MANCHESTER’S Town Hall and Piccadilly Gardens are to be illuminated for the first time over the festive period whilst the city will get a preview of the brand new ‘City Lightways’ system to be trialled on King Street.
the new system is created by suspending free-flowing fibre optic cables held aloft above the city, propelling beams and colour-changing pulses of light along the streets and above the heads of city centre visitors.
Council bosses hope to dazzle the crowds at the Manchester Christmas light switch-on (7pm Friday 8 November) event in Albert Square as the Town Hall is illuminated by 64 high-output multi-colour changing LED units with another 20 units aimed at the clock tower faces and spire.
Whilst over in Piccadilly Gardens, 360 energy efficient colour changing LED luminaires will shoot through the dancing jets of the Piccadilly Fountains over the festive period.
Perhaps more intriguing, however, is the introduction of the world-first ‘City Lightways’ fibre-optic cable system (main picture) to be trialled on King Street with the intention, all going well, of extending the new system for up to 2km around the city centre over the coming few weeks.
“The beauty of this new system”, said a Council spokesperson, “is that it is arranged in a grid pattern so it’s relatively quick and easy to install a new section and simple click it in to place. This has never been done anywhere before.”
Town Hall uplighting for the 2013 festive period
Designed by Manchester-based Walker Simpson Architects, the new system is created by suspending free-flowing fibre optic cables held aloft above the city, propelling beams and colour-changing pulses of light along the streets and above the heads of city centre visitors.
It is hoped that the ‘City Lightways’ system will become a permanent fixture across the city centre, brought into use during other key events.
John Walker of Walker Simpson Architects, said: “The brief was to challenge conventional thinking around Christmas lighting and reimagine not just how we can light the city at Christmas but at other key times of the year - as well creating a platform that can tie in to the digital and future lighting strategies for the city.
Cllr Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson, said: “Manchester will have some of the most innovative lighting in the UK, beginning with the illumination of the iconic town hall and the Piccadilly fountain, while King Street will preview the new City Lightways system that will be expanded throughout the city – not just a world first, but a galaxy first.”
Tad hyperbolic there Pat but here at Confidential we’re keen to see the 'City Lightways' King Street trial - Anything to inject a spot of life and light into the street.
