Wellcome Trust

Established in 1936, the Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation centered on funding research to improve human and animal health. After refurbishment, its headquarters reopened in 2007 as a public exhibition and conference venue and home to the Wellcome Collection, the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London, and the Wellcome Library.

The client sought a new lighting solution for the moat area of the building’s older section and the main façade. The solution needed to highlight the stunning architectural features of the building and provide fully controllable, color-changing lighting for events, as well as crisp white light for general use.

Since the Wellcome Trust building is historic, the project came with limitations, such as using the existing floodlight locations around the moat. Color Kinetics ColorGraze MX4 Powercore, 1219 mm (4 ft) luminaires with a 30° x 60° beam angle were used illuminate the moat area. The same fixtures with a 10° x 60° beam were used to light main façade. Each was positioned between the vertical columns and mounted as close to the front of the structure as possible to highlight the both the columns and window areas. This placement achieved a slight shadow line on the front of the columns that contributes to the overall dramatic effect of the lighting solution. Each fixture is individually addressed in 305 mm (1 ft) sections to facilitate programming of truly dynamic lighting effects.