Secom: lighting the Hotel Grand Palladium Resort & Spa in Sicily
Sicily is the largest island in Italy and it is widely considered the ‘jewel of the south’. It is precisely in this area that the Mediterranean offers an array of experiences that only such natural beauty can offer.
This article addresses...
- A LUXURY HOTEL IN A LUXURY AREA
- ADAPTING TO THE PARTICULARS OF THE PROJECT
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING: A TAILOR-MADE SOLUTION
- INTERIOR LIGHTING. THE PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN TECHNICAL AND DECORATIVE ASPECTS
- OVERCOMING CHALLENGING TIMES
A luxury hotel in a luxury area
On the northern coast of Sicily we find its capital, Palermo, a city beloved by tourists with splendid coastal areas where you can enjoy the immense natural beauty of the island.
Just 45km from Palermo and 80km from the airport, the Hotel Grand Palladium Resort & Spa is a five-star hotel that offers all the services necessary to create a unique holiday experience.
The ‘Palladium Hotel Group’ put its trust in Secom Illumination, one of the leading companies in the lighting sector, to light its entire hotel complex. This included all of its common areas, both exterior and interior, including car parks and paths, three restaurants, a buffet, a live cooking area, bars, a disco, a spa, hairdressers and beauty salons, a gym, conference rooms, function rooms, nurseries etc.
Adapting to the particulars of the project
In this project, Secom worked closely in conjunction with the proprietors, the interior design studio and the architects to ensure the lighting of this unique hotel complex met all the client’s expectations, providing the best results and guaranteeing customer satisfaction.
It is important to note that main design project was the renovation of an already existing hotel complex. This was not a new build, which meant that we came across certain obstacles in some areas.
These restrictions meant we had to think carefully about the need to include a series of optics and accessories that would allow us to adapt the luminaires’ beams in order to reach and surpass the necessary lighting levels without changing the position of the lights. However, in certain areas we were given free rein to come up with new, innovative lighting designs.
Exterior lighting: a tailor-made solution
Prior to bringing about any design, it’s important to analyse all the specific conditions of the project.
In this case, the first thing that came to our attention was the hotel’s proximity to the sea. In fact, a beach area can be found within the hotel complex itself. For this reason, all exterior lighting needed to be treated to withstand the effects of this marine environment. In particular, we had to make sure that none of the luminaires would suffer rust or any other deterioration in the continued presence of high levels of salt in the atmosphere.
In the exterior area, we had to maintain the majority of the existing wiring points for the lights, which meant we needed a series of specific asymmetrical optics that allowed for the redirection of light beams in order to cover all those areas on roads, car parks and entrances that would otherwise have been dark or poorly lit.
The luminaire chosen for these road areas was the Ripa Led but, for the exterior parking areas, the Ray Ben was utilised. These luminaires combine high energy efficiency and a more decorative aesthetic that brings a residential feeling to the whole complex.
However, for pedestrian areas and paths we used bollard lights that contained an optic capable of redirecting the light forwards, bathing the largest areas possible with a soft, gentle light, as requested by the client. In order to achieve this, we went beyond our catalogued luminaires and used a special light designed and developed exclusively for this project.
All outdoor lights were given a warm light tone (2700K) in order to generate a relaxed and appealing atmosphere.
Being outdoors, the lights fitted needed to be watertight to a level equal to or beyond IP65 in order to protect the inner electronics from the inclement atmosphere. Furthermore, these luminaires needed a high level of sturdiness since, seeing as the bollard lights were no more than a metre from the ground and would be prone to accidental impacts.
Lastly, the client wanted to illuminate certain areas of vegetation to increase the attractiveness of the pathways and highlight the beauty of the surroundings. For this we used embedded lights as well as lights on metal spikes that were driven into the ground. We decided to use the FloPro luminaire, which allows pedestrians to walk over it, since it can bear a large amount of weight while also maintaining a high level of waterproofness, guaranteeing an excellent amount of light.
Interior lighting. The perfect balance between technical and decorative aspects
Complying with the requisites of the client, the entire illumination of the interior areas had to be soft with a warm tone of 2700K to create a relaxed environment. Furthermore, in order to improve the visual comfort of the clients and improve their stay in the hotel, the luminaries used were chosen specifically for their lack of glare.
Furthermore, certain aesthetic standards had to be maintained, which we managed to do by using decorative lights that still met the technical requirements mentioned above. We also took advantage of certain elements of the interior design, picking out certain architectural features that give the hotel its beauty. For this we installed LED Cambo strips into the coving and ceilings with crown moulding. On the columns, we used embedded FloPro luminaires in order to highlight these features in an attractive and appealing way.
Each luminaire had to be incorporated perfectly so as to match the aesthetic of each area. For instance, in a restaurant with black ceilings, the luminaires installed were painted exactly the same colour. This method was repeated in areas with white walls.
An individual approach was taken in each area to ensure all regulatory requirements were met.
The plants inside the building were also brought to life with their own lighting. This was achieved by securing lights directly into the floor beneath them. In the same way, we used small Pikuk floodlights on short stakes that could be driven directly into the soil.
Kut and Aircom luminaires were installed in the restaurants. In each case, the lights were fitted with wall-mounted regulation systems for adjusting the brightness at will.
Aircom and Lobel luminaires were used for the bathrooms, while for the transit areas, we used other members of the Aircom family, Kut, Mitel and Evoque. No regulating systems were necessary for these areas.
The Main Hall was illuminated by lights from the Loop and Kut families, with manual regulation mechanisms, just like those used for the Cambo LED strips.
The conference rooms were also an important area of focus. These spaces benefitted from Aliket Basic suspended luminaires and lights from the Nicom family, all of which were regulated with a manual override system.
Finally, all emergency lighting was fully installed with Ergen luminaires.
Overcoming challenging times
Despite all of the difficulties the world has suffered due to the recent pandemic, Secom Illuminación was able to support and advise the client throughout all stages of the work, from initial planning to final installation.
