Xicato_® Case Study: The Science Museum, London

Illuminate: A serious sit-down or a fabulous festival, the event space does it all

Home to world-class collections of scientific, technological and medical advancements, Illuminate at The Science Museum in London can now host private events for those drawn by unique features and panoramic views of the City. Covering two floors spanning nearly 1000 square meters with a mix of light scene requirements, Xicato Controls with wireless Bluetooth technology allows for customized light scene configurations for a professional atmosphere or a dance party disco.

“We wanted to develop an award-winning event space that drew people in because of its uniqueness, while offering a comfortable and productive environment. Xicato’s Controls system made it all possible—all via Bluetooth and controlled with an iOS app.” Julie O’Reilly from
Sutton Vane Associates.

Occasions of Any Kind

The flexibility and ease of programing of the Xicato wireless Controls was a key requirement to create the custom lighting atmospheres that could change from day to day. The museum could be holding a conference for the Royal Society of Biology one day and a UNICEF Aid dinner with a vastly different lighting needs the very next. The main level includes custom designed luminaires with RGBW pendants in the mix, all of which use Bluetooth Mesh controls. The controls allow rapid change between classic functional lighting for work to colorful, flashy displays for parties and dancing. The lighting design included a total of 530 lighting nodes throughout both floors that were assigned to one of twenty scenes, ten on the fourth floor and ten on the fifth floor, via Xicato Control Panel software. To add mystique, the ambiance included features such as a decorative DMX grid controlled by an LPC (Lighting Playback Controller) system, and a “Planet Light” in the stairwell to help blend the floors in a high tech yet elegant fashion.

The DMX grid on the lower floor is directed to display various scenes via Xicato Low Voltage Contact Switch (XSW) that sends wireless Bluetooth commands to a Xicato Gateway (XIG) which communicates with the LPC. The integration between the LPC system and Xicato’s Bluetooth Mesh Controls is seamless. Xicato’s open architecture allows for unparalleled flexibly enabling a customized application like no other in the market.

Customized to scientific precision, all lights are individually controlled via an iOS app commissioned by Sutton Vane Associates that can be overridden thru manual switches, with the ability to recall pre-defined scenes and groups. Groups were chosen based on location and functional requirements: fourth floor is one scene, fifth floor another, while bathrooms and hallways have their own scenes. The Xicato Bluetooth Gateway receives commands from the App and communicates via Bluetooth to the individual lighting nodes. For guaranteed robustness, Xicato Relay Nodes were placed throughout the building to extend the Bluetooth network resulting in ubiquitous network reach.