Designers have used light to make a new pedestrian bridge in West Yorkshire a focus for the community as well as making the turbulent post-weir water below it a sensational feature

One of the most obvious lighting responses to water is to use its reflective properties, especially where bridge lighting schemes are concerned.

But the Castleford Bridge, a pedestrian crossing which snakes across the River Aire in West Yorkshire and over the boiling waters of a weir, inspired a creative approach.

The opaque foam from the cascade presented a perfect canvas on which to direct light. Although shining light straight on to water would normally be an ecological no-no, the turbulence makes an inhospitable environment and so it was less of an issue.

‘Because the bridge is built above a cascading weir we had a bit more freedom,’ says Mike Grubb, director of lighting consultant Sutton Vane Associates.

‘It gave us the luxury of playing with the effect of the foaming water that takes light so well. Usually it’s about light bouncing off water, whereas here it’s absorbing it.’

The essentially simple scheme is stunning in its effect. Some 12 Meyer Superlight floods with 70W ceramic metal halide lamps are mounted on the underside of the structure and directed at different elements of the weir.

SVA purposely avoided coloured light to achieve a more understated affect. ‘We weren’t even tempted to use colour,’ says Grubb. ‘I liked the idea of the flowing, organic shape of the bridge and the use of natural materials. It didn’t seem right to contradict that.’

An additional reason was that it was important the bridge could be used by the whole community – a seating area rises out of the structure itself – and dynamic coloured light might have deterred older users by attracting more teenagers to use it as a congregation area.

The lighting of the bridge itself was again kept simple. A linear white LED system is integrated into the 130m-long handrails of Brazilian teak, allowing soft illumination to the deck without causing glare to pedestrians looking over the balustrades at the view.

‘The LEDs give the structure a gentle, inviting glow which emphasises the unique S-shape of the bridge and contrasts dramatically with the violence and speed of the water rushing below,’ says Grubb.

Despite the simplicity of the solution, the process which led to it was rigorous. There were concerns that the illumination of the bridge deck would be insufficient and that it might might appear dangerous or unwelcoming to pedestrians. A special lighting test at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance in Kent allowed locals to appreciate the principles behind the scheme and overcome any misgivings.

The bridge was also shown on Kevin McCloud and The Big Town Plan on Channel 4, where it was described as ‘a safe, stylish crossing for those living on the north side of the river, opening up the previously neglected riverside.’

It has won the 2009 RIBA CABE Public Space Award and a Civic Trust Award among others.

This article was first published in FX Magazine.