Client British Land | Date 2021-2024 |
Architect Asif Khan | Photographer Luke Hayes |
Project Team Mark Major, Benz Roos, Neville de Sa | |
The Asif Khan-designed boardwalk connects Canada Water Tube station with the emerging mixed-use development around the dock.
After dark, warm white light integrated into the balustrade washes the boardwalk's distinctive, red-stained timber, highlighting its undulating form, colour and materiality. The soft, graduated wash of light onto the deck, guard rails and exterior fins is carefully tuned and controlled so pedestrians feel safe and secure, but brightness and spill light is minimised. The lower light levels enhance the experience for pedestrians while limiting the impact on local ecology, helping them better see and connect with the newly restored wetlands. Low key lighting in the benches facilitates moments of pause to enjoy the views.
The docks area is a designated bat corridor. Working closely with the site ecologist, we developed seasonal timed adjustments to the intensity and colour temperature of the lighting to support the local bat population. In Winter when the bats hibernate, the lighting comes on at a warm white 3000K in the evening to support commuters. It then shifts gradually over a few hours, becoming much warmer and dimmer as night falls. During summer, the bats are active, and most commuting happens during daylight. When the lighting switches on late in the evening, it does so at a minimal brightness in a very warm colour to minimise any impact on the bats.
The use of timber and other eco-friendly materials reflects the importance of sustainability within the project. We chose to work with designer Asif Khan to detail the integration of individual, repairable luminaires, rather than an encapsulated fixture, in support of a circular economy.
Considering the needs of the other living inhabitants of the site, we took care to integrate, direct and shield the light, adding a custom louvre to the balustrade lighting to control the reflection of the light source in the water.
The Southern Steps and Dock Walk provides a space for people to sit by the water and enjoy the site. Supporting a natural and intimate atmosphere after dark while maintaining safety and security was our priority for this area.
We introduced high-level lighting within the planting areas to provide functional lighting for pedestrian routed, adding low-level and integrated lighting at a more human scale to layer in an inviting ambience. Highlighting the colour and texture of the planting and providing soft focus around the seating areas and across the steps encourages dwell, social interaction and enjoyment of the serenity of the wetlands.
Concept Renders