Connected Light supported Electrio Ltd with a phased lighting upgrade within the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at Bristol Heart Institute, part of Bristol Royal Infirmary.
The project required a carefully considered approach to lighting control within an active critical care environment. Working two bed bays at a time, the programme allowed lighting systems to be progressively updated while supporting the operational requirements of the department.
Connected Light supplied new Helvar DALI controls across the bed bays, together with Philips NatureConnect lighting within the two main isolation bays.
The result provides clinical teams with greater control over lighting conditions while creating a more adaptable and comfortable environment for patients.
Delivering a phased upgrade in a critical care environment
The Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac High Dependency Unit is a 24-bed clinical environment caring for patients following heart surgery.
Lighting within spaces such as these needs to support very different requirements throughout the day and night. Clinical teams require appropriate illumination to work safely, while patients may benefit from lower and more comfortable lighting conditions when resting.
The upgrade was therefore delivered through a phased programme, working on two bed bays at a time.
This approach allowed the lighting and controls to be upgraded progressively rather than treating the CICU as a single installation.
Connected Light worked alongside Electrio Ltd to provide the specialist lighting control equipment and technical support required for the project.
Individual lighting control for each bed bay
New Helvar DALI lighting controls were provided to give staff greater flexibility within individual bed bays.
Scene switches allow different lighting conditions to be selected according to how each space is being used. Rather than relying on a single fixed lighting level, staff can adjust the environment to suit clinical activity, patient care or quieter periods.
New DALI routers were also supplied as part of the control infrastructure.
These provide adjustable lighting control for each bed bay while also supporting monitoring of the emergency lighting system.
This combination of local control and wider system monitoring gives the clinical team practical day-to-day flexibility while supporting the management of essential lighting infrastructure.
Connected Light’s experience with smart lighting control systems and lighting control commissioning allows systems such as Helvar DALI to be configured around the specific requirements of complex environments rather than applying a standard control strategy.
Philips NatureConnect lighting for the isolation bays
A different lighting approach was developed for the two main isolation bays.
Connected Light supplied Philips NatureConnect sky lighting to introduce the experience of natural daylight into spaces where access to conventional daylight can be limited.
NatureConnect combines artificial skylight effects with tuneable lighting to recreate changing natural light conditions within an indoor environment.
The system can simulate the appearance and changing character of daylight throughout the day, supporting a human-centric lighting approach and helping the space feel less enclosed.
Within the CICU isolation bays, the system provides:
- a simulated skylight effect
- tuneable white lighting
- fully dimmable operation
- manually controlled wireless adjustment
- changing lighting conditions throughout the day
- human-centric lighting designed around natural daylight patterns
- additional accent lighting for patients
The installation creates the impression of having access to a skylight within the room, adding another visual dimension to an otherwise highly clinical space.
Supporting circadian lighting within patient environments
Human-centric lighting considers how changes in light intensity and colour temperature can more closely reflect the natural progression of daylight.
Philips NatureConnect has been developed to mimic the daily rhythm of the sun, allowing the lighting environment to change rather than remaining at one colour temperature and intensity throughout the day.
This makes the technology particularly relevant to healthcare environments where patients may spend extended periods indoors.
Within the isolation bays, the NatureConnect installation provides a controllable combination of functional lighting, simulated daylight and visual interest.
Staff retain the ability to manually adjust the lighting where required, ensuring the environment remains flexible around individual patient and clinical requirements.
Connected Light has previous experience applying human-centric lighting within healthcare environments, including intensive care installations where local lighting control and tuneable white technology form an important part of the overall design.
Lighting controls that support clinical flexibility
One of the main objectives of the project was to provide more choice over the lighting conditions available throughout the CICU.
Different situations require different light levels. Clinical procedures, observation, cleaning, rest periods and overnight care cannot all be effectively supported by a single lighting scene.
The Helvar DALI system provides that flexibility at individual bed-bay level.
Combining this with the human-centric lighting installation in the isolation rooms creates a system that considers both the practical requirements of staff and the environment experienced by patients.
Emergency lighting monitoring has also been incorporated into the DALI infrastructure, bringing an additional element of system management into the overall control solution.
Specialist healthcare lighting support
Healthcare lighting projects require more than selecting suitable luminaires.
Controls, emergency lighting, installation phasing, clinical use and the experience of patients and staff all need to be considered when developing the design.
Connected Light supported Electrio Ltd throughout the Bristol Heart Institute CICU project with specialist lighting and control expertise, helping deliver a system that combines Helvar DALI technology with Philips NatureConnect human-centric lighting.
The project adds to Connected Light’s growing portfolio of healthcare lighting projects, including specialist work across NHS clinical environments.
