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There’s been a lot of love for the UK’s National Health Service over the last 18 months. Yeah, we clapped and banged pans until we were told that that wasn’t a thing any more, but people also raised money, cooked and delivered meals, offered staff tickets for things and free coffees and generally tried their best to make front line health workers feel like they were treasured and appreciated.
In terms of NHS workers’ mental health, though, there’s been a lot less that outsiders can do to help. Which is why one London architectural installation has been such a remarkable initiative and why it’s just been honoured with a prestigious international design award.
‘SOLA (Tunnel of Light)’ was created in the latter stages of the pandemic to lift the spirits of health workers. It was first installed outside Guy’s Hospital in London Bridge. It functioned basically as a giant SAD lamp, with 300 separate light sources, closely mimicking the visible wavelengths of sunlight. Placed together, the effect is parallel rays of light appearing to come from an ‘illusory sun, millions of miles away’. It certainly beats hanging around the Costa Coffee trailer in the car park.
Now ‘SOLA’ has just been awarded the annual CODAaward by the international design platform CODA WORX. It’s a great tribute to a project that has literally put the NHS in the spotlight, at a time when Londoners have never been more grateful to them. Now we just need to make it permanent, eh?
More details of the project here.
Soho’s pedestrianised streets will reopen to traffic soon.
More great buildings: Open House London 2021, our highlights.