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BRIGHT IDEAS

ADesignStudio’s custom lighting installation for BarLume

Sydney, Australia

DesignStudio created a striking “I try to capture light within a material allow BarLume staff to position tables
lighting installation for BarLume, without the light source being visible,” he where needed as they receive equal
Aa café restaurant in the ground- explains. For BarLume, in collaboration illumination.
floor lobby of Sydney’s prestigious with BatesSmart and Electrolight, Alex ADesignStudio designed the lights
new commercial tower 1 Denison. The designed a handblown glass sphere with to be installed in three stages to assist
installation is a rhythmic array of 90 a frosted fade and a lens system that the building schedule. The fittings had
handblown frosted glass spheres that drop conceals the LED from view. Sandblasting to be installed before the mirrored
three metres from the black-mirrored the glass achieved the frosted fade around ceiling and drop through pre-drilled
ceiling, providing a soft atmospheric glow three-quarters of the sphere, with the 20-millimeter holes, so the first stage
to the café restaurant below. effect creating a sense of freely suspended was a mounting plate and rod that would
ADesignStudio collaborated with light. drop just below the mirrored ceiling.
architecture firm Bates Smart and Each sphere is on a 3-meter long solid This enabled the lights to be installed and
international lighting design consultancy drop, rather than a cable, with a special wired beforehand. The second stage was
Electrolight to produce the custom mounting system that allows the glass to fixing the rods and LED with a simple
lighting. Bates Smart and Electrolight simply screw off and be replaced or to mechanical fastening. Finally, when
had a clear visual brief for the light fitting. maintain the fitting. “As the fittings are the building was near completion, the
“They wanted a three-metre drop pendant quite simple to look at, we also wanted glass spheres were installed with a pre-
with a faded, frosted glass diffuser. The them to feel simple and be user-friendly assembled fixing ring, and a bag around
lights also had to be DALI Dimmable for everyone who came into contact with each sphere shielded it from dust and
and with a lensed LED to assist with the them,” Alex says. debris.
glare,” says Alex Fitzpatrick, founder and With 90 glass spheres suspended in a Working on custom designs and
designer at ADesignStudio. Because the grid arrangement, the installation shines installations, such as BarLume, allows
installation consists of 90 light fittings, in the double-height lobby. The depth ADesignStudio to continue developing
the final design had to consider the and reflection of the black-mirrored lighting solutions as well as expanding
installation, maintenance, and LED access ceiling accentuate the repetition and its standard range. The studio is currently
over the lifetime of the fitting. rhythm of the array and magnifies the adapting this design for its standard
Alex is fascinated by the technical three-metre drop (perfectly coordinated range, to be released as a future collection.
qualities of a lighting fixture and the with the surrounding screen). The dw
ambient effects of the diffused light. number and layout of the fittings also www.adesignstudio.com.au

98 Issue 242 • dw