Old, new, dark blue - the art of lighting of footbridges

Like the design and engineering of bridges, lighting design is both an art and a science; it aims to provide a creative solution to what is often perceived as a technical problem. In so far that any footbridge needs the application of artificial light during the hours of darkness, its illumination must be carefully considered. This is not only to meet the requirements for safety, security and accessibility but also to ensure that its form is properly revealed. There are also the considerations of the impact that any lighting equipment may have on the appearance of the bridge by day, access for maintenance, potential environmental impacts such as light pollution, capital and running costs – the list goes on. A successful lighting scheme might therefore be seen as one that successfully balances a number of design constraints to achieve an optimum solution. At the same time it is often the case that the very best designs also possess a little bit of ‘magic’ that help elevate the project to become a special experience - not only for the people using the bridge but also those viewing it from afar. This article briefly looks at the background, approach and key design criteria that are required to be considered when illuminating footbridges. It also touches on the way that changes in technology are allowing much greater integration of the lighting into the design of footbridges as long as provision is made for the light early within the design process. Finally it looked at some examples of how lighting has been applied through four cases studies – old, new, dark and blue.

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