Lambeth London Borough Council decided to regenerate Black Prince Road, replacing its legacy lighting with LED luminaires. Michael Grub Studio were appointed to provide the creative vision and design capability for new lighting of the bridge overlooking the road.
Housing almost 30,000 people and home to the International Maritime Organisation, Lambeth is a district in Central London with a rich, ever-changing history. In the 14th century Edward of Woodstock – known as Edward, the Black
Prince – lived in Lambeth. The eldest son of Edward III of England, his presence has caused much of the freehold land of Lambeth to remain under Royal ownership to this day, with one area named after him: Black Prince Road.
Michael Grubb Studio’s chosen design was a depiction of the crystallisation of ruby, in reference to the Black Prince’s Ruby – one of the oldest parts of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. The Black Prince’s Ruby belonged to Edward of Woodstock in the 1300s and has been worn by royalty ever since.
After Michael Grubb Studio had developed the concept and brief, Schréder UK supported the implementation of this unique design. Samples were produced and used in an experimentation phase, which looked at the different materials and light sources that would create the desired effect.
The installation features a 52-metre custom red LED strip. The lighting reflected off a hammered aluminium panel onto a polycarbonate protector with vinyl custom graphics applied. 27 of the LED handrail modules were built into the base of the strip to provide the desired lighting levels needed on the road, chosen for their small size and photometric performance.
