www.darcawards.com/architectural
SPACES:
Best Landscape Lighting Scheme High Budget
WINNER
The Lava Tunnel, Iceland
The dimensions of the Lava Tunnel, formed as a result of massive eruptions 5,000 years ago, create an impressive room space, while a decorative collage of colours shows its unique character, proclaiming the story of its mineral origins. Near the entrance of the tunnel the ceiling has caved in, creating three beautiful columns of light inside the tunnel. The environment in the tunnel is difficult for lighting and electrical equipment. From the entrance to the middle part of the path, the temperature is the same as outside. Where the openings are in the ceiling, it rains and snows inside the tunnel. In the wintertime, this looks like scenery from some fantasy, with ice stalactites and stalagmites carefully lit up. Deeper in the tunnel the temperature holds even at around 5°C. With the help of lighting, the magnificent colour palette in nature gives the guests an unforgettable experience with almost no visible lighting equipment or cables. From the beginning, the aim of the lighting was to maximise the guest experience, develop a strong interaction between contrasts, light and shadow to intensify the natural colours,
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and emphasise the geological highlights of the tunnel. Building up the experience from the entrance to a peak 400-metres inside the tunnel, guests experience complete darkness and total silence for one minute. After a minute, the lighting illuminates the highlights of the tunnel one by one. At the end stop, the most difficult task was to find spots to mount the lights because the platform is very wide and takes up most of floor area, while the walls slope in over the platform. Lights where placed under the platform and on rock sills, high up on the walls, with a good help from rock climbers, and placed out of line of sight. The pathway lighting was designed to fit the environment. Low light bollards of steel were constructed so the material rusts in line with the bridges and platforms in the tunnel. With a high focus on lighting the paths without stealing any attention from the attractions and to prevent glare. Most of the work was on the location; finding the right places, testing equipment and final design during the installation phase and programming of the control system.
SECOND PLACE: Leake Street, UK by Nulty, UK THIRD PLACE: The Piece Hall, UK by BuroHappold, UK
Project: The Lava Tunnel Location: Reykjavik, Iceland Lighting Design: EFLA, Iceland Client: The Lava Tunnel Main Lighting Suppliers: Anolis, Pharos, Osram