are in this same location.

The RoboSpot systems are usually used with the T1 Profiles in either hall. They bring all the flexibility of a quicker setup, being able to position the operators backstage or offstage and enable the LD to choose which lights are used for spotting.

Alphons is very happy with the scenario and confident that the venue can offer its clients great value with this combination of technology.

He notes that some of the incoming companies are making full use of the lighting setup now on offer, while for some older touring shows still on the road with performances based on static and dimmed lightsources, the adaptation may take longer, but the process is definitely underway.

Technical planning for the new theatre originally started in 2018, and between then and now, the specs were modified slightly as new and more appropriate product choices came to the market. When the old building closed, Theater aan de Parade continued producing shows in a temporary venue – again with Robe products in the rig – while the construction was completed.

Alphons, who took up the technical management position for the new theatre to open its doors at the end of 2024, is delighted with the results so far. Apart from all the obvious advantages, the all-LED stage lighting is saving considerably on the previous operational power requirements.

Robe is a brand Alphons has been more familiar with since visiting the 2019 Prague Quadrennial, where Robe lit one of the main centrepieces, “Blue Hour” by Romain Tardy.

Key members of the tech crew have also visited the Robe factory in Valašské Meziříčí, and Alphons highlights the importance of a strong working relationship both with the brand and the local distributor.

Controllux also coordinated the installation of the lighting systems and their related control network.

Photo credit: Kuno van Velzen.

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Titled a serpentine, the Pavilion draws inspiration from the crinkle-crankle wall, a modest but feature of English architectural history. LANZA atelier’s proposal places movement, permeability and collective experience at the centre of the visitor journey. Curving brick columns guiding people through the space, offering moments of pause, views through to the surrounding gardens, and a sense of gradual discovery as visitors move between light and shadow.

Lighting plays a subtle but important role in supporting this experience. Rather than overpowering the architecture, the scheme has been designed to work with the material qualities, the shifting patterns of daylight, and the translucency of the roof structure. After dark, the Pavilion will remain legible and welcoming, with carefully placed light revealing texture, depth and the rhythm of the curving forms.

The translucent roof structure allows daylight to filter into the Pavillion during the day and is softly illuminated after dark using Thorn’s linear Mystrid Flex luminaires, integrated into the structure to create homogenous lines of light at 2700K. A small number of Thorn’s adjustable Caelon spotlights are used discreetly for emergency lighting and to support the café bar area, ensuring functionality without detracting from the architectural intent. Around the Pavilion exterior, Thorn’s Cesar Stroll bollards provide gentle wayfinding and help guide visitors through the landscape after dusk, also specified at 2700K to maintain a consistent, welcoming tone of light.

John Lyons, Managing Director UK & Ireland at Zumtobel Group, said: “Every Serpentine Pavilion presents a different architectural language and a different challenge for lighting. This year’s design is beautifully restrained and deeply rooted in experience and movement. Our role is to support that experience, allowing people to move comfortably through the space in the evening while preserving the character of the brickwork, the roof structure and the surrounding gardens. It is a privilege to be involved in such a culturally significant project once again.”

Isabel Zumtobel, Director of Arts and Culture at Zumtobel Licht AG (CH), added: “The Serpentine Pavilion has always been about more than a temporary structure. It is a place for encounter, conversation and shared experience. The Pavilion by LANZA atelier speaks quietly but powerfully about how people move through space and relate to one another. Light has an important role to play in that experience, shaping atmosphere without dominating it. We are proud to continue our partnership with Serpentine in this important anniversary year.”

The 2026 Pavilion continues Serpentine’s tradition of inviting leading architects to create temporary structures that respond to the park setting while offering new ways for the public to gather, reflect and experience architecture. LANZA atelier’s approach foregrounds use, materiality and encounter over formal spectacle, creating a Pavilion that evolves throughout the day as sunlight filters through and tree shadows move across the brick surfaces.

Thorn and Zumtobel’s involvement reflects a shared commitment to supporting architecture and culture through considered, responsible lighting design. By using the colour temperature across the Pavilion, the lighting scheme maintains visual consistency and reinforces the calm, cohesive character of the space.

The Serpentine Pavilion 2026 will be open to the public from 6th June until October 2026 in Kensington Gardens, London. Thorn and Zumtobel will host a private Pavilion event on Thursday 10th September 2026.

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The DALI Alliance announces that its 3rd Annual DALI North America Summit will take place 16th and 17th September in Dallas, Texas, alongside ArchLIGHT Summit, the commercial and architectural lighting event held 15th and 16t September at Dallas Market Center.

The DALI Summit brings together lighting designers, manufacturers, integrators, and technology providers to explore the latest developments in standardized lighting control and smart building integration. The event continues to grow as a key forum for advancing interoperability, data-driven lighting, and the role of lighting within connected building systems.

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Pharos Architectural Controls are exhibiting at PLASA Focus Leeds on 12th – 13th May 2026, presenting their latest developments across its lighting control portfolio, led by significant new capabilities within the Pharos Express range.

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NG Bailey, one of the UK’s largest independent engineering and infrastructure services businesses, has marked a new chapter in its long-standing presence in Leeds by relocating to a modern headquarters at White Rose Office Park. The Grade A workspace brings together all operational businesses and support functions in to a single, amenity-rich environment designed to support collaboration, wellbeing and future growth.

Selected for its high-quality infrastructure, transport connectivity and extensive onsite amenities, the new headquarters reflects NG Bailey’s wider commitment to creating an exceptional working environment for colleagues while supporting long-term sustainability ambitions.

A brief shaped by workplace quality and architectural intent

Think Architecture led the workplace strategy for the CAT B fit-out, developing a layout that balances focused work areas with meeting rooms, breakout zones and social spaces. NG Bailey sought a lighting scheme that would complement the architectural language of the interior while delivering comfort, flexibility and clarity across a wide range of tasks.

KNG Building Services worked closely with the Zumtobel Group to develop a coordinated lighting approach. One of the key challenges was defining a coherent luminaire selection across both Thorn and Zumtobel, ensuring each space met its performance requirements while contributing to a consistent visual identity.

Through collaborative workshops and on-site sample demonstrations, the final specification was refined and agreed with NG Bailey, allowing lighting performance and aesthetic intent to be evaluated together.

Developing a coordinated lighting approach

Detailed reviews with NG Bailey allowed the Thorn and Zumtobel project team to refine the visual hierarchy of luminaires across the office. A considered mix of recessed, suspended and continuous-row solutions was developed to express the character of each space while maintaining low glare and consistent lighting quality.

The reception sets the tone for the workplace, combining Thorn Cetus downlights with Zumtobel SLOTLIGHT Round to create a clean, contemporary entrance experience. Discreet emergency coverage is provided by Zumtobel RESCLITE PRO.

Across the main office areas, Thorn IQ Beam delivers uniform, low-glare illumination suited to all-day screen-based work, supporting productivity and visual comfort.

Meeting rooms feature suspended black SLOTLIGHT luminaires alongside grey TRAMAO fittings with micro-reflector optics, providing controlled light for collaboration, presentations and video conferencing.

Breakout areas use layered lighting to define different zones and moods. Suspended and recessed SLOTLIGHT introduce rhythm and continuity, with selective colour temperature variation used to distinguish spaces. Black LINETIK adds visual contrast, while Novaline luminaires support circulation routes and informal seating areas.

Supporting different ways of working through light

Throughout the building, the lighting scheme balances functional performance with spatial definition. Low-glare optics support focused work, while architectural forms help distinguish collaborative, social and presentation spaces.

Emergency lighting is delivered using a combination of standalone Zumtobel RESCLITE PRO and Thorn Voyager Blade, ensuring compliant coverage throughout the building without visual clutter.

Controls play a quiet but essential role in the scheme. Presence and daylight dimming are implemented across office floors via a wired DALI system, reducing energy use while maintaining consistent light levels. Meeting rooms include scene-setting to support presentations, collaboration and video calls.

A collaborative process, a cohesive result

“From a Zumtobel Group perspective, this project was about bringing together the strengths of both Thorn and Zumtobel in a way that genuinely supported the client’s workplace vision,” says Martin Raper, Key Accounts Manager, Zumtobel Group. “By working closely with NG Bailey, KNG Building Services and the wider design team, we were able to develop a lighting scheme that feels cohesive across the building while still responding to the very different demands of each space.”

Carl Nielsen, Managing Director, KNG Building Services, adds, “The brief asked for operational performance and architectural identity in equal measure. The joint Thorn and Zumtobel solution delivers both, creating a workplace that is comfortable, visually coherent and aligned with how NG Bailey’s teams use the space day to day.”

The completed headquarters provides NG Bailey with an efficient, visually unified lighting solution that supports wellbeing, productivity and sustainability. The varied luminaire palette ensures each space is fit for purpose while reinforcing a clear, cohesive lighting identity across the new workplace.

Photography accreditation: Joss Guest 

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Located in Brattland, just outside Åre, the power line pole stands 32 metres high and is a pioneering combination of art and engineering. With the Åreskutan mountains in the background, it has become something of a landmark for those travelling from Östersund.

Stockholm Lighting Company delivered all the hardware, lights and controls at the first installation and for this upgrade. The pole’s lighting is managed by a single universe Pharos Designer LPC controller, an all-in-one control solution that is ideal for interactive and integrated lighting installations. As a rugged, compact unit, the Designer LPC offers complete reliability operating 24/7.

The LPC features individually controllable and independently running timelines and scenes, allowing the user to build dynamic, precise, fully customisable pre-programmed lighting effects with the freedom of real-time manual overrides and the versatility of powerful show control and integration features.

The intuitive system changes expression according to the season, showcasing different colours and lighting schemes to reflect the natural environment around it. The dynamic scenes also celebrate national days in Sweden, and the pole acts as a beacon for visitors to the area.

Lina Strömmer, Managing Director at Stockholm Lighting Company, said: “Many people who pass Brattland see the pole as a welcome signal lighting the way for them. The Designer LPC from Pharos has allowed us to create a fun and flexible system with customisable optics to future-proof the pole and continue to create a design that meets the client’s needs.”

Ryan Sainsbury, Regional Sales Manager for UK. Ireland, N. Europe and Benelux at Pharos Architectural Controls, added: “The dynamic lighting transforms the pole into a visual landmark for the community. By utilising our Designer LPC, this unique structure can provide not just efficient functional power but exciting artistic lighting and scenes that spark the imagination.”

Project credits
Lighting Controls: Pharos Architectural Controls.

Supply & Commissioning: Stockholm Lighting Company.

Lighting Design: Light Bureau.

Fixture Manufacturer: Lumenpulse.

Photography: Kai Piippo.

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“Great lighting design begins with collaboration and thoughtful innovation,” said Thomas Wang, Head of Global Development at WAC Group. “WAC Architectural is founded on four core strengths: a New York–based headquarters, precision manufacturing at our state-of-the-art facility in Thailand, technology developed in close partnership with designers and built for project-driven applications, and a strong commitment to sustainable, long-term performance.”

The brand benefits from WAC Group’s end-to-end integrated manufacturing model, ensuring superior quality control, rapid customisation, and environmentally responsible production practices to meet the rigorous standards of modern commercial environments. WAC Architectural empowers designers to push creative and technical boundaries; it is built on a foundation of four advantages:

1. Owned from concept to completion: End-to-end control across design, engineering, and manufacturing ensures accountability, flexibility, and consistency at every stage of a project.

2. Responsibility, engineered at ccale: Zero-emission, carbon-neutral manufacturing demonstrates that performance, innovation, and environmental responsibility can advance together.
3. Precision: Rigorous testing, reliable logistics, and disciplined lead times deliver products that perform exactly as specified, exactly when needed.
4. Forged in the world’s most demanding market: New York City shaped WAC Group’s standards for precision and accountability, while manufacturing centered in Thailand enables consistent, scalable execution worldwide.

“Building upon WAC Group’s strong heritage, we’re excited to debut our newly launched commercial specification brand, WAC Architectural, at Light + Building 2026,” according to Keith Eagle, Vice President- Business Development at WAC Group. “The fair offers a global platform for us to connect with customers, partners and industry leaders and showcase WAC Group’s portfolio of precision-engineered luminaires designed specifically for project-driven applications.”

According to Jenifer Walsh, CMO for WAC Group, “For over 40 years, the WAC Group family of brands has been united by a single mission: to bring smart, sustainable, and beautiful light to every environment. From residential to large-scale architectural projects, we have built a reputation for innovation, quality, and design, and today, that legacy continues with the launch of WAC Architectural.  Taking ourselves on a listen-and-learn journey, WAC Architectural was developed with the specifier at the core of our product development.  The result is a commercial portfolio that empowers customers and partners to shape light with accuracy, consistency, and creative freedom.”

WAC Group offers comprehensive custom capabilities to support projects that require tailored lighting solutions beyond the standard catalogue. With in-house design, engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing, WAC collaborates directly with architects and lighting designers to adapt products, develop specialty luminaires, or create fully bespoke pieces.

Custom expertise includes Schonbek, a WAC Group brand, whose century-long legacy of handcrafted crystal and artistry enables one-of-a-kind decorative statements for luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial spaces. Together, WAC Group brands provide flexible, precise, and reliable custom solutions that bring distinctive design visions to life.

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Presented by the Designers Lighting Forum of New York, the annual trade show and conference provides a platform for lighting professionals to explore the latest innovations in the industry through accredited seminars, peer-led sessions and the new Designer Hours initiative.

With the Pharos Designer platform continuing to evolve, attendees will discover the latest enhancements to this highly integrated and scalable solution for complex lighting environments. The Pharos team will demonstrate developments within the Designer software, including the latest release, version 2.16, which introduces support for the new Pharos RIO 84, offering 8 inputs, 4 outputs and a multi-protocol serial port. The update will also enable native in-app integration with Advatek PixLite Mk3 controllers, fixture status monitoring for RDM-capable installations via Pharos Cloud, trigger rate limiting, and timeline improvements for audio rows.

Attendees will also learn about the latest updates to Pharos Expert, the lighting control solution designed to simplify installation and programming. Demonstrations will highlight improved user functionality that delivers greater control flexibility, including grouping capabilities that allow fixtures to be organised logically within mixed environments for targeted control via the Touch mobile app or touchscreen wall stations. Support for the Pharos RIO D4 enables systems to integrate multiple independent DALI interfaces allowing installations to support extensive luminaire counts alongside DMX output without compromising capacity.

Michael Gross (MG), Regional Sales Manager for the Americas at Pharos, said: “We always look forward to exhibiting at LEDucation. The event provides an important opportunity to connect with industry peers, and we’re excited to present the latest advances in our solutions. Pharos continues to evolve, demonstrating our commitment to the future of lighting control, and our desire to give lighting professionals the flexibility they need to realise ever more ambitious projects.”

LEDucation 2026 will take place at the New York Hilton Midtown from 14th – 15th April, featuring more than 400 exhibitors across four expansive trade show halls. Virtual conference sessions begin on 9th April, ahead of the in-person exhibition and the inaugural Designer Hours on 14th April.

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At the heart of the picturesque village of Riel is a communal square that was historically built to symbolise connection, strength and light. During the day, the square is a lively place where locals and families meet and play. Yet that atmosphere was missing as soon as the night set in. To address this, a lighting design project was developed that didn’t just light the square with standard street lighting but used colour-changing illuminations that became part of the square and its environment.

The municipality of Goirle appointed GHM Eclatec Nederland to deliver the lighting design. LRS Solutions were brought into the project to design the lighting control for the square, and a decision was made to use the Expert solution from Pharos. Expert is a practical and straightforward control solution, centred around a single, reliable, set and forget DMX and DALI architectural lighting controller. The system is quick and easy to install, and simple to programme.

One of the main deliverables of the project was to ensure the square felt safe and functional during the evening, while also offering dynamic lighting that could add to the atmosphere for special occasions. These included the village fair, King’s Day and the Christmas season.

A challenge for the system integrators was to deliver a control solution that handled both DALI for functional lighting and DMX for the colour changing (RGBW) fixtures, and that required no new wired infrastructure. As Expert Control provides both protocols on board, it was the ideal single-controller solution that could be integrated with wireless DMX devices to avoid any new cabling or excavation work. Both the functional lighting and decorative fixtures are managed from this one central platform, allowing the lighting to be easily adjusted for any variance in time, season or event. Customer override is provided by an Expert Touch 5” touchscreen, and LRS Solutions have remote access for ongoing support, management and control via their company-branded Pharos Cloud portal.

Johan Burggraf, Manager Projects & Services, LRS, said: “With Pharos, we were able to create a lighting control system that brings together functionality and experience. DALI and DMX are combined in one smart system with Pharos Expert, enabling the square to be easily transformed from functional evening lighting to colourful settings for special occasions. We were thrilled to partner with them on this project.”

Bas Hoksbergen, Business Development Director at Pharos Architectural Controls, said:  “Expert is effective, easy to use and practical. It met the brief in every way for the upgrade to the Riel Village Square, delivering dynamic lighting control and working as one integrated system across two protocols. It is also making it straightforward for the square to play a role in celebrations and special occasions, by adjusting the lighting colours and effects to form part of these holidays and events. We’re delighted that Expert is illuminating a space at the heart of the community and delivering excellent results.”

With its new lighting control system, Riel’s village square now comes alive day and night. The lighting adapts to the village’s rhythm – vibrant and dynamic during festivities, warm and inviting in winter, and energy-efficient on ordinary evenings, automatically adjusting to time and activity.

Riel’s village square has become both a community hub and a showcase of sustainable, flexible, and innovative lighting, where technology and togetherness are harmonious.

Project credits

Client: Municipality of Goirle.

Lighting Design: GHM Eclatec Nederland.

Lighting Control Design: LRS Solutions.

Lighting Control: Pharos Architectural Controls.

Photography: LRS Solutions.

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