Realization of LED lighting in the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Warsaw

Chellenge

We have adopted the idea of lighting the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Warsaw with a great enthusiasm, but also with a sense of responsibility.  We were aware that the lighting must be strong enough to illuminate the spacious interior of the temple, but also toned-down, in order to maintain the possibility of praying and reflection. Another important factor was to suggest using products that will not disturb the character of this place, and the same time will be powerful enough to visibly reduce energy consumption in the Parish.

Considering the destination of the building, the lighting used in the sacred object must meet specific functions. It is because the light must create a proper atmosphere of such place, but also, it certainly must provide adequate lighting parameters.

Implementation

Our products have been used both inside and outside. Exterior lighting focused on lighting cross placed on the roof of the temple. In order to achieve the desired effect it was required to use a strong and efficient lamp, the choice was the Greenie LED HighBay HighTECH lamp with a power of 480W. It is the first-class, industrial lighting product, built of high quality components, provided by renowned manufacturers. LED diodes were produced by one of the most acclaimed LED manufactures  – CREE company, while the power supply was produced by the world-famous company Meanwell. The lamp is able to generate the same amount of light as a classic 1200-1500W sodium or metal halide bulb.

In the interior we have used Greenie LED bulbs of Corn series, with a power of 13.5W placed in chandeliers and sconces. Due to the aesthetics of the temple interior, we chose the white neutral color of light. This color perfectly matched the white walls of the building. These sources are able to replace incandescent sources of light with a power of 100W and as you can see in the pictures, they can illuminate a large area of the church building. In order to light the  external objects LED Greenie Professional floodlights were used.

Another interesting products, which are also ideally suited to the church, are the bulbs of Candle Gold or Silver series – especially when they are used in chandeliers or sconces without casings. These bulbs have a decorative aluminum radiator  made in a gold or silver color. They perfectly complements the interiors of churches. However, in the case of the Warsaw parish we have decided to use Greenie LED Corn series due to the higher power of these light sources, conforming the needs connected with the surface size of the illuminated interior.

HighBay lamp, installed in order to illuminate the cross was made in the white cold color of light (5000-6500K). It is the most commonly chosen option of lighting in case of outdoor applications, as it has a very bright glow – comparable to the color of the light xenon used in the car. The appropriate number of lumens makes the cross visible even from further distances. In addition, the already mentioned product class, ensures extended service life and generates savings not only because of less energy consumption, but also due to the lack of need to perform any replacements or maintenance in a place so difficult to access like the church tower.

The final result

The achieved light effect meets our assumptions. The light is strong and illuminates the interior of the temple, without interfering the ceremonies. Lighting of the cross makes it visible even from a distance of about a kilometer. In addition, the efficiency of LED sources allows to generate up to 75% savings in energy consumption, and thus reduces energy bills by up to 75%.