Southern House pedestrian pathway at night with motion-blurred walker demonstrating functional success of custom WE-EF DAC220 catenary lighting guiding visitors intuitively from street to building, zigzag wire cable pattern creating lively pleasant atmosphere while providing efficient high-quality LED illumination, space design by LUC Land Use Consultants transforming sought-after South London business location with new attractive accessible inviting pedestrian-focused infrastructure

Southern House, Croydon

Guided by light on wire cables

A rejuvenated, attractive neighbourhood for working and living in is being created around the Southern House office complex in Croydon. Redesigned pedestrian access points connect it to its urban context. A lighting solution with WE-EF downlights on wire cables guides visitors intuitively from the street to the main building.

Southern House connecting pathway at evening showing WE-EF DAC220 LED downlights with warm 3000K color temperature creating pleasant lively light at comfortable brightness level, zigzag cable arrangement intuitively guiding visitors from George Street to main building entrance, spontaneous aesthetic inspired by hanging lanterns or fairy lights combined with Croydon tramline reference, mature tree naturally illuminated by functional pathway lighting

The 17-storey office block, dating from the 1960s, defines the silhouette of Croydon, a residential and business location that has always been sought after due to its convenient location south of London. The striking building and its surroundings have now been renovated and redesigned as part of a development that is rapidly changing the face of the city. In doing so, the space planners of the London office of LUC (Land Use Consultants) mainly pursued the goal of making the building context attractive, easily accessible and inviting for pedestrians through new pathways, greenery, flooring and furniture and, not least of all, lighting.

Southern House Croydon connecting path from George Street showing WE-EF DAC220 LED surface-mounted downlight on custom wire cable system stretched between poles with special mounting brackets developed by local WE-EF office for taut cable segments without standard sag, inspired by omnipresent overhead tramlines in Croydon cityscape, providing pedestrian access from nearby East Croydon railway station to rejuvenated 1960s 17-storey office complex in rapidly changing South London business district

Detail of Southern House landscaping showing mature trees and greenery integrated with custom catenary lighting system, WE-EF DAC220 downlights on tensioned wire cables between poles creating characteristic business card for newly-designed Croydon neighbourhood south of London, space planning by LUC emphasizing attractive inviting pedestrian-friendly environment connecting iconic 1960s office block with urban context

An important access to the main building is provided by the connecting path from George Street. Among other things, it connects the site with the nearby East Croydon railway station. LUC's lighting designers chose a custom pendant luminaire solution to illuminate this entrance. WE-EF DAC220 surface-mounted downlights were fitted with mounting brackets and attached to cables stretched between poles. Arranged in a zigzag pattern, the cables allow for a luminaire arrangement that provides lively light at a pleasant brightness level, while intuitively guiding visitors from the street to the building. The designers were inspired by the omnipresent overhead tramlines in the Croydon cityscape. At the same time, the lighting concept develops the spontaneity of hanging lanterns or fairy lights.

Southern House entrance at night showing full effect of custom WE-EF DAC220 catenary lighting system on specially engineered taut wire cables, symmetric wide-beam LED optics with CAD-optimized OLC technology providing superior glare control, warm 3000K LED creating inviting individually illuminated space as pedestrian connection between East Croydon station and rejuvenated office complex, completed 2018 for LCR Property

WE-EF technology provides the lighting at the highest level of quality and efficiency. The DAC220 LED luminaires are equipped with symmetric, wide-beam LED optics with CAD-optimised OLC® One LED Concept technology for superior light and glare control. The designers chose a pleasant warm-tone of 3000 K as the temperature colour. Since the planners wanted cable segments that were as taut as possible, in contrast to standard cable installations which have a certain amount of sag, the local WE-EF office developed a special solution for poles and cable mounts. The result is an inviting, individually illuminated space situation as a characteristic “business card” of the newly-designed neighbourhood.

Southern House connecting pathway at night demonstrating custom WE-EF DAC220 surface-mounted downlights adapted as catenary pendants on specially engineered taut wire cables with custom mounting brackets, symmetric wide-beam OLC One LED Concept optics providing superior glare control in warm 3000K, zigzag pattern inspired by Croydon tramlines and hanging lanterns creating inviting individually illuminated space guiding pedestrians from street to rejuvenated 17-storey office block, designed by LUC Land Use Consultants as characteristic business card for rapidly changing neighbourhood

Credits

Completion: 2018 Client: LCR Property Landscape architecture: LUC Land Use Consultants, London Photos: James Newton for WE-EF

Loading related products...