PLS 2015: In the shade
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Light is fundamental to our visual experience of the world and a major factor in determining quality of life. Tom's research into an overlooked and underlit inner-city community resulted in the publication of 'In the Shade'. Hear how this research demonstrates how light - or lack of it - can be a divisive issue in residential areas that are shared by diverse communities but also points to a future in which new lighting technology can integrate more flexibly with urban infrastructure. Not to be missed. Talk by Tom Jarvis, Industrial Designer
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PLS 2015: In the shade
- 3. Piccadilly Circus London (Commercial) Arnold Circus London (Residential)
- 5. The Boundary Estate London
- 6. 18921901
- 7. 11:00 SUNDAY
- 8. 19:00 SUNDAY
- 16. A Nightime Neighbourhood Network could open up paths through a darker city via nodes of activity and participation.
- 18. Local shops and cafes Play areas Seating Gardens Bus stops
- 19. Before After
- 25. Before After
- 29. Tube Clamps
- 31. Bike Rack Bollard Bench
- 32. Tube light Tube clamps Luminaires+ =
- 42. For information on the TubeLite contact: Simon White: simon.white@paviom.com Paviom: www.paviom.com
Editor's Notes
- Hello my name is Tom and I am an industrial designer. A few years ago, I worked as a research associate at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design in London. The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design is based at the Royal College of Art, and aims to undertake design research and development with industry, that contributes to improving people's lives.
- Whilst at the Centre, I was fortunate to be assigned to a project with an architect called Megan Charley to try to find new, sustainable ways to provide lighting for urban communities. The project was commissioned and funded by the Megaman Charity Trust and was supported by Paviom who worked with us as a strategic partner. We called the project In the Shade and I’ll presenting our findings to you today.
- What we have attempted to propose, is a fundamental rethink of how we light public space, as urban lighting is unevenly distributed. While there is so much light it causes light pollution in many tourist and shopping districts such as Piccadilly Circus seen in the left image, many residential areas are barely lit at all. This limits local trade and use of public space, leaving local communities literally, and metaphorically, in the dark.
- The problem of poor lighting is compounded by concerns about energy use. Many councils in the UK are updating inefficient streetlamps, or turning them off completely. This project looked beyond such simplistic solutions, and proposes a new model for city lighting, to encourage economic and social activity, and relieve the fear of the dark.
- In the first part of this project we explored East London’s historic Boundary Estate.
- This was London’s first social housing estate, built on the site of a notorious slum. Today it has an active and varied community but there is some friction between different groups on the estate, and a negative image of the area at night - conditions common to many urban residential areas.
- On a sunny Sunday, the Estate’s central garden is busy and the boutiques bustle with activity. But as dusk falls...
- the area becomes intimidating, full of shadows and shady deals.
- In order to understand what life is like on the estate, we spent time with different groups there during the day and after dark, and held workshops with local people of different ages and cultural backgrounds.
- Each group mapped the estate after dark, colourfully describing the area. They showed how the division within the community
- can be precisely drawn...
- and is accentuated after dark.
- We met Doris, who has lived on the estate since she was born, and has seen dramatic changes over the last 80 years. We were shown around the estate at night by teenagers who hang out at the estate’s bandstand after dark, because there is no lighting on the nearby football pitches.
- Our research found that people were more concerned with the quality than the quantity of light, and many thought the street lights were too bright. Most people were concerned about the estate’s social environment after dark, as the presence of groups of young men discourage women, children and older people from using public spaces.
- This situation poses an obvious question about sustainability: how can the city after dark be socially, environmentally or economically sustainable if a large percentage of the population is too afraid to use it? Perhaps the answer is to make the city at night an attractive and safe place for everybody. Then, the area’s economy is revived by busy shops and cafes, public spaces are occupied by people engaging in sociable activities, and the environment benefits from fewer cars taking people to out of town supermarkets and leisure centres.
- So we proposed a new lighting strategy called the Night-time Neighbourhood Network where brightly lit areas would exist within a dimmer cityscape, creating a necklace of lit public spaces.
- We suggested that streetlights in urban residential areas could be dimmed and rearranged to create excellent lighting conditions for pedestrian movement and interaction. This dimmer cityscape would then be punctuated by more brightly lit ‘nodes‘ as seen in this image.
- Bus stops, benches, and playgrounds would become brighter points in a ‘light skeleton’, creating safe, attractive and inclusive evening areas.
- These nodes would help wayfinding, and create a clear hierarchy and sense of security. The presence of people at each node would act as a real alternative to CCTV. As part of this lighting strategy, each node could be inaugurated by a temporary lighting event to establish the node as a social space in the evening.
- To test this idea, Megan organised a prototype lighting event that was held at the estate. Passers-by were invited to draw their faces onto oversized balloons, which they then tethered to the bandstand to show how they would choose to use the city after dark.
- She had a huge range of participants, including the intimidating looking teenagers,
- who, enthusiastically drawing silly faces on helium balloons, suddenly didn’t seem so scary.
- Modestly referred to as The Great Balloon Swap, the event created a magical environment for a few hours, bringing a diverse and divided community together in the public realm after dark.
- It showed how light can transform public spaces, and encourage different groups to share them, helping to eliminate fear through social interaction.
- Many people would like to spend time outside in the evening and the Night-time Neighbourhood Network is a transferable framework to make this more possible. We then took the project into its second stage - and I built on Megan’s research findings to develop, test and implement a lighting system that would lend itself to creating a mini night-time neighbourhood network.
- When I started on the second stage of the project, I cycled over to the Boundary Estate to have a look at the area in more closely.
- When I arrived, I tied my bike up at a bike rack and sat on a bench, in a garden, overlooking a playground, and thought... “Why build a light next to a bench when you can build one into it?
- I noticed that most of the things that I had come into contact with on the estate, including the bench, the playground and the bike rack were all made from steel tubes.
- I also noticed that the scaffolding tubes which made up these objects were joined using a system of tube clamps, which means constructions can be assembled from a kit of standard parts, without the need to weld, bend or thread the tubes.
- and so I came up with this, a scaffolding tube with an LED strip light in it, which is used in very much the same way as a regular scaffolding tube.
- The LED scaffolding tube, which comes in different lengths and outputs, can be used to create new lighting structures by using the existing library of tube clamps. Or it can be used as a light emitting structural component within existing infrastructure such as benches, playgrounds, bike racks or hand rails...just to name a few...
- In short, it’s is an addition to an existing kit of parts, which equips councils with all the necessary tools required to create multi purpose, cost effective and locally relevant luminaires.
- I carried out a number of tests with the light tubes at the Boundary Estate and met with local residents to establish which areas they would like to see lit.
- With the information received during these meetings, I approached Tower Hamlets council who took on board the requests and commissioned a lighting installation for this disused sports pitch on the estate... >>
- ....as this is what it looks like by 6pm in November. The pitch occupies an important junction on the estate, but it's most frequent users are street drinkers, prostitutes and drug dealers....
- By working with a local youth club, I set about installing two self illuminating goal posts made from the light tubes, that would not only light the pitch but also give it a purpose . The aim was to create enough light for informal football games to take place but with the light directed in such a way so as to not disturb the neighbours.....
- and this is the result. Two standard 5 a side football goals made from the lights tube.
- In July we organised a football tournament to launch this newly lit public space and welcome residents back on to the pitch, reclaiming it as their social area.
- Since installing the goal posts the pitch has seen a new lease of life and parents often come down from their flats in the evening to watch their kids play. Residents, shop owners and the local boys are all really positive about the effect the lighting system has had on the area. So much so that they have put together a petition to get more self illuminating public objects in and around the estate.
- Tower Hamlets council, the Metropolitan police and the estate’s contractors have all shown enormous support for the project. They have reported a significant difference in behaviour on the Boundary Estate since lighting the pitch. Testimonials, from both local residents and the public authorities, support our belief that if we light public spaces with low cost, low energy, technologies for local needs, people will be far more inclined to use them.
- On top of the permanent installation in East London we have published a book detailing the project. I have some copies of the book with me so if you are interested I’d be more than happy to give you one.
- I’ve also been working with Paviom to turn the Tubelite from a prototype into a commercial product, and am pleased to say that we are now ready to take orders. If you are interested please feel free to get in touch with Paviom, These are Simon’s contact details. Thank you for listening.