Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park,
London, UK

Our enchanting and immersive experience in light opened in 2014, in the southern part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. As part of the competition winning team led by James Corner Field Operations (JCFO) and MAKE, our lighting design supports the joyful character of the park design, as well as ensuring that users feel safe and secure, and can continue to use the facilities of the park as natural light fades. We created a dappled effect on the path, emitted from ethereal moon-like spheres suspended over the pathway, and framed by gently highlighted tree canopies on each side.
Client
LOCOG
Landscape Architects
Field Operations
Architects
Make
Main Contractor
Skanska
Exec. Lighting Designer
Michael Grubb Studio
Photographer
James Newton
 
Project Team
Mark Major, Philip Rose, Hiroto Toyoda

The centrepiece of our approach is the unique catenary system for the Promenade - the main navigation route that stretches from Orbit Plaza, home to the ArcelorMittal Orbit, through to Carpenters Lock. For us, the effect is reminiscent of light filtering through a forest canopy, and has an engaging and playful character, animating people with light and dark as they stroll along the pathway.

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The interior of each sphere is painted with a colour that gradually shifts in shades from blue to green over the length of the promenade – creating a sense of depth of field and lending aerial perspective to the vista.”

We lit routes, hubs, and open spaces for safety and sense of security, adding highlights to fun elements such as swing seats and abacus ladders, improving legibility, and assisting wayfinding. Where possible, we designed in the re-use of lighting elements from Games time, knitting these seamlessly into the park infrastructure.


Our solution was fully detailed to ‘Employer’s Requirements’ stage. Following the tender process, appointed contractor SKANSKA selected Michael Grubb Studio as the lighting designers that delivered the scheme.