Intu Shopping CentreDerby

Intu is a large indoor shopping complex in the centre of Derby, containing over 200 retail units.

Kemps were recently approached by contractor Hatmet who were working on an interior refurbishment of the space.

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The brief

Working from Hoare Lea’s lighting designs, the challenge was to create a series of woven aluminium spheres (or halos) that were to be illuminated, suspended from the shopping centre’s ceilings. These halos were 5 x 7m and 1 x 5m in diameter respectively.

The brief also specified a 4m high globe made from the same fabricated woven aluminium. Each structure incorporates illumination by Kemps’s Luxeon RGBW LEDs, all DMX controlled to create stunning displays of colour at various times of the day.

An exciting spectacle

Not only do the changing colours add atmosphere, but they also create an exciting spectacle, drawing visitors’ eyes to the impressive structures above.

The installation was carried out by Hatmet and Birchalls Electrical, with Kemps providing on-site assembly of each fitting, including testing. Once set up, the structures were lifted into position by Birchalls using specialist equipment.

Escalator areas

Finally, Kemps were also required to supply the LED illumination for the triangular back-lit panels that were installed within the escalator areas throughout the centre. For this we used our Proteus product, made with OSRAM 2700K LEDs.

The concept for this project was complex and provided some interesting challenges for our designers and engineers. The framework needed to fit within specific weight restrictions, so there was only one material we could use; Aluminium.

We produced full size MDF formers that our engineers used to shape the slow curve of each halo. The strips of Aluminium also had to be interwoven, so clever fabrication methods were needed to ensure the halos didn’t lose their shape. We neatly dressed the weld joints for minimum visibility to avoid detracting from the overall appearance.