LUCE estratti LUCE 321_Tagliabue_Salone dei Cinquecento | Page 15

of the project however required detailed studies
of the lighting modules that could be used
in order to guarantee a correct relation of the
lighting units and the auxiliary electric devices
and the control units, and the architectural size
of the stringcourse and the limited possibility
of anchoring the units. In order not to interfere
with the museum space and the events already
in the calendar to be held in the Salone, the
worksite to set up the new lighting system was
organized with night-time shifts which did not
jeopardize the institutional events that were
organized, and work was completed before the
start of the G7 Culture Summit, which was held
in Florence on 30 and 31 March 2017.
Claudio Vallario
Technical Office – Project design, SILFIspa
How did you get to the final result?
The approach was not to try to compare with
the great figures of the past, in whose presence
we cannot make any comparisons culturally,
but to re-read and analyse their work, entering
the historical context and the scopes of their
work as required by the illuminated figures who
commissioned them. For this reason, re-reading
Cosimo de’ Medici’s desire to give a central role
to Cronaca’s “Sala Grande” (Great Hall) and
Vasari’s work to enlarge and decorate it, it was
clear that light had a role in this too. We simply
examined history more in detail, trying to help
Vasari to bring back the feeling of a vast space
when looking at the Salone, exploiting the gold
plated surfaces of the enormous wood ceiling,
and overturning the lighting design of the old
system. Therefore, light too would travel across
those large spaces recreated by Vasari’s
extension, making the ceiling a secondary source
of light and “fitting” the light for the fresco
decorations more specifically, in order to view
the historical events of Florence against Pisa and
Siena like in a gigantic illustration characterized
by a wide chromatic and symbolic spectrum.
This led to the idea of crossed beams of light from
one wall to the other, starting from the pointing
fixtures of the floor lamps, which during the
design phase passed from independent elements
that could interact with the pedestals of the
statues and be used as bases for the use of
describing the museum, to elements that
became completely mimetic against the wall,
with the aim of losing their principal role as light
sources. The equipment did not have to be seen,
so that the works of art and the ceiling would
seem the sole source of light, with the double
capacity of being perceived and read and at the
same time making it possible to perceive the
space of the hall. The same concept was
associated with the lights of the statues on
pedestals. The side opposite the Udienza,
instead, was perceived and used as a simple
passage for the visits of Palazzo Vecchio.
Therefore, the choice was to bring to light the
wonders of the original Roman statues, which
at the time of our project, were completely
restored and positioned in the niches. The Salone
dei Cinquecento, from the point of view of the
lighting system design, has important main
electricity wires and circuit branches also for the
rest of Palazzo Vecchio even if it has its own main
switchboard. It was immediately understood that
the existing conduits that cut across the ancient
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LUCE 321 / SPECIALE SALONE DEI CINQUECENTO
walls could not be used as these were already
used by a number of electric wires. The technical
choice was a study to extend the existing electric
system, starting from a terminal, in other words
the existing sockets, subdivided into ordinary,
safety and emergency alarm circuits. Bearing
in mind that before this project, also the other
subservices used for the Salone were simply
at ground level, without any conduits for them:
in particular, the sound diffusion system and
the Wi-Fi signal diffusion system.
The solution that was chosen was a specific
aluminium raceway, in the position of the
baseboard, of an ad hoc size, that could lodge
the conduits and circuit branches and extend the
existing circuits from the sockets up to the new
floor lamp lighting system, and for the statues
on the cement pedestals. The same raceway also
contains all the wires of the subservices,
and the result was a formally very clean system.
Stefania Galanti
Project Development Manager, Targetti Sankey SpA
What are the technical specifications
of the project?
It is worthwhile to start from a description
of the previous lighting system. The Salone
dei Cinquecento was lit up with 24 floor lamps,
which were positioned in the Nineties near to the
pre-existent electricity sockets. These floor lamps
were mounted on wheels and therefore could be
shifted continuously, and consequently any type
of study of the luminous fluxes, chromatic light
effects and light orientation was jeopardized;
only some of the lamps, with the function
of emergency lights had fixed positions. Diffused
light pointing upwards was not controlled and
there were annoying shadows in the bottom part
of the frescoes and the statues were not correctly
illuminated. Furthermore, the floor lamps and
the spotlights installed at the back of the Udienza
area could only be switched on and off, without
the possibility of any diversified lighting settings.
Our solution therefore had to bear in mind
the safety standards, but also consider a system
which could not be shifted, that was flexible
and dimmable. It had to be a light which,
in some way, could disappear, at the complete
service of the space and the works of art.
The integrated methodological approach, with
different competences was, as has already been
said, fundamentally important. However, the
total support of the Town Council administration
was also crucial, they refused a fragmentation
of the project, because they fully understood the
importance of the totality of the project. Through
detailed research and development activities,
solutions for ad hoc lighting were created, studied
so that they could be best adapted to the space
and the lighting requirements. In fact, all the
light sources that were used were customized,
in order to comply with every particular
requirement. Each light unit has been equipped
with a driver, developed in collaboration with TCI,
specially for this project. The light units have been
designed with high quality components in order
to enable light management with a wireless
control system (using an android tablet), so that it
is possible to create different luminous scenarios
for each type of use of the Salone, by regulating
the light intensity of the units and the colour
temperature, depending on the desired effect.
The new lighting system consists of 144 LED
fixtures which enable an excellent perception
of the spaces, and fully respect the architecture
and the works of art.
The following light sources were installed:
- 55 light sources positioned on the stringcourse
of the northern and southern walls;
- 64 light sources installed in the 8 structures
used to light the museum and the ceiling;
- 8 linear systems positioned in the profiles
of the bases, to light the statues;
- 14 linear systems inserted in the cornice above
the Udienza area.
To light the sculptures, linear LED fixtures were
designed specifically to be integrated discretely in
the pedestals (the metal structure in which they
are lodged cannot be seen), so that the statues
are illuminated with a uniform and harmonious
grazing light, thus opting for a solution that
combined the light reflected by the gold on the
ceiling and the direct light coming from below.
In order to light the blackboards, the speakers’
table and the lectern, and also the statues on the
side of the Udienza and the opposite side, Targetti
Coro series light projectors, with a customized
finish and special lenses (zoom and cutoff),
have been installed above, on the cornices.
To light the frescoes on the walls and Vasari’s
ceiling, special floor lamps were developed,
sophisticated equipment with LED projectors
to satisfy the specific requirements of the use of
the Salone and that could be integrated discretely
in the hall leaving space for only the light.
By mixing LED sources with very high colour
rendering (RA>90) and different colour
temperatures (2700K and 4000K), it has been
possible to enhance the colours and the
architecture of the Salone, revealing suggestive
details: the shades of colour of the paintings
and Vasari’s ceiling, once again have become
the protagonists, and their perception remains
unaltered at day time and in the evening.
Furthermore, the base of the floor lamps have
been equipped with floor washer lights, step
lights that can create luminous scenarios that
can give life to exciting atmospheres, and satisfy
the standard regulations required in particular
situations. Maximum overall energy consumption
of the lighting system is equal to about 9 KW, less
than half of the previous lighting system. Targetti
has chosen to use state of the art LED sources, a
solution that can guarantee excellent light quality
and does not involve any risks for the works of art.
Light emission of these LED sources, concentrated
in the visible light spectrum only, eliminates
the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) rays. Both
these elements are extremely harmful, because
the former contain too much energy and the
latter because they conduct heat. With this choice
it is possible to preserve the microclimate of the
lit up space, therefore it has been fundamentally
important to study the best “customized” system,
using the know-how and experience of our
company which has been working in the
museum-lighting sector for many years.
Thanks to the many competences available,
work was started, basing it on the technology of
Targetti products, and creating new solutions
that could combine the technological aspects, the
quality of light, control of light emission, and care
for every detail in order to make the light units
suited to the architectural context, and providing
them with a characteristic discrete design.