Customer Service Centre Stevenage - Britain's First LED Ceiling

Future Group Lighting Design were asked to design an airy light public space replacing twelve smaller centres allowing a single point of call for those contacting the local council.


The architect designed an series of concentric arcs in the ceiling. The detail of the section was small, precluding the use of conventional light sources, so a new way of lighting was needed. 2500 LED's were hidden into the arcs via a specially detailed system, the lighting altering depending on the ambient light conditions outside. (See below)

Morning

Early Evening

The public area is bounded by a glass wall allowing the view of the call centre. Above the glass, is a small cyclorama that represents the sky altering from daylight; light blue and an evening blue, through out the day, depending on the light levels outside. The colours of the LEDs in the ceiling arcs mimic these changes in a subtle non glitzy way.

Cold cathode was used for the changing "sky" effect and the flank walls were also washed, both in the public and call centre areas, to bind the spaces together especially if visitors have to be there for some time.

The use of tungsten halogen, to emphasize the reception desk and future motifs on the glass screen, was enhanced by a technique to prolong the life of the lamps by intelligent transformers using negative feed back technology.