Powercor’s close partnership with Signify has been recognised after being shortlisted for a prestigious award.

We have been shortlisted for the “Best Client partnership” in the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) Awards for 2020/21 and will go forward to the awards ceremony next month when the winners will be announced.

The judges reviewed hundreds of entries for the category and Powercor’s entry outlining our long-standing and close partnership with Signify, owner of the Philips Lighting brand, has been recognised for the way in which we have transformed the lighting quality of the UK’s most iconic venues.

Our entry focused on the work we carried out at the iconic SSE Arena at Wembley.

The contract involved the design and provision of a suitable flicker-free light with the power to light the SSE Arena from the gantry positions.

The task was further complicated by the need to deliver the systems to a very tight deadline. Given the constant use of the arena, it necessitated installing the lighting between shows and performances, as disruption of the scheduled shows was not an option and this was one of the clients’ main concerns.

The design needed to achieve 1500 lux in order to allow the correct lighting levels for Ice Skating, the lighting was supported from the gantries with a variable DALI light luminaire, which had to be flicker free and did not cause glare to the seating area.

The design was carried out by Signify. The luminaire had a significant weight of 33 KG and there were 60 in total to install onto the gantries. Powercor was tasked with creating a suitable mounting process that allowed for restraining wires and designing bespoke brackets. New cabling for DALI and Power needed to be installed along the gantries on cable trays, and bespoke mounting plates were made for the drivers to fix to the gantries.

Our teams then installed, programmed, and commissioned the entire system. Signify provided the luminaires in terms of the Philips Optivision unit and the correct optics and flicker-free ballast suitable for HD television.

The system also needed a DMX interface to allow the show controls team to take over control of the house lighting whilst a performance was happening. We designed and programmed this solution.

The SSE Arena was delighted with the solution we provided and we return on an annual basis to carry out maintenance and verify that all connections and nuts and bolts are tensioned and aligned correctly.

The project highlighted a partnership between Powercor and Signify which began in 2013, We are a Certified Partner and this large-scale project really was a collaboration of two companies, or as Signify calls the program, “The Power of Two”.

In many ways, the biggest task was the design element. We had to work with the lighting design team at Signify in order to achieve the correct LUX Level and lighting type, which was suitable for HD Television and various Sports, including Ice Hockey at 1500 Lux.

The design had to factor in a number of restrictions due to mounting positions and weight allowance on the gantries. Working with Signify we had to assess the structural elements of the gantries, and ensure all fixings were fail-safe with restraints.

While the SSE Arena contract formed the basis of the award entry, our partnership with Signify has involved a significant number of similar projects for major brands and iconic buildings including Ferrero Rocher, Arsenal Football Club, and Wembley Stadium.

“We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the award,” said Powercor MD Richard Grace “However this is far more than a single project. This has been a successful partnership and journey since 2013. This partnership has successfully completed many projects working as a team from Spire Hospitals, Arsenal Football Club, Ferrero Rocher, and Wembley to name a few.”

“I think some of the most significant things about the partnership are that we are kept very well informed of the latest developments and are currently working with Signify on their range of UV-C Disinfection Lighting, the use of which has become extremely popular given its ability to combat COVID and other viruses,” added Technical Director Chris Wright. “To that end, we have just secured a major R+D project for the Department of Education for UV-C Lighting.

It is a partnership that really works. We bring the agility and install expertise and they bring the innovation and quality in product design.”

The award winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 22nd October.