Surfside lighting design prioritises communities at land and sea
Woorim, on the eastern side of Bribie Island, is not only a popular spot for surfers. Each year, sea turtles descend on the beach to lay their eggs. Primarily loggerhead turtles, but green turtles too, make their way to the island for nesting season between November and April.
So when we were engaged by the City of Moreton Bay to design and document the lighting for the new Woorim amenities, a key consideration was minimising its impact on the turtles.
Ashburner Francis Electrical Engineer Michael Heaslip explains the approach to the motion-sensor lighting: “Warmer, turtle-friendly colour temperatures were selected for the lighting, incorporating a low-glare, amber toned output — more appropriate for this particular environment, as distinct from typical public amenity lighting.”
Photography: Leoni Bolt
The location of the light fixtures was also critical. They were each positioned to minimise light ‘spill’ onto the beach. Additionally, a ‘zero tilt’ methodology helped further reduce that spill. A timer-controlled system was also incorporated to trigger illumination in sync with when the sun goes down and comes up.
Mindful of the potentially corrosive impact of nearby saltwater, Ashburner Francis specified lighting fixtures and fittings made from robust materials, with longevity and low maintenance in mind.
Architect Lauren Politylo from LatStudios described working with our team as an extremely collaborative experience. “Ashburner Francis was sensitive to this coastal setting and its turtle overlay — they were very detail orientated and passionate about identifying site-specific lighting solutions.”
In consultation with the entire design team, Ashburner Francis also recommended small signage be installed to share with the community the rationale behind the lighting’s design. Lauren saw this as a master stroke. “This signage is a great way to share with the community that our goal was to minimise disturbance to the natural rhythms of local habit,” she said.
Marnie Ogg, the Founder of the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance that champions the protection of our natural night environment, agrees. “My background is in events and tourism and I believe we need to move from simply entertaining people to educating them,” Marnie says. “Signage like this is memorable and helps transition the community from ‘passive’ observers to ‘active’ advocates for their local natural environment.”
Photography: Leoni Bolt
Prioritising accessibility
The building’s layout also now accommodates storage for beach wheelchairs as well as accessible showers and change rooms. Lauren says early discussions with Ashburner Francis helped ensure the engineers understood LatStudios’ design intent.
“From the outset, it was important we all appreciated this building was designed to offer a high level of amenity and accessibility for a broad variety of users,” Lauren says. “Ashburner Francis was always on board with our priorities for this building and they thoroughly understood its functional requirements.”
“I would recommend Ashburner Francis because of their level of care and responsiveness. As a designer, it’s really valuable to have an engineer that takes to heart your opinions and briefings — and tries to match them or improve upon them!”