A thriving urban environment depends upon many factors and details. Some of them are pedestrian shortcuts and underpasses, which help people commute daily. Six underpasses on crucial locations and traffic crossings had been neglected for decades and were thus in bad shape. People were reluctant to use them, so the city government applied the renovation project to EU funding, and the design process began.

Since the underpasses have no natural light, lighting design becomes a crucial tool that helps people feel pleasant and safe while walking through it. The tailored approach in this project resulted in a custom-made lighting system to bring additional aesthetics into the space besides safety and security. Each underpass has interpreted a theme as a visual translation of the styles by famous artists or recognizable patterns like the one on a metro map.

The custom design of the fixtures included an intense collaboration with the manufacturers, as every fixture was developed for each space accordingly. The energy-efficient solutions rely on a centralized control system and occupancy sensors.

Now, the pedestrians use the underpasses with much greater comfort, and the reactions and comments confirm that the initial goal has been well addressed and successfully achieved.

Photo: Marko Mihaljevic

Events

Polesano Bollard presented at Light+Building 2024