Castle Wynd and the Castle Steps are key pedestrian routes within the heart of Inverness creating connections between Inverness Museum & Art Gallery (IMAG), the Castle, High Street, and River. Despite their importance, these routes are currently uninviting and marked with unsightly service yards, neglected buildings and poor lighting.
The proposals are designed to create a vibrant urban environment encouraging positive pedestrian activity and highlighting the links between Inverness’ most important landmarks.
The design uses illuminated ‘fins’ to aid way-finding and inspire pedestrian exploration around the city centre. The fins also serve to bring a cohesion to the streetscape and distract from urban clutter, service yards and the controversial IMAG building itself - whilst still advertising its presence as a museum and gallery.
Working with the Highland Council, Lightfolio and ThreeSixty Architecture, Bigg Design worked on overall lighting concept, visualisations (as pictured), detailed technical design and methodology.
The lighting scheme can vary from neutral white to fully animated colour change for special events. The lighting would wirelessly synchronise with the Castle lighting scheme and other sites such as the Ness Bridge to provide a holistic city centre experience.
Temporary projections enliven the castle and museum for special events
The scheme injects dynamic colour into the street and assists with way finding to the Museum whilst also screening the unsightly service yards.
The illuminating fins lead visitors down the Castle Steps to a new viewing platform overlooking the River Ness. Colour and animation is linked to the Castle lighting.