2002 – 2003 | London, UK
Light Helix
ABOUT
A playful structure suspended in the café space of the Royal Albert Hall directs and reflects light around the room in place of a more traditional light fitting.
The café space inside the Royal Albert Hall is tall and full of light, curving around the southern half of the oval concert hall. C | L’s design was for a suspended structure of cables – two 25m-long double-helices, with 74 struts and 148 circular acid-etched reflectors, spiralling through the curved space. Each reflector can pivot in two axes to reflect the light from fixtures embedded in the banquette seating down to the restaurant tables. Each strut and pair of movable reflectors is held up by a 1.5mm-diameter cable secured at a raking angle into the ceiling, while the 4mm-diameter helical cables take the horizontal forces produced by the curved plan back to the end walls of the room.
The custom-designed and fabricated glass reflectors within the stainless steel cable and rod structure are individually adjusted to reflect a gently diffused light, while highlights from the bevelled edges provide a vibrant atmosphere.
Image (left): Joe Burns
Image (left): Caroline Sohie
Location
Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
Lead Design
Carpenter | Lowings
Client
The Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
Collaborators
Softroom – London, UK
(Architect)
ARUP – London, UK
(Structural Engineer)
Date
2002 - 2003