Luminaires from Thorn Lighting has played an important role in the refurbishment of one of Newcastle’s best loved historic buildings, The Old Post Office. The project involved upgrading the 3,350m2 headquarters for NBS, which spearheaded the multimillion-pound refurbishment and regeneration of the Grade II-listed building and has been housed there for a number of years.
Thorn’s Planor suspended, Planor wall, Glacier LED and Chalice LED luminaires have been used throughout the project to provide a well-connected home for the modern occupier.
The Old Post Office, which dates back to the 1870s and was at the heart of the 19th century development of the city, has undergone a £5.8 million refurbishment and redevelopment.
The architects for the redevelopment project were JDDK Architects with the lighting design created by Armstrong Rhead Limited in conjunction with interior designers Ward Robinson. The redevelopment has created a state-of-the-art building with transformed office space and meeting rooms with extensive facilities for staff, including a gym within the building.
Thorn’s Planor suspended edge-lit LEDs were selected as there was very limited ceiling void in the reception area, which made it impossible for recessed lighting to be installed. These fittings replaced a combination of metal halide high bay luminaires and Cat-3 louvred modular luminaires, all with conventional inefficient control gear that was neither energy efficient or cost effective, providing poor light quality.
Planor wall has also been integrated into the lighting design to provide LED accent lighting with a co-ordinated aesthetic. Its side reflectors and downlight window give asymmetric forward pointing uplight.
Thorn’s Voyager series emergency exit signs were also installed to provide discreet, high performance, LED emergency lighting.
Following its makeover, The Old Post Office won the Best Refurbished and Recycled Workplace at The Northern Awards Dinner of the BCO awards, which recognise the highest quality developments and sets the standard for excellence in the regional and national office sector.
