St Matthews in the city

Located on Hobson Street, St Matthew-in-the-City stands as one of Auckland’s most remarkable churches. This architectural gem was unveiled in 1905 and was masterfully crafted by the renowned architect Frank Loughborough Pearson. The church showcases an exquisite blend of design elements, characterized by the Early English style. Its magnificent structure, built from white Oamaru stone resting on a bluestone stylobate, adds to its grandeur and charm. St Matthew-in-the-City is a testament to the city’s rich history and the enduring beauty of sacred architecture. 

ECC Lighting was commissioned to create a permanent lighting solution for St Matthew-in-the-City, eliminating the need to rent lighting equipment for different occasions. For this task, EEC turned to iGuzzini, the renowned Italian brand with a proven track record in illuminating historic structures worldwide. Given the client’s specific requirements, which encompassed accommodating diverse functions ranging from traditional church services to weddings and corporate events, each luminaire in the installation was designed to be independently controlled. This meticulous approach ensures optimal versatility and adaptability to suit the varying needs of the space. Another hurdle involved the installation of inground lights within the heritage building, which required considerable time and effort to obtain approval due to the building’s historic significance.

The design process encountered a significant challenge posed by the outdated 3core wiring that couldn’t be upgraded. To overcome this obstacle, the team devised a solution by integrating a Casambi module into each luminaire. This innovative approach proved to be the ideal method for controlling the RGBW luminaires effectively. The DMX luminaires were managed through the Casambi-DMX module, which could be conveniently controlled using the Casambi App on Apple iOS devices. For added convenience, a Casambi XPress switch was made available to set Casambi scenes and enable manual control. 

‘As a heritage building, our foremost priority was to honour and preserve the architectural and cultural significance of the structure. Our challenge was to ensure full functionality of the space without introducing additional wiring. The client’s requirement was to seamlessly support a wide range of functions and events. By training their events manager to control the lighting through the Casambi App, we have effectively reduced the need for traditional wired solutions, thereby minimizing ongoing maintenance associated with such systems’ says Wayne Reddecliffe, General Manager, Holders Technology, New Zealand.