We had the pleasure of relighting the Mirfield Station underpass as part of a renovation scheme delivering improvements across the North East and West Ridings of Yorkshire.

The brief

This initiative, which was managed by Grand Central (a train operator that’s part of the Arriva group), sought to transform the dark, unwelcoming site into a bright, safe space that passengers felt safe to use. So, we joined Network Rail, Kirklees Council and Studiotech, the company that carried out the new lighting installation, to do just that!

The solutions

We set out to offer improved, efficient LED lighting to the existing underpass, which had an appropriate output level for the area. Due to the long periods of time the site would need to be lit for (around 18 hours a day, seven days a week), we required durable, high-quality fixtures that could adapt to the project requirements.

The project also required a suitable product that could provide rich hues and texturing to compliment a detailed and lively multi-coloured mural running along one wall of the underpass, depicting the history and people of the area. The artistic creation had been delivered by a community partnership programme at the end of 2019 comprising of local schools, youth groups, the fire station and local businesses.

After many demos, site visits and discussions, we chose the Anolis Eminere® 4 RGBCW fixtures for the job. These bright, versatile and robust solutions are built to withstand the elements and offer a sleek, flexible linear design, exceptional optical performance and colour mixing capability. Plus, with a high-pressure extruded aluminium housing, they fit neatly to the underpass wall.

The final result

Thanks to these lights, which boast a narrow nine-degree beam angle, we were able to hit the brief and minimise light spillage. In turn, we were able to achieve an eye-catching installation that offers strong saturated colour variants, smooth dimming and a fine degree of colour tuning — everything you need for a dynamic feature wall.

The new and improved Mirfield Station underpass lighting has been used to mark several occasions since we finished the project. For example, it sported a rainbow in recognition of the NHS and frontline workers during the pandemic. In the future, the council will use the display to mark occasions like St Patrick’s Day and Pride, as well as matches between local football and rugby teams. The sky’s the limit with such an innovative lighting design!