St George’s Bristol

The Opportunity

Roof water ingress within the annex necessitated a complete overhaul of the internal lighting installation. The challenge was to replace and improve the system while preserving the architectural finishes of the building, which combine exposed concrete and feature timber panelling.

Design Approach

The architectural lighting team at Mott MacDonald, led by Fabien Le Dem, set out with a clear philosophy:

“Our design had to enhance the user’s experience whilst integrating seamlessly with the existing architectural finishes. All interventions had to prioritise reusing the existing installation, reduce material, improve operability, and optimise installation time to assist our client in reclaiming these important creative spaces.”
– Fabien Le Dem, Architectural Lighting Designer, Mott MacDonald

Key objectives were sustainability, minimal disruption to finishes, and flexibility to serve the venue’s diverse program of activities.

The Solution

The lighting design team developed a pragmatic, sustainable solution that aligned with the original design intent of the annex while upgrading operability and comfort.

• Reuse and Sustainability: 75% of the existing LED light sources were salvaged and reused. Legacy drivers were replaced with new remote units, making future replacements easier and reducing the need to disturb delicate finishes.
• Non-Intrusive Integration: Surface-mounted and discreet lighting systems were selected to avoid disturbing the building fabric and to mitigate visual clutter.
• Wireless Controls: The lighting control system was completely overhauled with a new wireless system, reducing the amount of cabling and materials needed on site while speeding up installation.
• Enhanced Ambience: Subtle colour grazers were added in deep feature window reveals, creating a distinctive nighttime experience for performances.
  The project was delivered on time and on budget.

The Role of Salvador

A key enabler of the project’s success was the integration of Salvador Series 1000 DALI controllers, alongside Casambi CBU-ASD and Danlers CBU-4INPUT products. At St George’s Bristol, both the Salvador 1016 and Salvador 1032 were deployed.

Instead of relying on complex DALI configuration software or specialist skills, the Salvador controllers allow all connected DALI drivers to be addressed, programmed, and controlled directly from the Casambi App – in exactly the same way as Casambi Ready devices.

For St George’s, the usage of Salvador meant:

• Hybrid flexibility: combining existing DALI devices with Casambi Ready components into one network.
• Sustainability: reducing material use and installation time through simplified programming and wireless integration.
• Future-proofing: supporting DALI standards including D4i, DT6, and DT8, ensuring long-term compatibility.

Elegant Integration

Connected Light collaborated closely with Mott MacDonald to provide the correct controls strategy in conjunction with their lighting design. The project marked the first installation of the Salvador system in Bristol, with the product launch aligning perfectly with the project’s delivery schedule.

Connected Light were particularly pleased to introduce Salvador within this scheme, as it proved to be the ideal system for the application.

“Using a system that would integrate into the new lighting design was essential to maintain the clean aesthetic approach within the space and provide installation with ease. The new controls now allow future developments at St George’s to be easily added to and adapted at any time,” explained Matt Holway, Director of Connected Light.

The Outcome

The transformation has allowed St George’s Bristol to reclaim spaces that had been adversely affected by water damage. The new installation is flexible, sustainable, and user-friendly, enhancing both the day-to-day operation of the venue and its long-term resilience.

Trish Brown, Operations Director at St George’s Bristol, reflects on the impact of the new system:

“Our lighting in the Glass Studio space has improved significantly and now we can host the very varied range of events here without worries that we won’t be able to provide suitable lighting states for different types of activity, e.g. gigs, conferencing, parties, rehearsals, talks etc.”

She particularly values the adaptability and the collaborative approach of the installation team:

“The flexibility of the system is great, and we like how supportive Matt Holway and the Connected Light team were around configuration. They understood that we needed to use the new system for a little while in order to check what our requirements were and were very patient with tweaks we needed after commissioning.”

For Trish and her team, lighting is central to the success of the venue:

“Our space is used by such a variety of clients – some come to us to rehearse their creative work, some to perform a gig in an intimate setting with an audience, some to meet colleagues and strategise about how they are going to take their organisation forward and some to just have a party. Flexible lighting was really vital for us to be able to set the right ambience and feel of our studio space and we’re really pleased with the system we have now.”

Conclusion

Through the combined expertise of Mott MacDonald’s lighting design and Connected Light’s seamless controls integration, St George’s Bristol has reclaimed vital spaces with a sustainable, flexible, and future-ready solution. By pairing Salvador DALI controllers with Casambi’s wireless ecosystem, the project delivers discreet technology that enhances usability while keeping the focus on creativity.