30th Jul 2009

Delivering a river of light

We were approached by Mel Chantry of Property Development Company Milligan, to undertake the manufacture and installation of an unusual light sculpture at Manchester Airport. Working for main contractors ISG, this unique 47m long 'River of Light' sculpture forms a flowing pathway above the refurbished retail and restaurant areas in Terminal 1.

"We've previously worked with Milligan on several projects within the prestigious MetQuarter Shopping Centre in Liverpool and were therefore delighted when they brought us on board for this project at Manchester Airport," said Tony Rhodes, Project Manager, Stage One.

The sculpture consisted of a series of 'mother ship' tubes suspended from the ceiling, from which thin steel arms were cantilevered out in a 'random' fashion. Attaching 71 blue EncapSulite fittings to these over the 47m length of the sculpture then created the sweeping 'River of Light'.

Our electrical workshop manufactured all the fittings to suit, resulting in a bespoke package, completely faithful to the design specification. We also undertook all of the associated rigging.

Tony concluded, "due to the restrictions of working in a fully operational airport the main challenge we faced was that we were only permitted to work at night, with the requirement that all work that was being carried out needed to fit around the other refurbishment contractors on site."