The new Battle of Britain Memorial on London's Victoria Embankment has been lit using Roblon Fibre Optic fittings supplied by the Light Projects Group. The Memorial was sculpted by Paul Day with Architects Donald Insall Associates.
The lighting was specified by Phoenix Large (a Lightmatters company) and it was decided that Fibre Optics would provide the perfect solution for this application where high quality effective lighting, coupled with low maintenance was required.
The fittings were supplied by Light Projects Group and included several 150W Metal Halide light generators with 4.5mm and 6mm diameter PMMA fibre optic cables. The individual light points comprise recessed, adjustable eyeball fittings in stainless steel, with a vandal resistant toughened front glass. Two different sizes were used overall; the large fitting using a 26mm lens for tight spotlight focusing, while the smaller fitting using a 12mm lens for general light washing.
In addition to the lighting canopies, Metal fabricators Woodhouse supplied custom made Cranked Bollards to house the lighting at ground level. The fittings used were similar to the overhead canopies but with slightly larger diameter fibre ends and a mix of different lens sizes to control the light create the desired effect. All the fittings were designed specifically for the memorial to be vandal resistant and give the flexibility and control needed to create the desired lighting effect which had been mocked up in the bronze-work foundry.
The projects Structural Engineers were the Clark Smith Partnership and the main contractor was Stonewest. The Memorial was commissioned by the Historical Society and funded solely by donations.