Beacon by Lee Broom for London Design Festival 2025
PROCUCED AND SUPPORTED BY BROKIS AND MATERIALS ASSEMBLE
The light installation Beacon, now part of the London Design Festival 2025 and the upcoming Winter Lights has lit up the placa in front of the Royal Festival Hall in Southbank.
Positioned at the entrance of the Royal Festival Hall on London's Southbank, the installation draws inspiration from the area's iconic Brutalist architecture and the legacy of the 1951 Festival of Britain, once heralded as a "beacon of change." Made using a special fusing technology developed to upcycle discarded glass fragments, it reinterprets classic street lamps to form the structure collectively resembling a vast sculptural chandelier.
Sustainability and Design
The glass components were created using recycled shards of handblown glass. Fused into panels, they were then cut with a water jet and formed to achieve a textured surface. The finished glass segments underwent final treatment to ensure a soft matt finish and resistance to breakage.
The installation has been sustainably constructed so its components can be repurposed into individual light fixtures after de-installation, ensuring both beauty and longevity. As a major piece of public art, Beacon has been conceived not only as a design installation but as a shared experience in the public realm, one that is open, accessible, and intended for all.
Sustainability and Design
The glass components were created using recycled shards of handblown glass. Fused into panels, they were then cut with a water jet and formed to achieve a textured surface. The finished glass segments underwent final treatment to ensure a soft matt finish and resistance to breakage.
The installation has been sustainably constructed so its components can be repurposed into individual light fixtures after de-installation, ensuring both beauty and longevity. As a major piece of public art, Beacon has been conceived not only as a design installation but as a shared experience in the public realm, one that is open, accessible, and intended for all.
Location and Architecture
The structure is a monumental frame supporting 91 black metal rods fitted with recycled glass shades. The installation references the Victorian Dolphin Street Lamps of the 1870s, while also drawing from the brutalist language of the site, Southbank. The glass surfaces carry the imprint of a conifer, inspired by celebrated details found on the gallery's concrete walls. Each hour Beacon comes alive with choreographed sequence of light, synchronised to the chimes of the Big Ben.
Following the London Design Festival, BEACON will remain on view as part of the Winter Lights Festival at the Southbank Centre, from 13 September 2025 until 2 February 2026.
Sustainability
BROKISGLASS products are certified per the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Following successful completion of the process, an internationally recognized Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) was issued. This comprehensive document provides measurable data on the environmental impact of the products throughout their life cycle.
4.9 × 3 × 4.9 m
DIMENSIONS (W × H × D)
292 pcs
GLASS PANELS
584 kg
TOTAL GLASS WEIGHT
2 kg
SINGLE GLASS WEIGHT
