Opera House Lane, Wellington











































Wellington City Council approached S&T to work on a lighting installation for Opera House Lane. The project was part of an initiative to make Wellington’s urban spaces livelier and safer.
S&T’s lighting designer, Pontus Hammarbäck, took on the challenge to revitalise the lane and make it more appealing by installing colour-changing, movable light fittings capable of creating a playful and interactive environment. Pontus also used light to draw attention to a Kaynemaile chandelier made from a locally invented material which was used as a lightweight alternative to chainmail in The Lord of the Rings films.
As lighting design is a relatively new field in urban environments, it was a great opportunity to creatively reinvent this once ‘dodgy’ alleyway into a space for pedestrians to pass through and enjoy the magic of the lights.
Awards
- Royal Astronomical Society New Zealand, Award of Excellence, 2014
- IES Lighting Design, Award of Excellence, 2014
- Nominated for city.people.light People’s Choice Award, 2014
- Awarded city.people.light: Special Mention, 2014
- Short listed in Lighting Design Awards (LDAwards) International Project (Exteriors) category, 2015