THE CHALLENGE

    The Nambucca Valley Council’s brief was to light the historic Macksville Bridge to accent the bridge features and create a colourful mood. Specifically, they required programable coloured lighting to highlight the Macksville Bridge's pylons and trusses, and the installation needed to allow for bridge maintenance, including painting which occurs approximately every 5 years.

    THE APPROACH

    From the outset, we worked with a consulting firm commissioned by the Council to advise on and supply a lighting display that would achieve maximum results within the constraints of the project requirements.

    We chose our Lumena Pro AQL-180 Spotlight for the trusses and pylons. Designed for the harsh Australian weather and perfect for the dynamic RGB illumination of a variety of external facades and features, in total we used 94 x AQL-180 with two beam angles to evenly light the bridge.

    To further enhance the visual experience, we used Lumena Pro AQL-980 Slimline Architectural Floodlights to reflect light off the water, creating a shimmering effect.

    As a low-profile, high-powered floodlight with multiple configurable options, the AQL-980 is the perfect choice for advanced lighting design.

    Controlling and powering the 95 fittings needed 17 x DMX receivers and 17 x 24VDC power supplies. A Nicolaudie SLESA-UE7 was used for the controller offering calendar event scene programming and automatic triggering with a year’s worth of scenes, including daylight savings adjustments. The Stick DE3+ wall controller finished the package allowing manual control when required.

    All light fittings and control boxes also needed to be firmly secured to the bridge, yet easily removed for maintenance. Jamie's Electrical and Instrumentation sourced age-specific 'I' beam clamps from the United Kingdom, meeting the council's preservation guidelines.

     

    THE INSIGHT

    A flexible approach was critical. Our initial proposal included the use of AQS-510 neon flex product for the sections of strip required on top of the bridge. As these were not feasible due to the maintenance and preservation requirement, we instead increased the number of AQL-180 spotlights used, from 82 to 94 – achieving the desired outcome, while meeting the requirements.

     

    PRODUCTS WE USED

    • Lumena Pro AQL-180 Spotlight

    AQL-180
    • Lumena Pro AQL-980 Slimline Architectural Floodlight

     

    THE OUTCOME

    Aqualux Lighting developed the lighting plan, wiring diagram, addressing spreadsheet, and lighting program. Combined with the knowledge and meticulous attention to detail from the team at Jamie's Electrical and Instrumentation, installation and commissioning were carried out seamlessly.

    The result is a brilliant display of rainbow colours that showcases the historic bridge and inspires a sense of awe for the road that connects the Macksville community with its neighbours. The bridge is also breathtakingly reflected in the still waters of the river below.

    The Council was delighted with the outcome and is exploring lighting up other areas of the town like the foreshore and laneways. The Macksville Bridge lights have been very popular with the locals, with extra scenes programmed for events like NAIDOC week.