The lighting design – put together by Martin Lupton, Laura Mackay and James Simpson of BDP Lighting – incorporated LightJockey, Lightcorder, Exterior 600s and 200s, MAC 700 profiles and MAC Domes.
“Because of the versatility of the products, especially the MAC 700s, we were able to create hundreds of different looks, feels and emotions on the side of the structure that we had imagined prior to commissioning,” said James Simpson. “It also allowed us to account for unexpected changes or obstructions that couldn’t be planned for, which usually would have scuttled an idea but were easily overcome using a laptop and LightJockey.”
This flexibility was a useful asset given that the locations of the fixtures changed markedly from those specified by the original brief. “We eventually got two towers that were 5m away from the tent wall and 40m apart from each other,” noted Simpson. “We asked for them to be built 14m high but ended up with something considerably taller! The luminaires were placed on the top of two platforms of these towers, where they faced the full effect of a Geordie wind and survived. In reality, the positions were too close to be ideal, but the versatility of the MAC 700s enabled us to cope with this constraint.”
“It was a great pleasure to be involved with the project and indeed the BDP design team,” Martin Professional managing director Tony Browne told II. “Opportunities like this, with the intended audience, do not come along very often, so we were glad we did not miss out and were able to help. At the same time we wanted to let people know that exterior lighting does not have to be the usual mundane ‘wall washing’ that unfortunately we see all too often on the country’s buildings. It is possible to introduce a dynamic element to enhance and bring a building to life after dark. Coupling this with an element of lighting control can also make the whole scheme that much more efficient – not something that is possible with the usual static designs so often promoted. It is great to see that our years of experience in the entertainment industry are now being put to good effect in the architectural world.”
While Martin Professional provided the lights, the infrastructure of cables and components was supplied by Gateshead-based Stage Electrics.
PICTURE: James Simpson
