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Large urban developments are rarely static. As neighborhoods grow and change, the infrastructure behind them needs to be flexible enough to keep pace - especially when it comes to public‑realm lighting. In London’s King’s Cross area, that long‑term mindset shaped the design of a site‑wide lighting control system built to serve a 67‑acre, mixed‑use development for years to come.
For more than a decade, ETC dealer and lighting control systems integrator Control Lighting Ltd worked on the design and implementation of lighting control across the King’s Cross Central estate. During this time, the development earned multiple awards for the innovative way residential, commercial, retail, and public spaces have been blended into a cohesive environment. Supporting that vision required a lighting system that could deliver reliable performance, adapt to evolving requirements, and provide meaningful data to the teams responsible for operation of the system. ETC’s Sensor3 power control, Paradigm, and Mosaic systems were chosen as the best solutions due to their ability to easily adapt to the sites needs as it expanded over the years.
At the core of the installation is ETC’s Sensor3 power control system, which provides stable, networked power distribution for a wide range of fixture types. Sensor3 has been part of the King’s Cross project for over ten years, demonstrating long‑term reliability while supporting multiple lamp and control technologies. That adaptability has allowed the estate to incorporate new lighting schemes without the cost or disruption of replacing the entire power infrastructure.
To assist the maintenance staff, all flagged items or usage reports are displayed on specific touchscreens. Data is also automatically fed back to Control Lighting Ltd’s office, which allows the site management teams to create a monthly report of the system for review. Positive steps are then implemented to reduce energy use across the site's lighting installation based on the data obtained. The Sensor3 has made energy monitoring so accessible that management teams have begun to use live and historical data and charts in real time, as part of their own site meetings.
Alongside Sensor3, ETC’s Paradigm and Mosaic architectural control systems serve as the site‑wide lighting processors. Together, they provide the King’s Cross team the ability to manage everyday lighting states, create interactive and color-changing effects, and implement energy conservation strategies, all within a user‑friendly and adaptable control environment. This combination supports both functional requirements and the more expressive lighting moments that play an important role in public spaces.
During the design stage of the project, a key consideration was ensuring that the event and maintenance teams could quickly access the reporting side of the system, as well as control the various lighting features from their own computers. To accomplish this, 26 custom-designed touchscreens were placed around the site, offering intuitive interfaces. The touchscreen designs featured elements from ETC’s Paradigm Light Designer and Control Designer software suites, along with custom Lua scripts to create task-driven touchscreen layouts. With the help of ETC software, Control Lighting Ltd created bespoke control interfaces for the touchscreens, making it easy for staff at Kings Cross to recall presets and make custom adaptations to the lighting states for pop-up events. The complex layouts from Building Management Systems were used to create intuitive, interactive, and customized control interfaces for the venue team.
Fast forward 10 years, and there are now 24 lighting control locations positioned in various plant rooms across the estate, each networked together. The equipment used allows for switching of the lighting power circuits as well as 1-10v, DALI, and DMX control for specified lighting schemes. The combined lighting control system also offers useful features such as DALI reporting. This allows important information, such as lamp failures or DALI emergency fitting test results using DALI EMPro, to be fed back and communicated to the client. The lighting power racks also automatically issue electrical usage reports per area, as well as alarms for the fault status of the circuit protection devices.
Reflecting on the project, Ray Dolby of Control Lighting Ltd credits the system's success to both the reliable technology and a shared long‑term vision. “Due to the historically good reliability of ETC equipment and Control Lighting Ltd’s knowledge of the requirements of the architectural and landscape markets, the site‑wide solution grew organically,” he said. “It was very special working with a developer that had the long‑term vision to embrace a holistic approach to the control and monitoring of public realm lighting schemes.”
More than ten years after the first installations, the King’s Cross lighting control system continues to evolve, supporting daily operations, special events, and energy management across one of London’s most dynamic neighborhoods. The project continues to be an example of how thoughtful system design, reliable technology, and access to actionable data can lay the foundation for public‑realm lighting that performs not just today, but well into the future.
Project Credits:
Site wide Developer: Related Argent
Lighting Control Systems Integrator: Control Lighting Ltd
Major Lighting Controls Equipment Supplier: ETC Ltd.
Lighting Design Consultants: Speirs Major Light Architecture, Studio 29
Photography: Kings Cross HR
