dpa were asked to design and extend the lighting scheme for the thirteenth century Chapel at Merton College (originally designed and completed by dpa in 2005), to include the Ante Chapel in which a magnificent new organ was to be installed.

The scheme, which included LED projectors mounted in the Tower Gallery to light the organ and slim linear LED fixtures to uplight the stone tracery of the windows, was completed in November 2013.

All light sources were specified in warm white to enhance the rich gothic decoration and to enrich the timber tracery and painted components of the new organ.

In recent phased delivery to bring the lighting scheme up to modern energy efficient standards, the nave performance area and windows have been relit together with the east window using LED sources. A new lighting control system has been implemented which facilitates programming from a mobile tablet device.

Credits

Client: Merton College, Oxford
LED & Lighting Control Installation: RT Harris & Son, Oxford
Photography: dpa lighting consultants