Since first opening its doors in 1932, the Hammersmith Apollo has staged shows from musical legends including Ella Fitzgerald, The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley and Bruce Springsteen. A venue with an illustrious musical heritage, the Apollo has featured notable performances from the Beatles who played there six times and David Bowie who laid alter-ego Ziggy Stardust to rest at the venue in 1973. Following a multi-million pound investment and a huge visual transformation by Foster Wilson Architects, the refurbished venue is now called the Eventim Apollo.

In planning for the refurbishment, there was a requirement from English Heritage to ensure the building’s listed interior was not damaged and that the Art Deco nature of the front of house spaces be retained. The vision was to work within the fabric of the original 1932 Robert Cromie-designed venue and wherever possible to restore the historical fixtures. As part of this process all existing and original Art Deco luminaires were restored whilst the original 1932 chandeliers were refurbished.

LED Light Sheet was selected for the bar tops of all six front of house bar areas, where it illuminates white frosted glass. The panels were created in sections to allow them to be fitted into the shaped bar top areas and create a homogenously lit surface. Each unit was created with an IP67 rating to protect the units from moisture ingress.

Carole Waite, Applelec business development manager said: “The slim profile of LED Light Sheet ensured it was subtly integrated within furniture fixtures to provide delicate illumination that would not interfere with the period light detailing and Arc Deco features. As a made-to-measure light source, the product could be slotted into the venue’s bar tops with ease to light the surface glass.”

Credits: Photography by Tom Cronin