BARBICAN CENTER, Food Hall & Lounge
London, UK
Design Practice – SHH

PSLab collaborated with architects and designers SHH to create lighting products for two new restaurants within the Barbican Centre.

PSLab answered a brief from SHH to make the most of the location in order to bring the Centre’s food and beverage offer up to the level of the Barbican’s long-established reputation.

PSLab served both as lighting designers and manufacturers on the project, which encompassed the Barbican Foodhall, the Barbican Lounge, as well as the outdoor terrace spaces.

Design Walkthrough - Barbican Foodhall

PSLab has created a site-specific treatment for the project with light fixtures which were conceived to suit the ‘rough’ style of the building fabric and also to abide by the restrictions encountered within a listed building.

The ground floor is spatially divided into multiple seating areas by means of low ceiling levels; due to the duct system and various seating layouts, PSLab accentuated this division by breaking the space using vertical elements throughout, whilst maintaining the idea of transparency and light. Floor-to -ceiling shelving structures were developed, holding multiple glass jars housing energy-saving light bulbs. The lacquered steel metal structure complements the roughness of the space.

The jar-shelving structures were then adapted into ceiling suspended modules to provide functional light.  Smaller modules of these shelves were repeated into wall-mounted fixtures over the seating booths.

In the two remaining sections, PSLab developed black steel tubes fixed on the coffer edges, extending downwards to shed light over the tables

Design Walkthrough - Barbican Lounge

For the bar area, PSLab inserted black steel hoops, each carrying a clear halogen bulb topped with a brass circular reflector,  reflecting and directing the light.  The longitudinal perception of the bar is highlighted by the repetition of the hoop-like insertions and their reflection in the glass façade of the terrace, acting as a mirror. 

Over the dining area, PSLab developed a series of hoop chandeliers equipped with directional projectors within the fitting, making it functional for the dining space.