To mark the anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, EMF Technology was commissioned to deliver an architectural lighting installation across the historic facade of 70 Whitehall, London—the Grade II* listed home of the Cabinet Office.
Given the site’s historical prominence, tight central London security, and strict structural protections, the project required a high-impact fixture setup with a zero-surface-impact footprint.
Project Overview
Technical Deployment & Challenges
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Zero-Cabling Requirement: Due to public footpaths along Whitehall and strict heritage regulations forbidding taped cables or mechanical anchoring, fully wireless battery-powered units were essential.
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Punch and Throw: The 24 high-power Smart Bat units delivered high-output color saturation across Portland stone columns and pediments, ensuring even coverage across three vertical tiers of the building.
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Precision Chromatic Control: Fixtures were balanced to produce a clean, solemn commemorative color wash, utilizing custom calibrated red, white, and blue hues programmed to transition seamlessly as dusk fell over central London.
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Rapid Deployment & Strike: The complete setup was rigged, mapped, and addressed in under 90 minutes prior to sunset, and struck immediately following the midnight curfew with zero residue or disruption to government operations.
“Lighting an address as iconic as 70 Whitehall for an occasion as meaningful as VE Day demands total reliability. The Smart Bat platform gave us the raw punch of mains-powered wash fixtures with the agility of a 100% cable-free build.”
— Production Lead, EMF Technology
Equipment List
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24× High-Power Smart Bat RGBW LED Wash Units (IP65 rated)
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1× Wireless DMX Transmitter System (CRMX protocol for interference-free control)
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Custom narrow-to-wide diffusion optical filters for targeted column accentuation
