SOCIAL PURPOSE
How light can boost communities Lighting plays a crucial role in shaping social spaces and influencing human behaviour, making it an essential tool in promoting social purpose. In public spaces, effective lighting can enhance safety and accessibility, encouraging positive interactions and community engagement. Well-lit environments reduce the risk of accidents and crime, fostering a sense of security, while also making spaces more inviting for social gatherings, education, and collaboration. Here we look at three projects have made an impact with local communities and the urban fabric.
Lighting design: Light Bureau Lighting design team: Eszter Horóczi, Filipe Almeida, Frederik Waneck Borello, Helle Frøjk Knudsen and Rune Brandt Hermannsson. Client: By & Havn and Copenhagen Municipality Architects: COBE architects Construction: Per Aarsleff Consulting engineers: Wicotec Kirkebjerg Suppliers: Gladsaxe Klip & Buk, Induflex, Unicoat and iGuzzini. Pictures: Rune Brandt Hermannsson (formerly of Light Bureau)
The lighting at Orientkaj Metro Station in Copenhagen softens up the bright spotlights and adds a playful atmosphere, while improving perceived safety and wayfinding on the square.
ORIENTKAJ METRO STATION COPENHAGEN, DENMARK This transformational light installation at Orientkaj Station in Copenhagen has won a PLATINUM in the Build Back Better Awards 2023 in the lighting category. Light Bureau was challenged to create a site-specific lighting art installation that would increase feelings of safety while bringing delight and visual interest to the space. As lights couldn’t be fixed on the railway structure, the team created a pole-based system, with remote steel leaves, each with individual patterns and colour themes. The leaves are made of saltwater- and acid-resistant stainless steel with a lifespan of several decades. The surface is electro polished to make them highly reflective, thereby adding an additional lighting component. 54
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The steel leaves give the otherwise ordinary spotlights a completely new and unique character, giving the area a distinctive identity that makes it an inviting and exciting urban space. The design softens up the bright spotlights and adds a playful atmosphere, while improving perceived safety and wayfinding on the square. With minor adjustments of the reflectors, it was possible to reuse the existing LED-luminaires and create a spectacular illumination of the station square and elevated railway, without using additional energy. The luminaires are iGuzzini Woody in warm white with a wide flood optic.