The Bolanachi Building

The Group

Founded in 1967, the Hyde Group is a leading force in UK housing provision, managing 120,000 properties and delivering neighbourhood services to 350,000 households across the country. As one of Britain's most established housing associations, Hyde plays a vital role in supporting diverse communities and essential service providers.

Recognising the ongoing national housing shortage, Hyde actively partners with councils, private developers, and investment partners to innovate new models for affordable housing delivery, helping to create sustainable communities for the future.

The Property

Located on Spa Road in Bermondsey, London SE16, the Bolanachi Building represents modern urban living in one of London's most vibrant regeneration areas. The multi-block residential development features extensive communal areas, including atrium walkways and shared spaces.

The Challenge

The existing lighting infrastructure at Bolanachi Building presented several key challenges:

• Inefficient Legacy System: Multiple fitting types providing both emergency and functional lighting created maintenance complexity
• Over-specification: The existing system used more fittings than necessary due to lower light output from older technology
• Manual Testing Requirements: Emergency lighting systems required regular manual testing, creating operational costs and resident disruption
• Aesthetic Concerns: The existing fittings did not complement the building's modern design aesthetic
• Maintenance Burden: Traditional systems required frequent on-site visits for testing and fault resolution

The inefficiencies and operational constraints led Hyde to pursue a comprehensive lighting upgrade to modernise the building’s infrastructure and reduce long-term management costs

The Technology

Alphatrack Systems (ASL) was commissioned to deliver a complete lighting transformation, designing and installing a state-of-the-art SpectoXT system throughout all communal areas.

Intelligent Infrastucture

All fittings were deployed on a wireless mesh network, connecting back to the central SpectoXT Gateway. This approach delivers multiple operational advantages:

• Enhanced Connectivity: Each fitting acts as a network node, creating redundant communication paths that ensure system reliability even if individual fittings lose connection.
• Scalability: The mesh architecture allows seamless integration of additional fittings without extensive reconfiguration, future-proofing the investment.
• Energy Efficiency: Integrated PIR sensors and strategic fitting grouping ensure lights operate only when needed, while high-output LED technology reduces the total number of fittings required.
• Improved Coverage: The mesh network extends operational range beyond the central hub through intermediate node relay capabilities.
• Cost Efficiency: Achieved through dramatically reduced energy consumption, eliminated routine testing visits, and remote fault diagnostics.

The Implementation

ASL’s installation strategy focused on minimising resident disruption and maximising system performance. Existing cabling was tested and reused where possible to save time and reduce costs. Strategic repositioning of fittings ensured optimal coverage with fewer units across all communal areas.

Specialised mounting techniques preserved decorative ceilings, particularly in atriums, where fittings were secured to existing pattress boxes to avoid damaging finishes. Redundant switches and fittings were safely decommissioned, with all surfaces fully restored, including local repairs and repainting

The Outcome

The Bolanachi Building lighting upgrade has delivered transformational benefits. The implementation of automated self-testing and real-time monitoring has eliminated routine maintenance visits while ensuring continuous BS 5266-1:2016 compliance for emergency lighting systems. Energy consumption has been significantly reduced through high-efficiency LED technology combined with intelligent PIR-based controls that activate lighting only when needed.

Safety and security have been substantially enhanced through improved illumination levels in communal walkways, cycle stores, and car parks, while more accurate motion sensing provides better coverage throughout the building. The strategic reduction in fitting quantities, coupled with eliminated maintenance visits and intelligent fault reporting, has delivered considerable cost savings and operational efficiencies for Hyde Group.

The modern KRONA and RIGA fittings have transformed the building's aesthetic appeal, creating a cohesive lighting design that complements the contemporary architecture while providing superior illumination quality. The scalable mesh network infrastructure ensures the system can adapt to future requirements without major reconfiguration, representing a truly future-ready investment.

This project demonstrates ASL's expertise in delivering intelligent lighting solutions that seamlessly integrate operational efficiency, safety compliance, and design excellence, providing Hyde Group with a comprehensive solution that will continue to deliver value for years to come.