BDP Lighting
As part of the multi discipline design company Building Design Partnership, BDP Lighting work on BDP's buildings but also give consultancy to other designers and to clients for floodlighting, daylighting, artificial and exhibition lighting. And, since moving into their new London studios, they're ready for an even bigger slice of the action...
Building Design Partnership is unusual in providing the integrated services of architects, designers, engineers and other specialists to address design needs in a comprehensive way. BDP Lighting plays an important part of that service as an independent lighting consultancy. Since its formation in 1995 the design philosophy of BDP Lighting has developed into an approach that is distinctively identifiable by the long term quality of the lit environment that is created. The combination of a high degree of technical literacy and close collaboration with external and in-house architects and designers has led to a lighting design style that appreciates the importance of balancing the enhancement of the main architectural surfaces in the context of the use and form of the space.
Steering away from the high impact, short life span style of lighting design, Barrie Wilde built BDP Lighting on a foundation of quality lighting design that is subordinate to, but appreciative of, the architecture that also provides inherent longevity.
"Barrie is a great appreciator of the lit environment," says incoming Director Martin Lupton. "He understands and appreciates that our greatest tools as lighting designer are our eyes. Just walking around observing the behaviour and effect of light within various spaces and the reaction of people to different types of lighting allows us to develop, hone and improve our knowledge. BDP Lighting schemes are ones that will stand the test of time and taste - they will look as good and be as appropriate in ten years as they are when installed.
"The way forward for BDP Lighting is to expand upon the influences to which we are exposed. Lighting design is a subject with its feet firmly planted in many different bases - theatre, science, art, psychology, architecture and engineering. The list is almost endless and there is no single right way to approach lighting design. The belief in this theory forms the basis of how we are building BDP Lighting. We already have the complementary skills of engineering, architecture, product design and fine art in the individual members of the team. The aim for the future is to expand this skill base with influences from theatre, psychology and interior design."
The team at BDP Lighting is exceptionally strong. Associate Kate Lownes has an incredibly wide range of knowledge and experience that she can draw on having worked with BDP for the last five years on a variety of projects including the Renaissance of Whitehaven, Piccadilly Station and Brighton Museum.
Luke Smith-Wightman combines his experience of delivering complex lighting solutions in a difficult environment with an intuitive understanding of lighting design. He played a crucial role in developing and delivering the lighting solutions for the retailer Warehouse.
Laura Bayliss uses her unique experience as an artist working with light to create lighting solutions that work on a human level - the interaction between form and light, and its transition over time is of key importance to her. Laura has also proven herself to be an excellent student of lighting with this year's highest scores on all levels of the LIF course and played a major part in the creation of the lighting of BDP London's new offices.
In BDP's Manchester office, Brendan Keely, a recent recruit, is doing some excellent work
expanding the role of BDP Lighting in the North. As well as developing artificial lighting schemes, Brendan has been involved in daylight and sunlight design for a series of Hospital and School projects running out of the Manchester and Sheffield offices.
BDP's approach to the lighting design process allows all individual members of the team to have input to the creative process - in this way they ensure all of the bases are touched upon to produce a solution that is far greater than the sum of the parts. We are also very lucky to be an integral part of the architectural process. Working closely with BDP Sustainability, daylight design has become a day-to-day part of role and energy and the environment is of prime importance to all the team, both in the traditional sectors, schools and hospitals and workplaces but also retail, exhibition and corporate.
The Portfolio
BDP London Studios (pictured above)
Recently, BDP has moved to stunning new London studios at Brewhouse Yard, just off St. John Street. The 44,000 sqft facility is housed in a late 19th century building, originally part of the Cannon Brewery buildings. The lighting design for the new offices was designed to reflect the dynamic nature of a 21st Century workplace - to 'create and re-create' a totally flexible illumination system. To 'create' - responding to the current use of each individual space and to 're-create' - instantly changeable in response to re-configuration as its function changes.
The initial budget, for a standard Cat 2 spec office, was transformed into three layers of light: Ambient - A skeletal infrastructure of three-circuit track is installed throughout the building. Ambient illumination by use of indirect fluorescents, integral to the track or by installation of movable pendants, provides illumination of the architectural envelope within the workplace to describing its unique form, volume and texture.
Display - BDP's function is visually described by illumination to artworks, display areas and three-dimensional models. Revealing the creative nature of BDP to visitors, staff are also provided with diverse visual stimulation and enhanced focal areas.
Task - Lighting to the working plane is fulfilled by individual luminaires, mounted to the desks. Each user can therefore control his or her environment, in relation to the task at that time.
The three circuits of track are individually controlled, such that security, maintenance and normal operation modes can be implemented. Ambient lighting is not provided in the cafe/breakout area at ground level - higher contrast levels to walls and table tops enliven the space, while creating visual intimacy. VDT is installed throughout the building, however nowhere is a categorised louvre installed, control of luminance balances, contrast and direction has created an environment that meets the needs of its people, rather than prescriptive codes of practice.
The Gate, Newcastle
The Gate is a state-of-the-art city centre leisure destination that includes national brands. There are three main areas: The Street, The Atrium and The Hub. The lighting strategy focused on the architectural elements of such areas, which gave character to the whole leisure centre.
The entire specialist lighting installation is comprised of luminaires fitted with high intensity discharge and fluorescent lamps, which result in full compliance with Part L of the building regulations, including specialist fibre optics, DMX addressable cold cathode, automated gobo and colour change luminaires, gobo projectors, floodlights and linear fluorescent luminaires.
Said Business School, Oxford
BDP Lighting designed the lighting systems to all of the main internal spaces including lecture theatres, libraries, a reading room, circulation and entrances. They also designed the lighting to the external areas and the copper ziggurat. The school uses light as an integral part of the massing, the interplay between the various internal and external parts. Conventional techniques have been employed to reveal the form, texture, colour and contrasts using luminaires that are generally subordinate such that the result is clearly one of effect not cause.
TresAguas, Madrid
TresAguas is an integrated retail and leisure development that opened in September 2002. The 'edge of town' project for Lend Lease Europe provides three levels of leisure and retail space. The scheme also includes a supermarket, a 15-screen multiplex cinema, 32-lane bowling alley and a health club. There is a 3,200-space car parking facility located in two levels below the building.
The narrative based approach to the interior design creates a contrasting 'feel' and quality to each of the interior spaces, reflecting the distinct merits of the retail offer in each space, yet based on the underlying concept of the whole scheme. The introduction of natural light is treated differently in each of the interior mall and hall spaces to reinforce this approach.
Piccadilly Station, Manchester
The new station concourse at Piccadilly Station in Manchester was opened for the Commonwealth Games in July 2002. The brief was to give the station a 21st century image, improve visibility, links with the city and to improve circulation for passengers, and access for pedestrians and vehicles. To achieve this, a new larger concourse with a 7,000 sqm footprint was constructed on two levels, giving clarity of location and function for the passenger.
Modern engineering techniques were used to support the new monopitch roof which makes extensive use of ETFE translucent panels to maximise the daylight provision to the passenger areas. At platform level the new concourse provides approximately 2,000 sqm of retail accommodation and, on the upper concourse level, a new pub and restaurants with balcony seating.
St Peter & St Paul's Parish Church, Exton
The client brief for the lighting of the restored monuments within St Peter and St Paul's Parish Church, Exton, Rutland was simple: "... to produce a lit effect that enhances the beauty and exquisite detailing of the monuments."
The scheme is simple, using high level lighting track fixed to the timber trusses with tungsten halogen track mounted spotlights. This range of spotlights allowed the use of different reflectors and front glasses to achieve varying beam angles, elongation beams. The thumb wheel dimmer on each allows independent control of beam intensity.
The control system is also simple. At the monument positions there is a push button which upon activation provided five minutes (adjustable) of timed light. This optimises life cycle and is also respectful of the worship needs of the parishioners and visitors.
information:
www.bdp.co.uk