Signify spotlights F1 lighting partnership at Mercedes' Brackley base

Modern Building Services Features Editor Russell Drury joined a group of European journalists invited to the Brackley headquarters of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team. During the visit, Signify explained how its partnership with the team is built on a shared commitment to innovation and sustainability.

The September visit included a tour of the site and a panel discussion with Nathalie Quéré, Head of Sponsorship at Signify; Darren Smith, Signify's Specification Leader for the UK and Ireland; Bradley Lord, Deputy Team Principal at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team; and Tom Nagle, Head of Site Development and Projects.

The Brackley technology centre covers 60,000m² and employs more than 950 people. The team's Formula 1 cars are designed, developed, built and run from there. The campus runs entirely on renewable energy and is certified to ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management.

The lighting on the site is one part of a broader collaboration centred on performance, wellbeing and sustainability. Signify supplies energy-efficient, connected and circular lighting and also contributes to the team's Climate Transition Plan.

Signify is working towards its own Net Zero target for 2040. Both organisations regard technology and innovation as keyways to reduce their environmental footprint.

United by a shared ambition to push the boundaries of performance and innovation. The partnership would support the team's goal of becoming one of the most sustainable professional sports teams in the world."

-Signify CEO

Lighting in practice

Brackley is partway through a wide-ranging renovation, and lighting is central to it. Over the course of the partnership since 2024, Signify products have been installed in a number of locations and facilities at the UK headquarters. They are also used to support the drivers and race team at circuits. Throughout, the aim has been to create conditions in which team members can see clearly, feel well and perform at their best. The team operates 24 hours a day, and Signify's solutions have been chosen to suit that workforce, from the simulator control room to the new wellness and reception areas.

Because the headquarters runs around the clock, seven days a week, lighting is built into working, wellbeing and reception spaces. It is also built into the control systems that manage parts of the building's infrastructure. Most of the work is in two buildings. The Hub houses catering, the gym and wellness facilities. Gateway is used mainly for marketing and welcoming guests. Together, the two buildings contain more than 1,600 luminaires, including:

over 100 NatureConnect products
over 700 3D-printed Signify myCreation fittings
more than 500 Philips products
more than 400 Modular products

Bradley Lord explained that a core aim of the masterplan was to carry out the refurbishment "in the most sustainable way possible". One example is the solar array installed over the new car park, which generates enough electricity to cover the baseline demand of the two new buildings. Metering and connected technologies have also been installed so that energy use can be tracked closely.

Philips Hue ambient lighting, including light strips and lamps, has been fitted around the screens beside the driver simulators and in other areas. A range of 3D-printed myCreation luminaires installed also helps reduce the environmental impact of the lighting and the wider facility.

Lighting for wellbeing

At Brackley, Signify's NatureConnect technology recreates the qualities of natural daylight. This helps engineers stay alert and focused during long simulator sessions. When the team is travelling, portable light therapy and performance lamps help manage circadian rhythms by controlling exposure to light. These lamps are part of a science-based jet lag protocol developed with the team doctor. Under the protocol, light exposure is carefully timed to encourage good-quality sleep, speed up recovery and sharpen cognitive performance.

Urban safety Edinburgh night solar lighting

The connected layer

NatureConnect is one of the most eye-catching parts of the project, but other technologies work more discreetly in the background. The luminaires are linked to control systems that allow different aspects of each space to be monitored and managed.

In the Health & Wellness Centre, Signify Interact controls the lighting on all three floors, except for the areas handled by Dynalite. Interact includes energy management features and brings emergency lighting and its reporting into the same system. Dynalite is used in selected spaces, including the innovation room, library, boardroom, offices and suites. This connectivity gives insight into occupancy and energy consumption and allows different elements of each space to be controlled, so decisions can be based on data and evidence.

Bringing fans closer to the action

The partnership is about more than performance. It also aims to improve the experience of fans through lighting, whether they are at the circuit or watching at home.

Signify floodlights landmark night races in Singapore and Las Vegas and provides immersive surround lighting for TV viewing and gaming. It has also made a notable contribution to the team's hospitality around the world, from Las Vegas and Miami to Barcelona and, most recently, Silverstone.

Three years into the partnership, the message from Brackley was that innovation is not slowing down. Further developments are planned to support both team performance and the fan experience. In Formula 1, the gap between one solution and another can come down to milliseconds. That pursuit of precision does not stop at the track. It extends into the spaces where the team works, and that is where the collaboration between Signify and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 comes into its own.

As published in Modern Building Services.

About the author:

Thomas Mutton
Marketing and Communications Intern

About Signify

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2022, we had sales of EUR 7.5 billion, approximately 35,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in our operations in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for six consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.