BDP lights up Thomas More Square

BDP has recently completed a major £30m upgrade to the principal office building and public realm at Thomas More Square in London. The commercial development was originally built in the 1980s and consists of a number of office buildings connected by a large area of public space linking adjacent residential buildings with retail and public amenity.

Externally the public realm has been remodelled to include new access routes, raised levels, planting, seating and lighting. The challenge for BDP’s lighting team was to provide safe light for the high pedestrian flows but to do so in a sophisticated way without uncomfortable glare.

In the Arrival Square this was achieved with many layers of light. The entrances were refurbished to ensure  they became the primary focus and their contribution to the ambient lighting minimised other interventions. The raised planters light the space using a combination of bollards, recessed floor wash and integrated handrail lighting. Feature lighting is provided by uplighting planter walls and trees.

Secondary entrances to the estates are marked with corten portals uplit in warm light with internal soffits  using a common linear recessed motif. This creates a visual focus that aids estate legibility and provide a welcoming atmosphere.

In the Northern Square the ambient solution is via a discreet catenary system which is fully integrated with the existing structure and window cleaning cradle equipment.  The challenge was the co-ordination with the landscaping  and by avoiding overlighting, it gives focus to the feature uplighting to planters and the surrounding retail and restaurants.

The Arrival Square has seating alcoves which are deliberately left darker to encourage people to sit and socialise away from the busier areas. Timber seating has  integrated lighting to create a glow and cast patterns on the paving as well as gently illuminating its users.