Te Rau Mātāpuna o Taranaki – State-of-the-Art Healthcare Lighting Control

Overview

Te Rau Mātāpuna o Taranaki is the largest healthcare infrastructure project ever delivered in the Taranaki region. The new $476 million East Wing at Taranaki Base Hospital brings together critical services including Emergency, Intensive Care, Radiology, Maternity, Neonatal and Laboratory departments within a single six-storey, 22,000m² facility.

Designed to support generations of healthcare delivery, the hospital required a lighting control system that was reliable, flexible and capable of adapting to the different operational requirements of every clinical space.

Working alongside the wider project team over a three-year period, Intelligent Environments designed, commissioned and integrated the building-wide lighting control system from concept through to final handover.

 

The Challenge

Hospitals operate unlike any other commercial building.

Lighting needs to support patient recovery, clinical procedures, staff wellbeing and 24/7 operations, often within the same department. An examination room has very different lighting requirements to a patient bedroom, staff station, imaging suite or emergency corridor.

The challenge was to deliver a single lighting control platform capable of supporting thousands of devices while providing tailored control strategies for every clinical environment.

The solution also needed to integrate with the Building Management System (BMS), simplify ongoing maintenance and allow future changes without disrupting hospital operations.

 

The Solution

Intelligent Environments delivered a fully integrated DALI-2 lighting control system powered by zencontrol, providing intelligent control throughout the entire hospital.

The system includes:

• 106 DALI control lines
• 3,975 individually addressed DALI luminaires
• 1,215 DALI-2 switch inputs and rotary dimmers
• 210 zencontrol Smart Sensors
• 652 DALI-2 PIR occupancy sensors
• 32 six-button smart switches
• Full BACnet integration with the Building Management System

Every luminaire is individually addressed, allowing lighting to be monitored, controlled and reconfigured without physical rewiring.

Rather than applying the same programming across the building, each department was configured to suit its operational needs. Patient rooms combine independently controlled examination, reading, general and night lighting. Imaging suites feature programmable lighting scenes to support different clinical procedures, while circulation areas automatically transition between daytime and after-hours operating modes using intelligent occupancy sensing.

This tailored approach provides clinicians with the lighting they need while improving patient comfort and reducing unnecessary energy use.

 

Intelligent Control Beyond Handover

The project wasn’t just about commissioning a lighting control system – it was about delivering a platform that continues to add value long after practical completion.

Using zencontrol’s cloud platform, authorised facilities staff can remotely monitor every individual luminaire across the hospital, view live operating status, identify faults and make programming changes without visiting each area. Interactive floor plans provide a visual representation of every connected light, making maintenance faster and more intuitive.

If a luminaire or driver needs replacing, maintenance staff can transfer the existing programming to the new device through the cloud, eliminating the need for specialist recommissioning and significantly reducing downtime.

For Intelligent Environments, remote access also enables ongoing support and programming adjustments without travelling to site – saving the hospital both time and operational costs.

 

Advanced Helipad Lighting

A key component of the project was the rooftop emergency helipad.

Located six storeys above the Emergency Department, the 25m × 25m helipad is one of New Zealand’s most advanced healthcare landing facilities.

The lighting control system enables pilots to remotely activate the helipad lighting from up to 15 kilometres away, supporting safe night-time landings and rapid patient transfers directly into the Emergency Department via dedicated lifts.

When every minute counts, reliable lighting becomes part of the clinical response.

 

Project Outcomes

Te Rau Mātāpuna o Taranaki now operates on a future-ready lighting control platform designed to support one of New Zealand’s most important healthcare facilities.

By combining open DALI-2 standards, intelligent automation, cloud management and seamless BMS integration, Intelligent Environments has delivered a system that supports clinicians, improves operational efficiency and simplifies long-term maintenance.

As the hospital evolves over time, its lighting control system can evolve with it—ensuring the facility remains flexible, efficient and ready to meet the healthcare needs of future generations.

If you’d like to learn more about this project or discuss your next project, contact our team for a free consultation.