Apart from its aesthetic appeal, the company also wanted to introduce an element of 'entertainment' into the garden area, so Geoff Jones, the veteran of numerous architectural lighting schemes, from the illumination of Merseyside Police Station to the Tyne Bridge, set to work. As always, there was a budget, but Jones was able to bring some elasticity into this, convincing his client of the long-term value of taking certain routes to achieve specific design objectives. The building features three integral structural cone shapes, which Jones took as a starting point. He highlighted these using a combination of Coef Sirio 120 CYM colour-changing fixtures and Marlanvil S150 asymmetric floods with Blue Colourite HIT lamps. For contrast, the cones are lit from behind with 6ft double fluorescent tubes, covered in pink gel.
Two further Sirio 150s are mounted on bespoke lamp-posts within the seated garden area to introduce dynamic to the space. There was also a security aspect to lighting the seating area, so Jones specified nine exterior floodlights, containing 20W folded fluorescent bulbs, complete with protective guards. These are mounted in the low wall around the garden. In the corner of the garden, the three large trees are lit with Marlanvil M250 asymmetric floods fitted with green Colourite lamps.
This is the second Late Night Bar lighting scheme that i-Vision has completed. The first was in Manchester's Piccadilly area located within a grand Victorian building. The electrical installation for both Manchester and Warrington venues was undertaken by Pat Whelan, a long-term colleague of Jones.
(Ruth Rossington)
