In July 2013, Wellington City Council approached S&T to work on a lighting installation for Opera House Lane. The project is part of an initiative to make Wellington’s urban spaces livelier and safer.

S&T’s lighting designer, Pontus Hammarbäck, took on the challenge to revitalise the lane and make it more appealing by installing colour-changing, movable light fittings capable of creating a playful and interactive environment. He also used light to draw attention to a Kaynemaile chandelier made from a locally-invented material that was used as a lightweight alternative to chainmail in The Lord of the Rings films.

As lighting design is a relatively new field in urban environments, it was a great opportunity to creatively reinvent this once ‘dodgy’ alleyway into a space for pedestrians to pass through and enjoy the magic lights.

Awards:

• Royal Astronomical Society New Zealand, Award of Excellence, 2014

• IES Lighting Design, Award of Excellence, 2014

• Nominated for city.people.light People’s Choice Award, 2014

• Awarded city.people.light: Special Mention, 2014

• Short listed in Lighting Design Awards (LDAwards) International Project (Exteriors) category, 2015

• Lighting Design Awards, Highly Commended for the International Exterior Project of the Year, 2015

• IES North America Illumination Awards, Award of Merit, 2015