At the US National Archives and Records Administration, lighting designers Available Light used Lumenpulse luminaires to enhance the visitor experience, meet strict artifact conservation requirements and reduce energy consumption.

The US National Archives and Records Administration has used Lumenpulse luminaires to modernize the lighting system at the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. Lumenpulse’s Lumenbeam Medium and Lumenbeam Small luminaires helped reduce maintenance costs and improve the quality of light, aiding conservation efforts in the historic space, which is home to the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights.

The US National Archives and Records Administration upgraded with Lumenpulse luminaires. (Lumenpulse/LEDinside)

Designed by Boston-based design firm Available Light, the new LED lighting system has won a 2014 AL Light and Architecture Design Award for commendable achievement. The design cuts energy consumption by 84 percent, requiring 4,700 watts at full intensity and only 1,800 watts at its current dimmed state – this while providing a brighter, more comfortable viewing experience for the Rotunda’s visitors.

“The Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom is hallowed ground, housing the most precious artifacts in American history. We’re very proud to have been involved in the improvement of the lighting system,” said Francois-Xavier Souvay, President and CEO of Lumenpulse. “With the dimming capability and digital control of our luminaires, the space can adhere to evolving conservation requirements and maintenance needs, while still providing a great experience for visitors,” he said.

In order to meet an extremely demanding set of criteria, Available Light chose Lumenbeam Medium luminaires to light the space’s two large murals from opposing sides. A custom color temperature and a very high color rendering index were used to bring out the colors and quality of the artwork and architecture. Lumenbeam Small luminaires are also used as controllable accent lights for temporary exhibits displayed in the main rotunda.

“We determined that a custom 2850K color temperature and a CRI above 93 were critical…and Lumenpulse were the only company that could customize luminaires to meet these strict performance criteria,” said Steven Rosen, principal at Available Light. “The Lumenpulse luminaires maximized illuminance at the floor level, while still maintaining 0.9 footcandles at the document cases. It’s much brighter than it was previously, and conservation criteria for the documents have been improved,” he said.

Click here to read the full case study on the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom.