Lighting the Elizabeth Line: Design Beneath The City

Drawing on Future Designs’ role in creating bespoke LED lighting systems for Crossrail, the talk will explore how technical design shaped the lighting experience across Tottenham Court Road station and the wider network. The presentation will spotlight the development of their two pioneering luminaires; IKON and PLINTH, all designed specifically to meet Crossrail’s subterranean infrastructure. Very few existing suitable LED fittings met Crossrail’s specific requirements, prompting Future Designs to engineer entirely new solutions capable of delivering high output with low maintenance. Attendees will gain insight into the design philosophy that guided the project: using the station’s light‑grey, matt‑textured, glass‑reinforced concrete to reflect light and enhance spaciousness, rather than drawing attention to the luminaires themselves. The talk will unpack the rigorous prototyping process- over 350 hours of thermal testing for IKON’s bespoke heatsink, and the safety‑critical engineering behind PLINTH’s IP68‑sealed glass panel, capable of withstanding a 1000N load. Set within the Soho Design District programme, this session positions Tottenham Court Road as a live case study in designing for public experience, offering the audience a behind‑the‑scenes look at how Future Designs helped shape the visual identity of London’s newest railway.