Reconsideration of the lighting of the Ex-Convent of Santa Fe.

Museums / Cultural Centers

SIT

2018

In 1999, the Ministry of Culture approved the project to restore the convent of Santa Fe in Toledo as an extension to the Museum of Santa Cruz. The project was entrusted to the architect A. Ballarín. An important part of the project was the archaeological excavation that was completed in 2003, the results of which revealed traces of more than a millennium of history in the building. The work was supervised and supported by a team of professionals from the Spanish Historical Heritage Institute (now IPCE), which included the drafting of the general lighting project for the different areas. At that time it was not considered appropriate to include museum lighting equipment, as it was advisable to wait for the museological and museographic project that would provide the contents of this historic site. Fifteen years later, the museum as a whole has come to house the works of a private collection with a museographic project designed by Juan Pablo Rodríguez Frade.

The work basically consisted of redesigning the lighting in the areas of greatest value from an archaeological and historical point of view, such as the Sala del Alfarje and the Capilla de Belén, and creating the museum lighting in the various rooms used for the exhibition of the art collection.
The general lighting of the different spaces, which was carried out at the time with existing commercially available luminaires wherever they were considered to fit in formally and with others designed for the occasion, is still in operation. The technology used at the time was high-quality fluorescence (CRI 90, Tc= 3000K).

Work carried out: Design and execution of the lighting project.

Photographs: José Luis de la Parra.