At the £850 million Station Hill redevelopment in Reading, a new public artwork is redefining the arrival experience between Reading Station and the town centre. Royals, Residents & a Rock Festival, created by designer Stuart Melrose and artist Kev Munday, is a 50-metre illuminated mural fabricated using HIMACS solid surface, celebrating the people, places and cultural identity of Reading.

Commissioned by Lincoln MGT JV and curated by placemaking agency Futurecity as part of a £1.5 million public art programme, the installation forms a key pedestrian gateway within the development. Positioned in a high-footfall urban setting, it transforms a transit corridor into a distinctive civic destination that combines storytelling, art and infrastructure.

The project required a material capable of supporting both ambitious visual expression and long-term performance in a demanding external environment. Exposure to weather, continuous pedestrian movement and the need for sustained visual clarity placed stringent requirements on durability, stability and finish quality.

HIMACS was selected for its ability to meet these challenges while enabling creative freedom at scale.

Using HIMACS Opal from the Lucent Collection, the design achieves a refined translucent effect that allows more than 100,000 individually addressable LEDs to illuminate the artwork with exceptional uniformity and colour precision. By day, the mural presents Kev Munday’s bold graphic language; by night, it transforms into a dynamic illuminated composition with evolving colour sequences and animation.

Beyond its visual impact, HIMACS delivers the performance required for public realm applications. Its thermoformable, non-porous, durable and repairable surface ensures long-term resilience in exposed environments, while its seamless jointing and fabrication enabled the complex geometries required for what Stuart Melrose describes as a “giant illuminated puzzle.”

Developed in collaboration with local historians, schools and community groups, the artwork incorporates references to Reading’s landmarks, cultural heritage and local figures. The result is a highly inclusive piece of placemaking that connects community identity with contemporary urban design.

For architects, designers and public sector specifiers, the project demonstrates how HIMACS can support ambitious civic and infrastructure projects, from public art and transport environments to façades, wayfinding and urban furniture, combining design flexibility with durability, hygiene and long-term performance.

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