Architectural Lighting – St. Francis Church in Zagreb
Heavily damaged by an earthquake, the iconic church now shines anew – with lighting products from Inventronics
Details:
Location: St. Francis Church, Zagreb, Croatia
Year: 2023
Centuries of history, brilliantly revitalized
Right in the heart of Zagreb, Croatia’s vibrant capital and largest city, stands the historic Church of St. Francis – a house of worship that embodies centuries of architectural evolution. Originally built in the 13th century and extensively renovated in Gothic style in 1902, this protected cultural heritage site called for an especially sensitive approach when modernizing it with contemporary lighting technology. Following structural damage caused by the 2020 Zagreb earthquake, an extensive renovation provided the unique opportunity to upgrade the church’s lighting system to state-of-the-art technology. Elektrokovina Lighting, a certified Inventronics partner with over 30 years of experience in project-based lighting solutions across Croatia, tackled this challenging task with expert precision and professionalism. The company relied on top-notch products from Inventronics to seamlessly blend modern lighting technology with the church’s sacred and historical ambiance.
Integrating advanced lighting into a landmark of profound cultural significance
The renovation required solutions that were both technologically advanced and sensitively tailored to the church’s unique architecture:
Aesthetic luminaire integration – for a harmonious blend of sacred atmosphere and functionality
Through elegant, custom-designed metal brackets, Elektrokovina was able to highlight artworks and architectural details, carefully showcasing them without disturbing the ecclesiastical building’s unique Gothic interior. These custom brackets allowed spotlights to be mounted horizontally around the pillars. To achieve this, the company used Inventronics’ ultra-compact OTi DALI 40W NFC LED drivers, expertly concealed within the custom brackets. This innovative approach eliminated the need for bulky track systems, preserving the church’s historic character. Thanks to their reliable performance and minimal size, these high-quality drivers from Inventronics proved to be the perfect choice for this critical application.
Versatile scene control and feedback for users
The variety of church events, including Holy Masses of all kinds, prayer sessions, and tourist visits, demand diverse lighting atmospheres. Church officials also wanted the flexibility to define custom lighting settings for events such as concerts. To cover all these needs, the system was upgraded to feature 11 lighting scenes, plus an OFF function. Elektrokovina implemented an ultra-modern DALI system, precisely controlled by the Inventronics DALI Professional Controller-4. To ensure ease of use, standard push buttons with LED indicators were seamlessly connected to the Inventronics DALI Switch SO. This setup now enables intuitive control for activating the correct lighting scenes. At the same time, the LED on the corresponding button illuminates to provide clear visual feedback.
The result: enhanced ambiance meets maximum functionality
Equipped with advanced DALI technology from Inventronics, a state-of-the-art lighting system was created, seamlessly tailored to the unique requirements of St. Francis Church. The new system:
- preserves the church’s architectural uniqueness while providing versatile, high-quality LED lighting for a wide range of events;
- enables easy control over eleven distinct lighting atmospheres, creating the perfect setting for worship services, events like concerts, and tourist visits;
- provides clear, intuitive feedback on the selected lighting scene;
- impressively showcases the flexibility and power of DALI control, and especially the compact, feature-rich OTi DALI drivers from Inventronics – even in challenging, heritage-protected environments.
Featuring 180 luminaires and a total power output of approximately 7 kW, the project successfully illuminates a space of 500 to 600 square meters, delivering effective and atmospheric lighting tailored to every need.
Integrating state-of-the-art lighting solutions into historically sensitive buildings requires special sensitivity and technological expertise. The project in the Church of St. Francis impressively demonstrates how innovation and cultural value retention can successfully go hand in hand. Thanks to the collaboration with Elektrokovina and the products from Inventronics, the historic landmark now shines brighter than ever – a timeless example of sustainable and respectful modernization.
| Project partners | |
|---|---|
| Elektrokovina Lighting | Lighting design partner |
| Products used |
|---|
| OTi DALI 40/220-240/1A0 NFC I |
| DALI Professional Controller-4 |
| DALI Coupler PUSHB G2 |
| DALI Switch SO/3x6A/24 |
| OTi DALI 160/220-240/24 CH |
| Power Supply PS 30/24 SO |
For more details about the products visit our product page.