King Henry VIII 3-19 School Wales
Abergavenny, United KingdomKing Henry VIII 3-19 School: Intelligent Lighting for a Net Zero Future
Located in Wales, King Henry VIII 3-19 School is a forward-thinking educational facility designed with ambitious Net Zero Carbon Operational Energy aspirations. Scheduled for completion between August 2023 and April 2025 , the project demanded a highly flexible and energy-efficient lighting control system capable of supporting a diverse range of spaces for students aged 3 to 19.
Working alongside Monmouthshire County Council , McCann & Partners Consulting Engineers , and Morgan / Sindall – Whitehead Building Services , Helvar provided an intelligent, adaptable lighting control solution tailored to the school’s unique environmental and operational needs.
Photo source: Adam Davies ©2025 Adam Davies Photography, All Rights Reserved.
Meeting Ambitious Sustainability Goals
To achieve its Net Zero aspirations, the school required a comprehensive system incorporating daylight dimming, presence and absence detection, photocell control, local switching, and user-adjustable settings. It was essential that the lighting responded seamlessly to occupancy and natural daylight, reducing unnecessary energy consumption while maintaining optimal visual comfort for teaching, circulation, administration, and communal areas.
Helvar delivered a robust, open-protocol DALI lighting management system that provided the necessary adaptability for the expansive site. The installation features a comprehensive suite of Helvar components, including DALI enclosures and routers, PIR and multi-sensor modules, Digidim mini input modules, single-channel relay units, scene control plates, and high bay multisensors.
In key areas such as classrooms, meeting rooms, and lecture spaces, the implementation of DALI touchscreen scene control offers users the flexibility to adjust the lighting to suit different activities, from presentations to general teaching. This local dimming and scene control ensures that artificial lighting is only used when and where it is required, creating a highly efficient and adaptable environment.
Operational Efficiency and Future-Proofing
Beyond energy savings, the Helvar system – supported by Helvar Insights for monitoring and control- provides significant operational advantages for the school’s facilities management team. Room usage data can be actively monitored to assess lighting run times, enabling the team to review and adjust lighting durations to further optimise energy efficiency.
Maintenance and compliance are also significantly streamlined. The end user has the ability to schedule emergency lighting tests (both functional and duration) at the most suitable times, minimising disruption to the building’s daily operation. Furthermore, the system provides automatic alerts with precise location details for any emergency lighting faults, generating detailed reports that identify the specific component that has failed to ensure swift resolution.
Photo: Adam Davies, ©2025 Adam Davies Photography, All Rights Reserved.
A Collaborative Success
The partnership between Helvar and the project team resulted in a seamless delivery from design through to commissioning. John Bounds, Project Manager at Whitehead building Services, highlighted the system’s comprehensiveness, stating:
“The Helvar products and installation encompassed all key elements required to deliver a fully compliant and robust lighting control system.”
John further praised the collaboration, noting that “the service was excellent from the design stage, with installation drawings produced,” and emphasised the “complete flexibility during the commissioning phase where programme changes occurred.” Reflecting on the project’s success, he added: “I would not hesitate to use Helvar again, as both the products and the level of support from design through to final commissioning were excellent.”
Chris Keogh, Sales Commercial Manager at Helvar, summarized how the solution aligned perfectly with the project’s complex requirements:
“Helvar was specifically suited to the project because the specification required daylight dimming, presence/absence detection, local dimming, scene control, emergency lighting monitoring and future adaptability. Their DALI-based system helped meet these requirements while allowing the lighting controls to be commissioned and adjusted to suit the different teaching, circulation, administration and communal spaces across the school.”
Key facts
Project completed: 2025
Project location: Wales, UK
End customer: Monmouthshire County Council
Abergavenny, United Kingdom
