Nottingham is shining a light on a new form of city centre regeneration in Sussex Street, and expertise from Pharos Architectural Controls has assisted in bringing the new vision to life. This project is part of the wider vision for Broad Marsh, a new public realm development in the heart of the city, that sees Nottingham leading the way on new approaches to the redevelopment of town city centres.
Nottingham City Council appointed Michael Grubb Studio to deliver the lighting strategy and detailed design, which features dynamic lighting control from Pharos.
This lighting scheme was commissioned as part of a wider development at Broad Marsh to rejuvenate key parts of Nottingham’s city centre: a UNESCO City of Literature hosting a burgeoning community that unites thousands of young students from around the UK and beyond, with over 800,000 residents. The lighting scheme was completed in 2022.
A Pharos Designer LPC 20 (Lighting Playback Controller 20) was deployed for this creative lighting scheme to illuminate the Sussex Street underpass and connect the different routes that pass through it. The lighting scheme incorporates moving white and coloured light with a number of lighting designs that are controlled and activated between dusk and midnight.
The white light element of this scheme helps to create dynamism and excitement, as well as a safe, inviting space for residents at dusk and beyond. The colour light element is dynamic and playful, subtly chasing the trams as they travel on the track above. Different lighting scenes are programmed for each day of the week, while also offering the ability to set custom displays for special occasions, which the LPC 20 enabled. The underpass continues to be illuminated from midnight to sunrise at half the power output, providing the necessary lighting to maintain a safe public space.
Urbis Schréder supplied the luminaires from the manufacturer’s energy-efficient 1m RGB ILUM MARK linear range, which – owing to their slim profile – integrated seamlessly into the columns of the underpass.
Jack Neill, Senior Product Manager at Pharos Architectural Controls, and a local resident, said: “Being part of a project to rejuvenate a city with such rich heritage and vibrance as Nottingham, has been a true privilege. Providing access to safe spaces and repurposing areas to be enjoyed by residents of all generations, is something we take immense pride in.”
Project Credits:
Client: Nottingham City Council
Lighting designer: Michael Grubb Studio
Design team: Townshend Landscape Architects, Pick Everard
Luminaire manufacturer: Urbis Schréder
Photographer: Alex Bland
Control: Pharos Architectural Controls
