Radley College - Abingdon

Radley College is a private boarding school for boys aged between 13-18, located in the village of Radley, in Oxfordshire.

The college offers students top level education from GCSE to A-Levels, preparing them for university life. The large grounds are filled with a blend of old and modern buildings. They demonstrates how the college has maintained its historical roots while making continuous efforts to modernise its facilities.

As part of a significant refurbishment of the labs and lecture theatre in the science block, the lighting system was identified as an area which required an upgrade.

The science block has been in place since 1937, and is an integral part of the college. The previous traditional luminaires were inefficient and outdated. Tamlite Lighting were specified to offer a lighting solution that delivered a significantly enhanced illumination effect. Not only this, but it would also deliver substantial energy savings to modernise and enhance the building.

Lighting for Education

The physics and chemistry labs were renovated, adding bright colours and white walls to create a more crisp, contemporary room design. This was enhanced by the high performance, stylish Tamlite luminaires. As opposed to previous installations, they offer a high colour rendering index and an opalescent diffuser to reduce shadowing.

Task lighting, particularly important in science labs, was installed directly over desks and workspaces. The aim of this design was to provide crisp, even lighting and remove shadows where people are working.

In addition to this, the luminaires delivered an improved light output in classrooms and lecture theatres. This was to boost alertness and wellbeing among students.

At such an important stage of their academic lives, focus and concentration when learning are important traits for students. A lighting system that delivers this is invaluable.

Enhanced Student Wellbeing

Student wellbeing is, understandably, a key consideration at Radley College. With all of the boys living on site, it is critical that they are not tired throughout the day, as they have responsibilities around the school. Maintaining their focus and concentration is critical at such an established college.

Full Scale Solution

The requirements for the project were sent to CEF Abingdon, who specified Tamlite Lighting to deliver the right solution throughout the science block. Tamlite liaised with Radley College, providing a range of samples to demonstrate the potential benefits of the Tamlite solution. Simon Valentine, the Radley College electrical contractor, said: “The samples provided by Tamlite were fantastic, the Estates manager loved them, and we could clearly see what we were going to achieve with the new lighting system.”

What we used