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news LIGHTING DESIGN CONCEPT
A flight path of light, sculpture and history
Paul Nulty Lighting Design (PNLD) has developed a lighting design concept titled “Flock of Birds,” bringing art and light to Crawley Mall Shopping Centre and creating a grand sculpture within the impressive space. Paying homage to the Old English translation of the Crawley name, “clearing frequented by crows,” and acknowledging the centre’s proximity to Gatwick, PNLD wanted the sculpture to portray the theme of flight. Flock of Birds captures the form and elegance of airborne birds using colour-changing LEDs that pulse a wash of vibrancy up and down the sculpture, giving different, glowing intensity throughout the day and across the seasons. At 125m long, the permeable sculpture draws the
eye through the length and breadth of the flight path that meanders through the void, creating depth and filling the large volume without overpowering the space. The sculpture carries and influences mood with its waves of vibrant and soft colours but surpasses the human eye’s capabilities with 16 million permeations of colour across 400 individual LED birds.
AWARD
Framing ceremony at Maggie’s celebrates start of construction
Maggie’s, the charity that provides free practical, emotional and social support for people with cancer and their family and friends, today celebrated the start of construction work for a new Centre built within the grounds of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester. The Centre, designed by Lord Norman Foster and Foster + Partners, will be the charity’s largest to date and is expected to receive visits from 60,000 people a year from across Greater Manchester once established. Lord Foster said: “I have first-hand experience of the distress
of a cancer diagnosis and understand how important Maggie’s Centres are as a retreat offering sanctuary and support. Our aim in Manchester, the city of my youth, is to create a building that is welcoming, friendly and without any of the institutional references of a hospital or health centre – a light-filled, homely space where people can gather, talk or simply reflect. That is why throughout the building there is a focus on natural light, greenery and views; with a greenhouse to provide fresh flowers, and an emphasis on the therapeutic qualities of nature and the outdoors. The timber frame, which is being installed today,
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helps to connect the building with the surrounding greenery – externally, this structure will be partially planted with vines, making the architecture appear to dissolve into the gardens.” To mark the occasion Laura Lee, Maggie’s Chief Executive,
Roger Spencer, chief executive at The Christie and principal donors to the new Centre, unveiled a 20 foot high timber frame which will form the main structure of the Centre at The Christie. A time capsule was also buried on site containing personal mementos from donors and supporters to the Centre and a sketch from Foster + Partners. Laura Lee, Maggie’s chief executive said: “I’m delighted that
construction of Maggie’s at The Christie has been able to start in earnest, bringing us one step closer to the Centre opening its doors. My sincere thanks go to everyone who has supported Maggie’s and made our Centre at The Christie a reality.”
As shoppers step into the centre, the linear form of the
sculpture feels welcoming as it undulates above drawing them through the space and emphasising permeability. PNLD wanted to create rhythm and a sense of playfulness but a concept that was strong enough to determine itself as a sculpture in its own right. A challenge for PNLD was to deliver an experience and turn
the centre into a destination without creating a distraction from the retail brands inside the shopping mall. The concept also had to be low energy and deliver low maintenance costs. To achieve this, PNLD used 30 watt LEDs; as a result, the sculpture requires only the same amount of energy as 10 kettles and can last up to 100,000 hours, or approximately seven years, 24 hours a day. Paul Nulty, head of practice, said: “The challenge was to
create an innovative and bespoke experience and influence mood through the complexity of a light sculpture on a large scale, but to do this with low energy output and maintenance in mind. The concept needed to have relevance and Crawley, as a
clearing for birds, provided a perfect opportunity to design something dramatic and with meaning. Visitors should feel the energy of Flock of Birds as they walk through, but the sculpture is also delicate enough not to detract from surrounding brands and distract them from what they are there to do.”
© Aaron Hargreaves, Foster + Partners
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