CUSTOM LIGHTING WHISTLER CONFERENCE CENTRE

Custom Lighting Whistler Conference Centre, a story to be told.  The picturesque city of Whistler has long been a destination for vacation and business travelers alike.  Tourism Whistler set its sites on the Whistler Conference Centre to meet the growing demand for a state-of-the-art conference facility.

The Whistler conference Centre revitalization plan brought a 5 star wish list to their design team.  The facility as it was lacked the flexibility for the conference centre to attract events it was marketing to.  The A+D design team of Lynn Rines Interior Design worked with Tourism Whistler’s Mark Wrightson to bring together a tight cohesive professional discipline team working closely with their construction team.

The original architectural features a West Coast feel of large structure wood beams and wood ceilings providing the natural warmth expressed in many Whistler structures. The light design concept began with a goal to open up the ceilings in the conference centre foyers and ballrooms. The conference centre was looking to attract conference clients requiring large gatherings, ballroom facilities, and specialty entertainment events.

The design team began very early to address the outdated lighting system. It was potentially holding back the multi-use concept design and the ability to fully appreciate the original architectural design.

CUSTOM LIGHTING WHISTLER CONFERENCE CENTRE

The light element became the key ingredient to achieve the design goals. Lighting Consultant, Margot Richards joined the design team to ensure light goals would be achieved with the new lighting equipment. The design concepts along with technical lighting requirements were brought to the team at Karice.

Karice then began the work to engineer, design and build the lighting fixtures and ensure the lighting concepts became a reality.  Extensive testing went into achieving the impressive and flexible lighting levels that were required.  The custom designed luminaires needed to light up the voluminous architectural space of the main hall and have the flexibility for more intimate functions. Karice utilized the very latest in LED technologies to achieve the design goals. Each chandelier delivers over 32,000 lumens of down light, 16,000 lumens of up light and x8 spot lights delivering 1800 lumens each.  A Multi-channel Dali Dimming system was used to satisfy the design requirements of the electrical engineer – Integral Group.

The main ballroom is illuminated by large nine-foot round diameter, copper finished chandeliers. This aesthetic blended exceptionally with the beam structures of the main conference areas.  Two identical large chandeliers flanking either side of the impressive stone fireplace make a striking presence in the grand foyer of the centre.  In the ballroom, twenty large 6-foot-high wall sconces make their statement on the four perimeter walls.  The lower level of the facility is completed with the same aesthetic, with 4ft diameter flush mounted custom fixtures.

In designing the ballroom space further physical considerations for flexibility were required. The conference centre received requests to host concert events. This brought the lighting elements into the equation. Working with the design team Karice had to design the ability to have the chandeliers clear show specific Audio-Visual Equipment. The solution,  each chandelier was mounted on an electric hoisting system that enables the lights to be lifted up and down. This was a feat, considering that each light weighs in excess of 600 pounds each. Accomplishing this also allowed for floor level maintenance of the chandeliers.

TOURISM WHISTLER

The newly renovated facility reopened in the Summer of 2020.

Be sure to visit WHISTLER CONFERENCE CENTRE