Unique lighting columns create an eye-catching nocturnal feature to enhance city centre redevelopment

Lisburn is the third largest city in Northern Ireland. It is the birthplace of Irish linen, which for many years was the most prominent linen producing industry in the world.
Proud of its historic identity, shapes of linen continue to be replicated in many forms throughout the city.

When Lisburn City Council decided to install a bespoke lighting feature project in the city centre, it was important that it incorporated the swirling patterns that feature so prominently across the city landscape.

Working with local architects, The Paul Hogarth Company, Schréder was appointed to supply 44 bespoke feature lighting columns to be installed in the city centre, including a nocturnal feature for the square leading to the Irish Linen Centre.

Forty of these columns are eight and ten metres high. The frame constructed from stainless steel, with a corten steel strip running through it, creates the swirling effect of linen. A strip of LEDs runs through the centre of the corten steel and each column also incorporates a cast acrylic spike at the top, which is also fitted with LEDs.

Twenty columns include an ornate cast tapered base of stainless steel, designed to display textured banding, a concept taken from the ‘threaded bobbin’ aspect of the linen industry.

All of these columns are fitted with the Teceo luminaire to light the roads surrounding the Irish Linen Centre. The sleek design of the Teceo perfectly complements the columns to provide a highly aesthetic and performing lighting solution.

The most prominent element of the project are the four 14 metre bespoke columns in front of the Irish Linen Centre. Each column is a complex structure of corten steel, stainless steel and mild, painted steel and weighs seven tonnes. They incorporate a swirling ‘ribbon-style’ feature lined with LEDs to create an eye-catching nocturnal feature.

This new lighting feature has transformed the area while capturing the rich cultural heritage of the city. The result is a truly unique identity for this historic city.