Avtrade

Thorn Lighting has helped Avtrade to build a contemporary, sustainable, exciting new global headquarters incorporating transport and warehousing facilities, in rural Sussex on the site of a former egg farm. Thorn was able to provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ for all areas of the project, providing luminaires for both internal and external zones.

Specialist providers of aircraft component services including trading, pooling and the repair management of spare parts, Avtrade is committed to sustainability and wanted an environmentally-friendly design that would meet budget constraints. The project features a range of green technologies including ground source heat pumps, CHP and natural ventilation strategies and, of course, the very latest, energy efficient LED lighting technology. The rural location also meant that the planning authority was concerned at the possibility of light pollution caused by the road and car park lighting so in-depth calculations and modelling was carried out to allay the planning authority’s fears.

Thorn had provided a well-lit working environment for the new distribution and storage warehouse linked to a Logistics Centre office hub where 250 multilingual and multicultural employees deliver a range of global solutions to over 800 airlines including inventory management, repairs, pooling, leasing, sale, loan and exchange, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Thorn’s Specline, a recessed LED modular with a choice of optics, has been installed to provide optimum lighting for the offices. The combination of high-efficacy LED module and high performance optics delivers up to 3700 luminaire lumens whilst achieving 79 Llm/W with a connected load per fitting of 47W.

132 Chalice luminaires have been used for the illumination of corridors and the reception area to provide a lifetime of up to 50,000 hours, which will significantly reduce maintenance demands and costs. Thorn’s high output, energy saving, fluorescent Hi-Rack was chosen for the warehouse to provide a longer life than HID alternatives, thus reducing maintenance. A range of fluorescent luminaires with 'area' or 'rack' reflectors for interior spaces with high ceilings, Hi-Rack incorporates dimming and sensor capabilities to reduce lighting and power consumption to as little as 10%.

For the exterior of the building, 40 Thorn Piazza’s have been used to provide a high degree of advanced performance with modern styling. Wall mounted Piazza is tough and durable, precision crafted in tough polycarbonate with a prismatic lens that gives a particularly wide distribution that spreads light downwards and sideways over a considerable distance, allowing the luminaires to be spaced further apart without glare or shadowy areas.  The cut-off optical system provides the fine control that is needed to meet the environmental demands when seeking to reduce obtrusive light.

Avtrade now benefits from a robust and well-designed facility that meets the company’s specific needs, complies with stringent planning requirements and delivers a high degree of sustainability. The completed development comprises two separate office buildings totalling 52,000 sq. ft. and a warehouse building of 90,000 sq. ft. Outside, the project has enhanced the rural landscape with new tree planting, wild flower meadows and attenuation ponds