Every evening Lyttleton’s Time-ball Tower stars above the port in a glow worthy of a prima donna.
Sunrise Toastmaster, Lighting Designer Kevin Cawley is responsible for this.
He also lit up the judges at the Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand, who presented him with a Commendation, (8 June 2023) in Sydney for that project.
Kevin’s spectrum of experience spreads from theatrical production to retail spaces, earthquake ruins, iconic buildings and home and civic habitats. He believes his theatre background, sensitivity to the subject and subtlety of application earned him this award.
“I was fortunate Heritage New Zealand gave me this opportunity,” he says. “It presented unique challenges.”
Following the Time-ball Tower’s post-earthquake reconstruction, the preservation agency wanted to raise awareness of one of the few remaining time-ball stations still capable of operating.
Early, there was recognition the project required more than simply shining lights toward the subject.
Kevin notes there were several specific goals to achieve. “The first challenge was the buttress on the south corner of the octagonal column. By placing lights in the ground, as is usually done when lighting similar structures, shadows would cast upward.”
Sloping terrain was another challenge.
These hurdles were overcome by placing lights in plinths at the same level required to light the area above the south-facing buttress.
Finding a diffuser that would apply angle and spread of luminance with the right lens was the answer to Kevin’s lighting needs.
“Once selected and installed, it became a case of focusing and adjustment,” he says.
A member of the Dark Sky Association, Kevin is mindful of light spillage that he minimalised through focus and diffusion, with assistance from the jutting corbels at the tower’s upper edge. “They put the brakes on the light-spill.”
The outcome is perfect. The tower lit evenly with warm light, softening the differing stone types and presenting the ball hovering at the apex.
Lighting containment within the project brought kudos of excellence from the Royal Astronomical Society.
With Heritage New Zealand’s endorsement, recognition of the project has moved from New Zealand to the international stage. Judges at the IESANZ cited Kevin’s work as “An elegant, well-executed solution that highlights the structure and its materiality against the night sky.”
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