1 Denison is a prestigious new commercial tower in North Sydney, designed by Bates Smart. ADesignStudio collaborated with the architect and international lighting design consultancy Electrolight to produce custom lighting for BarLume in the ground-floor lobby. We designed a rhythmic array with 90 handblown frosted glass spheres that drop three metres from the ceiling, providing a soft atmospheric glow to the café restaurant below.
Electrolight and Bates Smart had a clear visual brief for the light fitting. They wanted a 3-metre drop pendant with a faded, frosted glass diffuser. It also had to be DALI Dimmable and with a lensed LED to assist with the glare. Because the installation consists of 90 light fittings, we also had to consider installation, maintenance and LED access over the lifetime of the fitting.
Each fitting is a handblown glass sphere with a frosted fade and a lens system that conceals the LED as it illuminates the sphere below. The frosted fade is achieved by sandblasting the sphere from underneath to three quarters up, with the effect creating a sense of freely suspended light while also assisting to conceal the LED from view. Each sphere is on a 3-metre-long solid drop (locally manufactured, as they can otherwise be damaged in transport), and a special mounting system allows the glass to simply screw off and be replaced or to maintain the fitting. It’s user-friendly for anyone who needs to maintain them.
Suspended in an array of 90 fittings, the installation shines in the double-height lobby. The black- depth and reflection of the black-mirrored ceiling accentuates the repetition and rhythm of the installation and magnifies the 3-metre drop (perfectly coordinated with the surrounding screen). The number and layout of the fittings also allows BarLume staff to position tables where needed as they will receive equal illumination.
We designed the lights to be installed in three stages to assist with the building schedule. The fittings had to be installed before the mirrored ceiling and drop through pre-drilled 20-millimetre holes, so the first stage was a mounting plate and rod that would drop just below the mirrored ceiling. This enabled the lights to be installed and wired beforehand. The second stage was fixing the rods and LED with a simple mechanical fastening. Finally, when the job was near complete, the glass spheres were installed with a pre-assembled fixing ring, and a cover around each sphere shielded it from dust and debris.
Working on custom designs and installations, such as BarLume, allows ADesignStudio to continue developing lighting solutions as well as expanding our standard range. We are currently adapting this design for our standard range, and look forward to releasing a future collection.
To find out more about collaborating with ADesignStudio on custom designs and installations, please get in touch with us on +61 (02) 9311 2712 or by email at studio@adesignstudio.com.au.
