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Hotel · LIT Award 2023
Enhancing the estate’s drama without compromising its heritage.
Client
Apple Leisure Group
Architect
MDO Architects
Completed
2021
Award
LIT Lighting Design Award 2023, Landscape Lighting
Photography
Jamie Hackett
The brief
Elevating the guest arrival experience
Carton House is a luxury resort filled with beautiful Georgian architecture, but at night the lighting and the guest arrival experience were underwhelming.
Our brief was to elevate the night-time arrival experience through lighting.
The facades
Georgian grandeur, subtly lit
The arrival
The main entrance
The clubhouse
The whiskey room
01 · Discovery & concept
A bespoke lighting survey
Because of the building’s heritage and several rounds of rewiring over the years, we carried out a bespoke lighting survey.
It let us assess the specific technical challenges and map the legacy infrastructure for possible reuse, while respecting the integrity of the historic fabric.
02 · Design & technical planning
Mock-ups and a glow plan
Mock-ups on the key facades were essential to strike the right balance, enhancing the architecture without overpowering it.
A comprehensive glow plan showed how light spill would affect the wider estate, keeping the design sensitive to its surroundings.
03 · Construction & procurement
Working with complex wiring routes
Close collaboration with the builder, the electrician and the wider team helped us navigate the building’s complex existing wiring routes.
Through detailed site coordination and value engineering, we delivered a design that respected conservation constraints, reused existing cable paths where possible and stayed within the agreed budget.
04 + 05 · Refinement to handover
A seamless journey for arriving guests
Lighting was fine-tuned throughout the estate, from the tree-lined approach through to the grand entrance, to create a seamless, immersive journey for arriving guests.
Completed in 2021, the scheme subtly lights the key facades and architectural features to highlight the Georgian grandeur, while navigational lighting links the historic core with the newer hotel areas.
Gallery
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What lighting did Willie Duggan Lighting design at Carton House?
We designed the lighting for the night-time guest arrival at Carton House Estate in Maynooth, Co. Kildare: the tree-lined approach, the gardens, the facades of the main house, the golf clubhouse and the whiskey room, with navigational lighting linking the historic core to the newer hotel areas.
Did the Carton House lighting win an award?
Yes. The Carton House Estate lighting masterplan won a 2023 LIT Lighting Design Award in the Landscape Lighting category and was shortlisted for the 2023 darc awards in the Spaces category.
How do you light a historic facade without overpowering it?
At Carton House we tested the lighting with mock-ups on the key facades to strike the right balance, and drew up a glow plan showing how light spill would affect the wider estate, so the design stayed sensitive to its surroundings.
Can existing wiring be reused in a historic building?
Often, yes. At Carton House a bespoke lighting survey mapped the legacy infrastructure left by years of rewiring. Working closely with the builder and electrician, we reused existing cable paths where possible, respecting conservation constraints and staying within the agreed budget.
When was the Carton House lighting completed?
The project was completed in 2021.
Who were the client and architect?
The client was Apple Leisure Group and the architect was MDO Architects. Project photography is by Jamie Hackett.
