Llewellyn Hall, located at the Australian National University (ANU) in Acton, Canberra, is a heritage-listed building and is regarded as one of Australia's finest concert halls thanks to its outstanding acoustics.
It has now been enhanced with a new Anolis lighting system that subtly highlights its architecture and distinctive features.
The venue is managed by the ANU Campus Environment's Venues and Functions team, working closely with the School of Music.
Following a successful public tender, the initial design and specification for the new lighting system were developed by Eddie Galak, Business Development Manager at Jands, Anolis' Australian distributor, in collaboration with theatre consultant Micah Johnson from Melbourne-based design consultancy Studio Entertech.
The installation comprises nearly 150 Anolis LED luminaires from the Ambiane and Calumma ranges, replacing the previous tungsten fixtures controlled by dimmers. The result is a refreshed interior, together with a more sustainable installation and lower operating costs.
The refurbishment was necessary because the auditorium lighting system dated back to the 1980s and had reached the end of its service life. In addition to the transition to LED technology, Micah Johnson wanted to introduce the option of colour lighting for events and performances that required it.
For this project, it was essential to achieve high-quality lighting with smooth colour mixing and accurate colour rendering. It wasn't simply about increasing brightness, but also about delivering the highest level of finesse, he explained.
As the building is heritage-listed, featuring extensive timber finishes and red seating, it was also essential to preserve the warmth and aesthetic of the traditional tungsten lighting that audiences were accustomed to, an area in which Anolis solutions offered considerable flexibility.
The overhead lighting consists of 16 recessed Ambiane XP56 RGBW luminaires with 30° optics, 36 dimmable warm-white Ambiane XP56 fixtures with 30° optics, and 32 recessed Ambiane HP111 luminaires with 60° optics. The Ambiane SP56 fixtures were selected for their high light output, ensuring even illumination throughout the auditorium.
The main turret uplighting is provided by 24 surface-mounted Ambiane SP16 luminaires with tungsten dimming characteristics—the smallest fixtures in the Ambiane range—featuring the innovative Tilt function, together with 12 Calumma XS SC RGBW luminaires.
The areas known as "Juliet" are illuminated by six Calumma XS SC fixtures, while five Calumma M MC RGBW and eight Calumma M luminaires provide grazing light across the rear ceiling of the balcony. The installation is completed by six recessed Ambiane SP16 RGBW fixtures integrated into the backstage blue lighting system.
One of the project's main challenges was reusing as many of the existing roof openings and fixing points as possible due to the building's heritage status. New openings were only created where absolutely necessary.
The existing mounting locations were adapted to accommodate the new Anolis fixtures with the help of custom brackets manufactured by ITE (Installation Theatrical Engineering), also based in Melbourne.
The 30° Tilt version of the Ambiane SP16 Surface Mount luminaire was originally developed following a specific request from Eddie Galak to Anolis. The manufacturer created the model exclusively for this project and, following its success, later added it to its commercial catalogue. Galak praised Anolis' willingness to customise the product in order to provide the ideal solution for the installation.
For Micah Johnson, one of the most interesting aspects of the project was achieving the balance between preserving the traditional tungsten lighting aesthetic required by the historic venue while simultaneously meeting modern expectations in terms of functionality, efficiency and compliance.
The new system had to deliver better performance, greater brightness and increased flexibility than the previous installation without making the transformation obvious to audiences. The objective was to completely modernise the lighting while preserving the familiar atmosphere and visual character of the auditorium.
The new installation has significantly enhanced the venue's functionality, allowing the atmosphere, ambience and lighting style to be adapted much more quickly, easily and extensively to suit the requirements of each event.
The house lighting is controlled by a Paradigm system, which can also be integrated with the venue's main stage lighting controllers and provides touchscreen remote access for day-to-day adjustments.
Micah Johnson highlighted Anolis as a manufacturer he trusts for the quality of its products, colour mixing accuracy and light output. He also considers it an advantage that the brand is part of the same group as Robe Lighting, a manufacturer of moving lights with an extensive portfolio of theatrical solutions. He also praised the versatility offered by Anolis through its wide range of optics, lenses, shrouds and configuration options, making it easier to recreate lighting effects previously achieved using very different technologies, but now with far more efficient and precise solutions. He also noted the excellent consistency in light quality and colour across the various Anolis product families.
As part of Llewellyn Hall's technical upgrade, Studio Entertech also designed a new stage lighting system, including the replacement of the dimming system and wiring.
Llewellyn Hall has long-standing associations with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, the Canberra Choral Society and the National Capital Orchestra. It also regularly hosts touring productions by organisations such as Musica Viva and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, as well as performances by numerous internationally acclaimed artists.
