Colourful light scheme adds to playful HSBC office interior

LUX magazine | posted: 27June 2019 

The architect’s distinctive concept sees the four floorplates each adopt a theme inspired by Sheffield; industrial heritage, sporting prowess, vibrant music/arts culture and green city.

A COLOURFUL lighting scheme is complementing a distinctive interior of a new HSBC office in Sheffield.

The lighting scheme works with the interior concept to transform the speculative office into a unique and inspiring working environment. The concept considered each space on a scale of ‘corporate-to-social’; from the bright and uniform office space to the warm and textured informal social spaces.

Grosvenor House is a leased Grade A open plan office, and the newest addition to the HSBC Corporate Real Estate office portfolio.

The architect’s distinctive concept sees the four floorplates each adopt a theme inspired by Sheffield; industrial heritage, sporting prowess, vibrant music/arts culture and green city. The lighting has been designed to complement these themes, considering consistency, continuity and future maintenance.

The lighting scheme works with the interior concept to transform the speculative office into a unique and inspiring working environment. The concept considered each space on a scale of ‘corporate-to-social’; from the bright and uniform office space to the warm and textured informal social spaces.

Lighting supports the different working environments using colour and materiality. The lighting uses a considered palette of colour temperature with 4000K for formal spaces, 3000K for break-out and informal working areas and 2200-2700K for social spaces.

The use of colour has been used sparingly to provide impact in social areas through entrance portals, LED ‘neon’ signage and overtly to the atrium stairs and terrace.

The interior design removed areas of ceiling tiles, retaining the ceiling support grid, introducing challenges in setting and coordination of luminaires/services.

The lighting design delivers a flexible background ambience through a coordinated combination of recessed downlights and discrete pendants.

Decorative pendants are used to draw the eye away from the ceiling line, introducing a visual element that reflects the theme of the floorplate.
While each floor is significantly different in style, the relative positioning of lighting on each floor has been carefully considered, providing familiarity and aiding navigation.

To avoid complex maintenance, luminaires with custom finishes have replaceable internal parts, standardising LED and driver components where possible.
A custom made continuous ‘stringer light’ follows the length of the central atrium stair balustrade (approximately 60m length) providing both white floor graze and dynamic RGB accent lighting to enhance the atrium at night.