AUCKLAND HARBOUR BRIDGE AWARD-WINNING ROAD LIGHTING RENEWAL

Techlight was proud to partner with WSP-Opus Auckland to deliver the road lighting renewal on New Zealand’s iconic Auckland Harbour Bridge.

This high-performance installation was the culmination of an 8-year collaborative project which has been recognised at the 2019 IESANZ New Zealand Chapter Lighting Awards winning both a Lighting Design Award and Dark Sky Award from the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand by protecting the night environment through efficient, effective and sustainable lighting design.

Installing AEC’s stylish and efficient Italo LED luminaires has ‘bridged the lighting gap’ between the northern and southern motorways, which both have Italo luminaires installed.

The Project had to meet all the following requirements:

– Lighting Design to maintain the existing road lighting standard.
– Provide a reduction in Energy and On-going Maintenance Costs.
– Replace aging assets that were costly and difficult to maintain.
– Reduce Sky Glow impact on the night sky environment.
– Improve driver safety with increased visual perception through the use of white light.
– Retain existing Lighting Column locations.

Sustainability was a key focus of the design brief, which embraced the opportunity to achieve positive environmental, commercial and community impacts.

As this photograph testifies, the installation gives an elegance to the bridge’s heritage by day.

Italo luminaires are designed to focus the light beam where it is required, which has the two-fold effect of not wasting energy spilling light into the sky and creating a uniform light on the road surface, which increases visual perception.

At night the new Italo luminaires are almost invisible when compared with the skyglow created by the old HPS luminaires. The difference is quite dramatic.

The Outcomes of the project can be summarised as:

– Compliance with AS/NZS 1158.1.1:2005 Sub-Category V1 demonstrating a high level of uniformity.
– 52 % Energy Saving compared to the previous installation, yet achieving the Client’s performance requirements.
– Lighting Column daytime appearance that provides a visual continuity between the past and future reflecting the heritage of the bridge.
– Reduced Luminaire Mounting Height resulting in a reduction in the structural design factors.
– Significant reduction in the visual impact upon the night sky, embracing the Dark Skies philosophy.
– Road Safety improvements through increased night-time visual perception for drivers

Project: The project was designed by WSP-Opus for client Auckland Harbour Bridge Alliance / NZ Transport Agency.

Photographers: day shots – Roland Meissner; night shots – Ewen Café

Italo 2: World-leading LED Luminaire from AEC Illuminazione, read more here