The bronze age

While the great metallurgical ‘ages’ may have come and gone, pure metals and their alloys—such as bronze—still play a pivotal role in society. While bronze may be one of the oldest alloys, it is still highly prized today and has many uses both practical and artistic, thanks in part to its material toughness and its high resistance to salt water corrosion, making it ideal for a range of industrial applications, such as outdoor lighting.

“Given New Zealand’s landscape and our close proximity to the ocean, we have an environment that can be fairly merciless on a lot of materials, metals included. The bronze material has proven that it can stand up to even the harshest treatment and still perform, which is why the Hunza cast solid bronze range is the product solution for difficult in-ground applications,” says Dax Peter from Lighting Revolution.

“Hunza is a proud New Zealand manufacturer of quality-engineered outdoor lighting products supplying global markets as well as our own backyard. With longevity in mind, Hunza has recently developed a cast solid bronze (CSB) range, designed to overcome problematic in-ground conditions. This solution started with the Lawn Light CSB, the smallest luminaire in the range, released around 18 months ago,” explains Dax.

“One of the great things about the range and Hunza products, is that you can appreciate the quality of the product through its weightiness. Hunza prides itself on manufacturing long-lasting, high-performing products and the CSB range is no different.”

The range comprises five in-ground luminaires (one linear unit and four round units of various sizes). Each offers levels of adjustability to tune the luminaire for the required application.

“Customers can also choose what colour temperature (warm to cool), beam angle and desired lumen output, as well as a selection of accessories to build a product specific to their needs. A dynamic RGBW solution is also available to those who wish to create colour-filled scenes and features.”

One of the major advantages of being able to work with a New Zealand manufacturer, adds Dax, is that they have the ability to customise fittings to suit architectural designs.

“We work closely with a lot of architects and designers and being able to offer a New Zealand-made product makes the customisation process a lot more achievable, while adding value over imported products.

“Recently, Lighting Revolution was able to design and supply custom solid bronze mounting plates to fill a client request to follow a material story on the project. The plates were precision machined and the results were stunning.”

Such custom products augment Hunza’s other core product materials: 316 stainless steel, copper and powder-coated aluminium.

Similarly, says Dax, the technology around LED componentry has come on in leaps and bounds resulting in higher-quality products that offer better performance and extended lifetimes.

“LED componentry keeps improving, allowing for more smart and reliable luminaire designs, which means customers can explore a whole realm of possibilities with outdoor lighting. Best of all, with the design of the Hunza and LuxR ranges, the luminaires can be accessed in the field, making adjustments and servicing simple, without having to remove the entire fitting.”

Lighting Revolution is the primary distributor in New Zealand of Hunza and LuxR lighting products and supplies a network of wholesale and retail outlets. All Hunza Cast Bronze luminaires have a 25-year replacement warranty against body corrosion, while Hunza’s PURE LED technology features a 5-year warranty.

Learn more about the benefits of specifying cast solid bronze luminaires for your next project.