The Glass Mill Leisure Centre is part of the Renaissance mixed-use development in Lewisham, masterplanned by Assael Architects for Barratt London. The scheme includes a public leisure facility and swimming pool, supported by a cultural strategy that embedded art and creative practice into the development.

Artist Phil Coy was commissioned to create a site-specific artwork responding to the building’s curved glass façade. His installation comprises approximately 1,800 coloured glass ‘pixels’ arranged in a multicoloured grid that wraps around the exterior of the building.

Backlit and sensor-driven, the façade responds to external sound - from traffic noise to the human voice - using bespoke programming to modulate colour and intensity in real time. The result is a dynamic night-time presence that transforms the building into an interactive civic landmark.

Glass Mill Leisure Centre received the Best Built Project – Community Scale award in 2014, recognised for its design ingenuity, community benefit and transformational impact on the wider area.

Photography by Ron Bambridge