The use of wooden columns within city centre regeneration schemes is not unheard of, but remains uncommon. Moreover, as the new lighting scheme on Amhurst Road and Pembury Circus in Hackney, north London shows, their use speaks volumes about the way municipalities are working to rethink, and rebalance, their urban spaces
The London Borough of Hackney has since 2023 been pushing ahead with a Hackney Central Town Strategy designed to make this vibrant, multicultural part of north London greener, safer and more welcoming.
A key part of this has been the ongoing transformation of the busy intersection of Amhurst Road and Pembury Circus. Historically, Amhurst Road has functioned as a heavily trafficked urban corridor, creating separation between surrounding residential neighbourhoods and Hackney Central overground and town centre.
Since 2024, however, the space has been regenerated and refreshed, including with wider pavements, new plantings and, critically, a new street lighting scheme comprising 35 10m-high and 28 5m-high wooden columns.
SUSTAINABILITY AND SOFTNESS
The scheme, led by the design team from Studio Dekka for Hackney Council with columns supplied by Valmont, has created a space – still right in the heart of London of course – that now emphasises sustainability and softness rather than the more hard-edged, bustling ambience you might expect of this sort of area.
‘The project area – Amhurst Road and Pembury Circus – had been identified by Hackney Council for a while as somewhere where they were interested in rebalancing the space,’ explains John Harrison, director at Studio Dekka.
‘It was a really heavily congested bus route, lots of HGVs, lots of traffic. Yet it also intersects with a vibrant town centre and residential area – so it also is, or should be, a place for people.
‘The old lighting was very much road-oriented 10m columns, standard black. While that is fine for most circumstances, because they were making such a big investment in the green corridor, Hackney wanted a scheme that could respond to that,’ he adds.
The new 10m Valmont columns have upper arms at 8m above the ground (at 2,300mm length) and then lower arms (of 1,400mm) at 5m above the ground. The luminaires for the columns were supplied by WE-EF, as it was important when developing the specification for the scheme to ensure a high-quality light output and optical control, as well as connectivity with Hackney’s CMS, he continues.
Crucially, while the higher arm still illuminates the carriageway, the lower arm is directed to focus on pedestrian traffic. Colour temperatures have been chosen at 2700K, so creating a much warmer and inviting space for pedestrians and cyclists.
‘The previous alignment of the columns created something of a canyon down the middle,’ explains John. ‘It was a standard opposite arrangement, which focused light down on to the carriageway and did not really light backwards on to the pedestrian or on to the full width of the pavement. And it certainly did not light underneath the tree canopy.’
‘One of the main challenges, therefore, was to rebalance the light levels for the vehicular and the pedestrian, making that balance-shift more towards the pedestrian,’ agrees Chantelle Stewart, director at Studio Dekka. ‘The client was amazing to work with; it was a real collaboration with Hackney, I cannot emphasise that enough.
‘When we were talking about any design challenges it felt like we were working together on it; it was never an either/or decision. We worked closely on things like the positioning of the columns, the alignment and placement of columns, and understanding what we were trying to achieve,’ she adds.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
The project as a whole is still not fully complete, meaning community feedback is as yet relatively minimal. But, points out Anish Samani, the anecdotal feedback so far has been hugely positive. Now a consultant specialising in architectural lighting structures (and currently undertaking the ELD), Anish previously worked on the scheme for Valmont.
‘It is the sustainability aspect of using wooden columns that stands out for me, turning spaces into places, creating destinations,’ he tells Lighting Journal. ‘Not too many people, still, are aware of the potential of wooden columns. There can be a lot of preconceptions around using wood – fears around the maintenance side of things, for example. But when you educate people, you can get some amazing projects coming about.
‘Last time I was on site – and I was taking some photos of the columns – I was approached by a number of members of the public to say how much they liked them. They said it had made the space feel better, which is very positive,’ he adds.
WIDER CITY REIMAGINING
While wooden lighting columns are of course not unheard of within urban lighting schemes, Hackney’s approach to Amhurst Road and Pembury Circus does speak more widely in terms of how many municipalities are rethinking and reimagining their urban spaces.
Indeed, Chantelle points to the fact the scheme has been shortlisted within the NLA [New London Architecture] Awards 2026 speaks volumes. ‘It definitely is a focus in the city – how we can help pedestrians and cyclists feel as safe as possible after dark. At Amhurst Road, with the traffic restrictions during the day, there is a lot less traffic. The area is quieter, while the aesthetics of the timber the soft, tactile nature contributes to a greener feeling within this incredibly urban environment during the day. The warm colour temperature of the light further emphasises this after dark,’ she says.
‘It has in many ways being an extraordinary project. The client was really open-minded to the idea of timber, which was fantastic. They hadn’t even considered it before we put it in front of them but it just felt like the right option,’ adds Chantelle.
‘The Amhurst Road scheme demonstrates how innovative lighting design can improve the public realm while complementing the character of the local area. We will continue to explore sustainable materials and new lighting technologies where they offer clear benefits, while ensuring that safety, energy efficiency, value for money and long-term maintenance remain key considerations,’ agrees Arshad Iqbal, principal engineer at Hackney Council.
‘It is the ambition for lots of cities to be more sustainable and feel greener – a shift we support. Council lighting budgets are being stretched more, which is why longevity and quality are key, while also ensuring parts will be easily upgraded in the future.
‘The focus can also be less about the vehicle, more about the people, the place, and sensitively balancing that,’ adds Chantelle in conclusion.
This is an abridged version of the article that appears in the November-December edition of Lighting Journal. To read the full article, simply click on the page-turner to your right.
Photograph: Anish Samani
