Prestigious buildings around the world require unique lighting solutions. An excellent example: As part of a renovation, the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa (Canada) was looking for a technologically leading lighting solution for the conference and meeting rooms in the Westblock. The lighting had to meet the high technical requirements for TV transmissions from the conference rooms and it needed to blend harmoniously with the historical architecture. A clear case for the special lighting expertise of TRILUX Architectural. The project was realized together with the renowned New York lighting design agency OVI and the architects from ARCOP.

The Canadian Parliament has its seat in an extensive complex of buildings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa (Canada). The Wesblock is one of three buildings, and, in addition to the offices for parliamentarians, a branch of the parliamentary library and committee rooms, it also houses the temporary chamber of the House of Commons. In the course of the renovation activities for the conference rooms, a suitable, state-of-the-art lighting solution was sought. In a closely coordinated process, TRILUX Architectural developed three special lightings. The most striking feature with a high recognition value is a four-pointed, shining star, which embodies the central design element in the recessed and surface-mounted ceiling luminaires. In addition, a large number of special technological and design requirements were implemented in close cooperation with the customer. The special luminaires were produced in our factory in Germany.

Camera-compatible, sound-absorbing, revisable - the highest demands for developers

Look up and watch the starry sky! The 100 recessed ceiling luminaires in the committee room, with a shining star in the middle of the luminaire body and a slight indirect edge irradiation, create a pleasant atmosphere and an attractive general lighting level. Due to the high quality of light and the fact that the lights are completely free from flickering, they are perfectly suitable for cameras and enable TV broadcastings. Another special feature, which has been specially developed for the Canadian parliament: Acoustic wool in the luminaires, which improves the “conversation atmosphere” in the conference room thanks to its sound-absorbing properties. The special luminaires can also be completely revised, which simplifies the maintenance. Next to that: The 92 huge ceiling surface-mounted lightings with a diameter of two meters, which have been installed in four committee rooms. Some of them are housed 13 meters below ground. Here, the shining star was implemented into the design by covering a flat luminaire. The lighting in the parliament is controlled via DMX, which is already being used in the building. In addition, more than sixty high-quality ground-recessed luminaires, which have been installed in the entrance area and in the corridors, provide atmospheric accent lighting. A real eye-catcher is the high-quality surface of the luminaire body, which is made of bronze with a sealed housing without visible screws.

Large projects with a long lead time - sometimes, a long breath is required

In total, it took five years from the first discussions to the installation and operation of the lighting system. For example, during the course of the project the entire ceiling design of a conference room changed. This required an adaptation of the lightings to the new ceiling dimensions, according to the changed cut-outs. Now, at the end of the project, we can say that it was more than worth it.