This project involved Carparking lighting and access road lighting for a new development at Cox’s Quarry in Bath. At DFL, we love a challenge, and Cox's Quarry did not disappoint!

The brief

The plan was for 6 new dwellings with associated car parking and access roads – sounds simple enough!

Well, here’s the tricky part:

• We needed to include external lighting but also the light coming from the windows in each building

• Each building had a different layout

• The buildings weren’t all being built at the same angle

• There was a strict 0.5 lux line position due to the ecology

• The site was close to a Special Area of Considerations

• Also near a Site of Special Scientific Interest

• There was a significant population of Lesser Horseshoe Bats nearby

The solutions

We carried out a site survey, which helped us identify which areas would be sensitive to light, this included the ecology as well as any nearby houses. Our initial report and survey were submitted as part of the planning procedure and once approval was gained the fun task of producing an actual 3-d model was undertaken.

Luckily, DFL Lighting Technician, Jack Mersh, was on hand and modelled each storey meticulously with windows accurately placed so that the light spill from each dwelling could be determined. As you can imagine, this was a very detailed task but something the engineers at DFL actually enjoy (and dare we say, are very good at)!!

The final result

To give a complete analysis, we determined the effect of the development on the sensitive receptors identified by the survey and by the reports submitted by the ecologist, and the best way to do this was vertical grids, positioned in these areas. The boundary around the development was stipulated by the county ecologist and our model showed that no more than 0.5 lux would extend beyond this boundary. The nearby Special Areas of Consideration and Special Sites of Scientific Interest were covered in our report, which expertly covered off any expected questions, showed an accurate representation of the development and ensured the ecology remained unaffected.

Lead Designer, Kelly Smith, explained why this was such a complex project. "Cox’s Quarry was a bit more complex than most as each dwelling had three storeys, on top of that, not every dwelling had the same layout. But that complexity is what made it so interesting to work on. There was a definite sense of accomplishment when we met every requirement and it’s always a pleasure to see project come to fruition."

Image courtesy of Kiss House

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