The newly lit Mirfield Station underpass in West Yorkshire is the first UK installation for the new Eminere RGBW LED fixtures from architectural lighting brand Anolis – a Robe business – with 16 luminaires installed as part of an improvement works scheme undertaken by train operator Grand Central and partner JMD Rail Ltd. in conjunction with Kirklees Council and Network Rail.
The new lighting transforms the previously dull, moody, and uninviting dark space on Station Road beneath the railway tracks – through which passengers must pass before accessing the station – into a vibrant, welcoming, contemporary, and comfortable space.
The Emineres were specified by lighting designer Kevin Dugdale from Winchester-based Designs for Lighting, who is a specialist in street and public space lighting.
Kevin has been working as a consultant to Kirklees Council, the organisation overseeing the improvement works in and around the station, and the lighting scheme was developed closely with the late David Wilson and representatives of Network Rail.
Kevin drew up the lighting design, which also involves two rows of neutral white LED ‘general’ lighting and considered several options to get a desired colourful effect running down one side of the underpass’ brickwork.
The coloured lighting effect needed to provide rich and bold hues and texturing to compliment a detailed, bright, lively, multi-coloured mural running along the opposite side of the underpass depicting the history and people of the area. The mural was delivered by a community partnership comprising schools, youth groups, the local fire station, assorted businesses, and Mirfield Station at the end of 2019.
The Eminere was chosen for its brightness, versatility, rich and beautiful colours and its quality made-in-Europe engineering, as well as for the “outstanding” support that Kevin received from the Anolis UK team throughout the tender and specification process, a process project managed for Anolis by Phil Howard.
This involved demos and site visits, lots of discussion and a series of imaginative and sensible solutions. “The input, the ideas, practical offerings and overall customer service from Anolis was excellent,” he stated.
While they wanted a fixture that could also offer an excellent white, colours were a defining criterion as the current default colour scheme during the Covid-19 Pandemic is a multicoloured rainbow look in support of the NHS and frontline workers.
The Emineres are also pre-programmed into a range of colour combinations to celebrate occasions like St Patricks Day, Pride, etc and to reflect Grand Central’s corporate colours, and of course, more recently ‘NHS blue’ in support of health, care and essential workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 16 x 1.2 metre Eminere strips are fixed neatly and securely to the top of the wall along one side of the underpass.
The new Eminere Luminaires are designed for multiple exterior and indoor applications and are available with a variety of lens options to cover a range of requirements. For this installation, narrow lenses were chosen to tightly focus the light and ensure the installation is eye-catching and has good impact. The 18-bit colour mixing ensures smooth dimming and a fine degree of colour tuning.
Studiotech from Manchester carried out the installation, programming and commissioning element of the project, incorporating an Osram EQ system to control the lighting.
