Prize(s) Winners in Exterior Architectural Illumination
Company BDP
Lead Designers Mark Ridler
Other Designer's names Wolfgang Buttress, Chris Lowe
Architecture Company CPMG Architects Ltd
Interior Design Company N/A
Client Nottingham Trent University
Photo Credits Nick Caville
Other Credits Wolfgang Buttress was concept artist
Completion Date 2017
Project Location Nottingham
Entry DescriptionAn artwork created by artist Wolfgang Buttress in association with BDP Lighting, using scientific research conducted by Nottingham Trent University. The lighting design creates a perpetually fluctuating, shimmering lit effect which animates the building’s façade at night.
Wolfgang Buttress:
“The facade lighting is linked to two NASA satellites monitoring the surface of the sun for solar flare activity; the Corona sculpture expresses this energy through an ever-changing fibre optic lighting system, reflecting the sun’s activity in real time on the facade of the building. Colours evolve and transform over a 26½ day period – the time it takes the sun to rotate on its axis. The profile of the aluminium extrusions are informed by the negative spaces from lace samples contained within the Nottingham Trent University lace archive.”
The installation covers a 50m x 17m area of the façade with 1160 aluminium extrusions. In amongst the extrusions are woven fibre optic tails which change colour according to the NASA data. The artwork also acts as a brise soleil to provide solar shading to increase the building performance and enhance comfort for the users.
Company DescriptionBDP is a major international, interdisciplinary practice of architects, designers, engineers, lighting designers and urbanists. Founded in 1961, we employ 1500 people, combining expertise across disciplines, locations, sectors, designing at every scale.
We are unique among lighting designers as we work across every sector with all design disciplines. This enables us to apply tried and tested techniques from one sector to innovate in another. Evidence-based design is fundamental to what we do. We design with the occupant experience in mind, supported by research-based understanding.
