A High-Traffic Underpass Lighting Makeover

The Gosford Street Underpass in the city of Coventry serves as a prime example of how the right lighting can transform an underpass from dark and gloomy to bright and welcoming. This key pedestrian link between Coventry University and the City Centre is used by hundreds of students, residents, and visitors every day. As part of a £7 million plan to re-invigorate the area, the Coventry City Council upgraded the underpass lighting—creating a rainbow of color that welcomes all pedestrians while increasing safety.

Color was a major factor for the council, which wanted to do more than simply boost illumination. It wanted to enhance the area by creating a new, more vibrant ambiance at night. To bring more color, light, and life to the underpass,
LITE Architectural—a leading LED lighting solutions provider based in Lancashire, UK—selected Color Kinetics Graze Powercore luminaires for this high-visibility project. Installed along the length of the underpass, Graze fills the cement underpass with bright, controllable light.

Graze provides the powerful punch needed to cover a large area, as well as the rugged reliability needed for a high-traffic exterior location. And Powercore—Color Kinetics’ patented, proven power management system—streamlined installation in this busy area, since the Graze luminaires could be connected to line voltage via Data Enabler Pro.

While the initial vision called for a rainbow of colors to welcome people to the area, the underpass lighting is flexible and can be adjusted at the touch of a button. Colors can be tuned to major holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and the Chinese New Year. This safe and inviting path to the heart of Coventry has proved very popular with pedestrians, who often capture the beautifully lit Gosford Street Underpass in social media posts. And Graze Powercore continues to provide flawless performance year after year, inspiring additional lighting upgrades throughout the area.