At the heart of university campus life, the concourse at the University of Sheffield is divided by a 50-year-old Brutalist concrete viaduct - an original 1960’s Arup design - supporting a dual carriageway above. Over time, this public realm had become a forgotten area, characterised by fly posting, dark spaces, and poor lighting – which all offered little enhancement to university life.

Arup’s lighting designers transformed the concourse from somewhere to pass through to an important civic space within the campus in which to stay and socialise.  Our lighting design extends the use of the space after dark, promoting a feeling of safety and security while providing a dynamic night-time streetscape. The lighting scheme offers a bold simplicity  to the plaza, and a distinct identity to the university campus.

The concourse is a significant space within the University of Sheffield’s campus. Our team consulted with the university’s estates and facility management teams, the student union, and landscape and architecture designers, using light and colour to create a welcoming atmosphere for both campus and the community. As a public space, the lighting scheme was characterised by the prominent use of demountable lighting fittings and standard components, key elements that will ensure durability and easy long-term maintenance.

Transforming with light

The simple elegant lines of the concrete structure demanded an uncomplicated lighting approach, treating each face as an individual element to be in light, or shade. Colour was carefully selected to contrast surfaces and complement materials. Soft direct white light can be added at times where strong saturated colours may affect the experience of occupants; providing a neutral spectrum without compromising the visual impact.

The area around the bridge is lit using building mounted luminaires focused along the main routes. Trees are up-lit and lighting has been integrated into benches to define the concourse boundaries. This helps to aid wayfinding and removes areas of deep shadow.

Much of the success of the project has been in the detailing of the complex interfaces not visible to the casual observer. The precast concrete benches have been designed to not only conceal the lighting fixtures, but also house cables, LED drivers, event power and electrical equipment embedded within its structure.

Simple effects, such as the shadow free wash of light from the benches, were approached with care and attention. The team not only considered what the lighting will look like, but how cables will be drawn, connected and pass through the structure, as well as how this may influence the lighting design’s effect and long-term maintenance. Such precise details offer little room for error – with these being immediately visible to the human eye. This attention to detail delivers the clean lines of light that characterise the space.

Leveraging technology

To cater for the unique shape of the bridge, the team undertook a 3D laser scan of the structure. This 3D model was then used to optimise the distribution of light over the bridge and to limit the visibility of the lights to the observer. This use of technology has helped our designers to define the double curved form of the structure and enhance the luminaire design.

3D model of the University of Sheffield Concourse lighting scheme

3D models were used to optimise the distribution of light over the bridge

Mounted lights aid wayfinding for pedestrians

Revitalising the concourse

Since opening, the concourse has been used to host external events, including music gigs, launch events and an external bar. A DMX merger switch allows the union’s events team to connect a mixing desk so that the viaduct becomes an external venue.

Through a networked lighting control system, university staff can select various pre-set scenes or reprogram the lighting to celebrate specific events, such as the intramural varsity matches. A different colour pallet is provided for each day of the week, representing the branding of the student event within the student union.

The control system is mounted on the university network and can be operated remotely via a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Four operational modes have been pre-set to reflect the daily usage; winter afternoon, early evening, late evening and curfew. Each mode balances the use of white light and colour to match the activities taking place at the time.

A flexible lighting solution

The bridge is owned and maintained by Sheffield City Council. This meant that all lighting installed needed to be demountable and to not interfere or intrude with the physical structure. This would allow for it to be inspected by the council when needed. Our team worked closely with the city engineers to make sure that all materials, fixing and installation methodology were pre-approved and would not impact on long-term maintenance of the structure.

To enable easy replacement and maintenance, all lighting needed to be mechanically fixed. This led the team to create custom fittings that were instrumental to the end design of the space. Standard components were used to promote the longevity of the construction, allowing for easy replacement when necessary.

To ensure the suitability of the pieces, mock-ups and prototypes were tested onsite to challenge the robustness, ease of installation and maintenance and physical performance of the chosen luminaires.

University of Sheffield Concourse lighting scheme

A control system on the university network allows for different colour scene selection and reprogramming

University of Sheffield Concourse white lighting scheme

Large areas of white downlight have been added to create a neutral colour spectrum

The approach has brought fantastic new life and vibrancy to the area, enhanced the form and structure of the feature bridge, and created a flexible and creative way to light this impressive space.

Keith Lilley

Director of Estates, University of Sheffield