Creative design studio Urban Scale Interventions has created an immersive lighting piece and soundscape in Belfast’s historic ‘Entries’ using 3D printing and recycled filament. Made up of 43 suspended ‘ocean orbs’, the lighting piece is the result of a contract won by USI in 2020 to reimagine the city’s central vision to lighting. The orbs were created using Ultimaker S5 3D printers and recycled PETG filament from Filamentive, and were designed to improve safety in the area and reflect the historic significance of the site. The Entries are still used today as cut-throughs and gathering spaces for outdoor dining by bars and restaurants, although over the years they have experienced antisocial issues and irregular lighting. In 2019, the Belfast City Council began a new strategy to establish a ‘placemaking’ approach to lighting the city’s Entries, and worked with USI to develop a co-designed vision for lighting the city. USI turned to 3D printing to bring their immersive lighting installation to life due to the increased flexibility allowed by the technology to design the bespoke orbs and test prototypes. The S5 was originally launched in April 2018 for professionals using 3D printing for prototypes, tools and end-use parts, and was also given the green light for medical 3D printing applications.

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