Client Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew | Architect John Pawson Architects |
Photographer James Newton | Project Team Mark Major, Philip Rose |
To achieve the smooth shimmering effect we were after, we created a custom uplight that was recessed in the bridge deck at either side, between each bronze upright. These gently illuminate the inner surfaces of the uprights, as well as reflecting light onto both the deck and people crossing the span. Through our careful design, the source visibility is minimized and the fitting itself effectively disappears into its environment.
The Sackler Crossing is put in context after dark, thanks to the gentle highlighting we added to specimen trees on the adjacent island. Depending on the direction of approach across the bridge, these trees are either silhouetted in blue light with the front face picked out in white light, or vice versa. With the Royal Botanic Gardens remaining mainly dark at night, the bridge itself shines ethereally, as if lit by moonlight.
Explanatory Section through deck
Testing integrated lighting details