Grosvenor Square Gardens, London
BDP
Grosvenor Square Gardens, London
BDP
The sensitive illumination of Grosvenor Square Gardens in central London by BDP has won a Build Back Better GOLD Award in the 2026 lighting category.
The sensitive illumination of Grosvenor Square Gardens in central London by BDP has won a Build Back Better GOLD Award in the 2026 lighting category.
The gardens have been redesigned for only the fourth time in their 300-year history, creating an urban garden for the people of London.
The gardens have never previous been lit so after working with local resident and stakeholder groups, and it was agreed that a considered lighting scheme would facilitate extended opening hours, ultimately allowing the gardens to be enjoyed by more people, for longer.
Each distinct character area has its own lighting language.
The central oval space and paths are lit with spotlights with carefully controlled oval optics, putting light only where it’s needed.
Planting falls into darkness, important for energy reduction, reduction of spill light and the natural darkness cycles needed for plant health.
Spacing and mounting heights were calculated in the design stage to deliver a 5lx scheme with an elevated uniformity ratio around 0.4; selected for wayfinding and visually impaired visitors.
The woodland garden paths have been left unlit – a collective team decision from an ecology, energy and wayfinding perspective.
Three distinct feature lighting techniques have been used; each driven by the planting and developed collaboratively with the planting designer Nigel Dunnet and the ecologist Gary Grant.
Firefly lights from Stoane Lighting are clustered at the entrances and within the landscape to add intrigue and vertical illumination.
Stoane Amanita’s are selectively located within grasses to add downward illumination to floor covering planting.
Five Stoane Frogs uplight a curated selection of the most visually interesting trees. The ethics of uplight was much discussed; however, it was collectively felt that this small number of 5W uplights was worth including for the visual impact and was still within ILP guidance limits.
The final garden lighting scheme uses 309 fittings and is delivered for under 1kW of energy; 830W installed after commissioning and dimming is factored in.
Mature oak trees with Tree Protection Orders needed to be protected; our scheme avoided root zones altogether. The columns and spotlight spacings sit at no more than 5m FFL; below the tree canopy as pruning of trees was not permitted.
The team had 150mm topsoil depth to work within, so all cable routes were meticulously planned out and a bespoke ground anchor was designed where fittings needed to be restrained.
The two pavilions host community events and exhibitions, with a café and support spaces all designed to foster public use and interaction. Lighting is minimal, robust and integrated to create high-quality hospitality-led spaces.
Suppliers included Stoane Lighting, Meyer, Technilum, Mesh, Grosvenor, MDN and Maylim.
Photography: Tom Niven
