- to enhance the safety and perception of safety of all pedestrians and road users
- to enhance residential amenity and security
- to highlight the city's architectural assets and other landmark features: "we have the finest example of Victorian buildings in the UK"
- to develop lighting as an art form in the city
- and finally, a matter that cuts through all the previous points, to improve the image of the city and help promote Glasgow as a visitor/tourist attraction destination and as a '24 hour city'
Glasgow: city of light
Paul James pays a visit to Scotland's largest and most vibrant city to take a closer look at its Lighting Strategy, surely the UK's most innovative and comprehensive masterplan by a Council...
Glasgow has a lot to offer and the UK's largest shopping centre outside London is flourishing. During the last decade Glasgow has turned into one of the great tourist successes and is now one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in Europe recognised as such in 1999 as City of Architecture and Design.
Recently a complementary element in this regeneration has been Glasgow's Lighting Strategy, Glasgow: City of Light, an exciting, high profile initiative put in place to increase the vitality of the city and to make it a safer, friendlier environment.
John Bury, Head of Planning at Development and Regeneration Services for Glasgow City Council, pinpoints the time when it was decided to go ahead with the first phase of the Strategy. "We had already experimented in the use of light on buildings to reveal their architectural details during the National Garden Festival in 1988. But we seriously started thinking about a lighting strategy five years ago during which time we visited Lyon. You can't help but be impressed by Lyon."
The Strategy re-appraises the range of lighting in the city from individual buildings and landmarks, to statutory street lighting, amenity and festive lighting. It advocates a coordinated approach to lighting the city, provides the context for implementing a series of lighting programmes and projects, and encourages innovative lighting, all aimed at enhancing Glasgow's distinctive character, creating interest and vitality after dark and enhancing safety.
In 2001 the City Council committed £2.65m to a three year lighting programme which was formally launched in March 2002 with the publication of the Strategy document and switch on of four pilot projects - Anniesland Tower, the Gallery of Modern Art, phase one of the Concert Hall, and the river bus pontoon at Clyde Rail Bridge. Three years later and a total of 32 projects have been created ranging in scale from major installations with a high impact on the cityscape, such as City Chambers and the River Clyde bridges, to local projects which have been supported through the Lighting Strategy Local Project Fund.
The initial three-year tranche of capital money finished in March 2004. The Council then allocated another three year tranche of £2.75m starting this year and running until 2007. Hopefully it won't end there.
"We are looking to put in place another rolling programme over the next two and a half years consisting of main projects funded through the Lighting Strategy and local projects which benefit from funding set aside for community projects. We also wish to encourage more private sector developers to incorporate lighting in their development projects," states Fiona McDermott of the Heritage and Design Group in Development and Regeneration Services.
The objectives of the on-going Lighting Strategy are five-fold:
Reinforcing the hierarchy of roads and public spaces and improving safety
"Although the major lit buildings are concentrated in the city centre and along the River Clyde corridor, the proposed new white street lighting will touch everybody because eventually it will cover all the residential areas," states McDermo
tt.
The street lighting component of the Strategy has its own budget of £22.5m. The Council is seeking to renew all lighting units over ten years old, representing 75% of the city's stock over a four year period and is committed to replacing the orange low pressure sodium street lighting in the city with whiter light sources thus improving the perception of safety. The initial phase of main arterial routes to and from the city centre is programmed to start by March 2005.
The Council's decision to implement 'white' street lighting across the city was endorsed by a consultation exercise with local residents in an area where several streets were lit with a range of white light sources including low pressure mercury, metal halide, and high pressure sodium. In comparison with the low pressure sodium the whiter light won hands down both in terms of safety and aesthetics.
City enhancement - landmarks and strategic views
The city's topography affords impressive views within and across the city. Landmarks such as the University of Glasgow, church spires, water towers, residential tower blocks and other prominent buildings or structures are important reference points. A visual analysis of the city and its main approaches, combined with an analysis of the distribution of visitor attractions and evening venues, was undertaken to identify priority areas and potential projects.
The City Centre and the river corridor are key priority areas where Glasgow is investing heavily in the public realm with streetscape works. Lighting is a natural extension of this and many of the Lighting Strategy and other lighting projects are located here.
Art and community projects
"We're keen to develop the artistic component of the Strategy by involving the profile lighting designers like Speirs and Major and Leni Schwendinger (who's Kingston Bridge lighting scheme is due to be completed in March 2005)," comments Bury. "It's not a question of the Council purposely seeking out such talent, but the international competitions and tendering exercises here have attracted some well respected lighting designers."
It is noticeable in the city that, although many of the art projects use colour to dramatic effect, the historical buildings have been treated very sympathetically.
"We are very aware of the misuse of colour on buildings and landmarks," states Bury. "That's why we have guidelines concerning the issue."
In relation to colour, the City Plan Policy on Lighting states: 'The light source should be carefully chosen to enhance the appearance of the building. On most buildings, particularly where listed or located in conservation areas, it will be most appropriate to use a single light source to complement and enhance the stonework, with the possibility of a different light source or selective use of colour to highlight architectural features. On modern buildings there are fewer constraints and the use of colour, fibre optics and neon may be appropriate. In some instances the lighting scheme may incorporate, or itself constitute, public art.'
Most of the lighting schemes in Glasgow have been installed on buildings, monuments and structures of architectural or historic interest using traditional methods of lighting, the aim being to enhance the architectural character of individual buildings and to reinforce areas of high townscape quality. Within these traditional sandstone areas the lighting schemes complement the architectural quality of individual buildings.
The modern buildings, however, have presented different challenges and have required a more innovative approach, for example using colour, fibre optics, LED or neon to create character where no distinctive character exists. In some instances the lighting scheme has incorporated or constituted public art such as Peter Hurrel's 'The Rings' in Buchanan Galleries.
Much of the onus on designing modern buildings that incorporate external lighting has fallen on developers.
"We've been encouraging developers to think about lighting during the planning process," reveals Bury. "That is starting to come through now. I'm very encouraged that there has been this level of interest from the private sector. As we develop the Strategy we hope that they will recognise the potential of good quality, innovative lighting designed as an integral element of their projects and that the level of their involvement will increase."
Such has been the success of the Strategy that Glasgow is now looking to have a Festival of Light at the end of November 2005 like their counterparts in Turin and Lyon. All three cities are initiators of LUCI (Lighting Urban Community International), an organisation for like-minded cities interested in light inaugurated three years ago. City membership of this forward thinking association now numbers 28 worldwide and Glasgow is a member of its Executive Committee and is Chair of the Culture and Lighting Commission.
With just one exception, everyone in Glasgow appears to have welcomed the lighting strategy with open arms. The only negative has been the reaction of those concerned with light pollution, quite naturally, and this doesn't just apply to Glasgow.
"However, we try to design our schemes so they comply to ILE criteria," states McDermott. "It's in nobody's interest to produce glare or spill light and none of the schemes operate all night long.
So has the Lighting Strategy helped with the regeneration of Glasgow?
Glasgow has invested heavily in the public realm with streetscape works. Lighting is an extension of this.
"There haven't been any studies but I think the Lighting Strategy has helped attract people back into Glasgow City Centre. Now that we have a critical mass of projects I think it's time to ask our Citizens' Panel what they think," says a confident John Bury.
In delivering the Strategy three main themes have been developed:
The Lighting Strategy is different to other strategies where they have concentrated on city centre buildings in that Glasgow's strategy covers the whole city.
The Strategy has also benefited the landmarks of the city, giving familiar buildings a dramatic facelift, whilst teasing important landmarks out of the civic shadows.
The Strategy includes a Lighting Art strategy as a sub-component to look at how Glasgow can develop the potential of lighting art. Existing examples in the city have ranged from innovative and imaginative use of colour on structures which may not normally be considered for lighting such as Cranhill Water Tower (mondo*arc's very first cover story back in 1999), coloured light within common stairwells of new housing, temporary installations such as Leni Schwendinger's illumination of the Maryhill Locks during 1999, and festive or seasonal lighting displays.