PROJECT: HAY'S WHARF

LIGHTING DESIGN: DPA LIGHTING CONSULTANTS

MANUFACTURER: LEADER LIGHT

Jewel of London Bridge

Creating a temporary exterior lighting scheme for the Art Deco faŤade of Hay's Wharf presented an interesting challenge. The flat faŤade overhangs the river and has no ledges or recesses, which makes it almost impossible to conceal lighting equipment from view. However, rather than fight against these constraints dpa decided to reassess the fundamentals of how the building should look at night. Being mindful of the need to reduce energy consumption and light pollution, the design utilises a minimal quantity of low wattage LED luminaires.

dpa are proposing to enhance the colour and texture of the golden ceramic panels surrounding the lower central windows by grazing light both upwards and downwards utilising warm white LED projectors. This effect is complemented by the internal window reveals, which are illuminated in deeply saturated washes of colour. It is intended that the building should appear as if it were wearing a piece of jewellery.

A pre-programmed sequence will create continuing interest for passers-by. A simple tonal change or contrasting colour appearing randomly in one of the windows will create subtle movement. The animated sequence will appear briefly like the ripples from a raindrop in a puddle, then slowly fade back to the original background colour.