Project 6 - Edge illuminated acrylic signage

We were approached by an architectural practice who were looking for a method of illuminating a street number in the facade of a limestone clad building in the City of London. The idea was that the building number - in stainless steel - would float in a shaped cut-out in the limestone cladding and that the recess in the stone should be illuminated from within so that the numerals would be surrounded by light.


Since there would be no access behind the limestone cladding once it was in place the architects had already hit upon fibre optics as a reliable, maintenance-free form of lighting for this signage. We agreed, and suggested that the best way to ensure a good even distribution of light would be to use an edge-illuminated engraved acrylic panel. We were asked to produce a full-scale model to show the effectiveness of this form of lighting, and the photos below are of the concept demonstration model.


The model chiefly consists of a cast acrylic panel engraved with the numerals 4 and 1, fixed below a layer of mdf (to represent the limestone cladding) in which these numbers had also been cut. Slightly smaller numbers, in mirror finish acrylic to represent stainless steel, are mounted so as to be flush with the front surface of the "limestone". The light is injected into the acrylic via sheathed optical fibres.

Optical fibres are used to inject light into the acrylic panel behind the mdf facade.	By using the acrylic as a diffuser, the light is very uniform, with no "hot spots".