Hi Tech & Digital Skills Centre, UK

Michael Grubb Studio were appointed by South Devon College to work in collaboration with LHC Architects to design a dynamic exterior lighting scheme for the new Hi Tech & Digital Skills Centre.

The lighting scheme was created within the context of a wider masterplan and the site is located on the main college campus.  The new centre provides additional capacity to meet the growing demand in hi-tech engineering, digital & creative media and computing.

The new building features a curved and perforated, bronze finished aluminium brise soleil-clad facade. This impressive detail is elevated above the glazed ground floor entrance, spanning from the first to third floor levels.

The lighting scheme is driven by the requirement to enhance the architecture and usability beyond the daylight hours, to encourage movement throughout the campus, create a distinctive lit environment and showcase the creative technological purpose of the new building.

Multiple lighting tests and prototypes were developed by Michael Grubb Studio and LHC Design, to determine the optimal façade mounted luminaire locations, quantities and outputs. These tests resulted in a family of colour (RGB) LED luminaires being concealed behind the perforated brise soleil base, to up light and showcase the architectural design.

A variety of specifically designed lighting sequences are programmed to control the individually addressable, coloured facade lighting. These sequences perform using the whole facade as a lighting display, animating to highlight the perforated facade and structural fins in a wide array of colours and themes.

The facade lighting control system has also been designed for use as a student teaching facility, to educate students about lighting control systems.