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Project Details
Tour des Archives in Rouen Illuminated with Anolis Eminere 1 Fixtures
The 89-metre tall (104 metres with antenna) Tour des Archives in Rouen, France is illuminated with 648 x Anolis Eminere1 LED lighting fixtures which were part of a 2019 renovation of the building’s media façade, a project overseen by Vincent Boulard, head of technical equipment and energy maintenance for the Seine-Maritime department.
He worked closely with François Guillet of Lumières Utiles who was appointed as the technical consultant and the person responsible for specifying an updated lighting scheme for the landmark, which has had the North and South sides clad with reinforced concrete latticed screens that were awaiting some dynamic lighting to bring them to life.
The Archives Tower was designed by architects Bahrmann, Leroy, and Dussaux and is 11 metres wide. It has graced the Rouen skyline along this part of the city and the River Seine since its inauguration in 1965, and houses 37 linear kilometres of documents spread over 27 floors. It is the 2nd highest point in Rouen after the cathedral!
Twelve years after it was initially lit - in 2007 - in a fabulous scheme by lighting designer Sylvain Bigot from Lyum, formerly Neo Light, and well-maintained by department 76 and Lumières Utiles who were responsible for the lighting control and programming, the decision was made to renovate the media façade.
François was asked to draft a set of specifications for tender that involved replacing the previous equipment and that optimised any required maintenance. While previously they had remote monitoring for the control side of the installation, this time they also wanted the same for the luminaires.
As part of the proposed tender, Francois recommended the Anolis Eminere 1 RGBW luminaires and an ArKaos media server to control the two facades.
Key goals were replacing the DMX network with Art-Net (more suitable to media facades) and simplifying the LED maintenance with the monitoring plus automatic addressing in case of needing replacement fixtures.
The overall effect would also be to improve the visual contrast and reduce the power requirements.
The Eminere 1 RGBWs provide 1000 lumens of output per lattice screen, and thanks to the Anolis LED engine and superior colour mixing, the Tower now has stronger and better vibrancy and colour saturation than ever before and can be seen from a longer distance … a living, breathing beacon of light.
Each Eminere – supplied via local Anolis distributor Éclipse Diffusion – is fitted with an E-box positioned at the base of its respective lattice screen and – depending on the fullness of the light spectrum – upwardly illuminates the concrete panels and slats.
Using the Anolis E-Box Remote, if a fixture needs replacing, it’s as simple as unplugging the old one and adding a new one which automatically addresses itself, so apart from the technician with the necessary safety and electrical knowledge, no additional specialist programming skills are needed to add a new light to the ‘global’ lighting system.
The other advantage of the Anolis E-box is that it can be directly connected to Art-Net.
The E-Box drivers controlling the Emineres are fitted with web servers – which sister entertainment manufacturer Robe s.r.o. was already using for its stage lighting products – and so this tech could be adapted for use with this Anolis installation, stated François, highlighting the great flexibility of working with this manufacturer.
The servers received several optimisations and updates during the installation phase of the project, enabling the installation to be controlled and monitored from the Lumières Utiles offices in Châteaubriant.
Each E-Box can be individually checked which in turn allows the quick and efficient co-ordination of maintenance with the onsite maintenance team.
“Customer support is one of our many strengths,” commented Robe France’s architectural product specialist, Bruno Francois.
He and the team visited the Rouen site several times during the installation and programming period and prior to that had liaised closely with the Anolis factory in the Czech Republic regarding software development.
“One of our goals is that the lighting designer or control specialist company should not have to visit any site until the installation is fully functional. With good communication and efficient workflow, we aim to hand over to them with all the technical in place so they can fully focus on completing all the creative requirements and aesthetic finessing of the system … making everything look spectacular for their client!”
The Tour des Archives lighting scheme changes each month, with special displays activated for seasonal times of the year like Christmas and New Year and other year-round events. If a new look or display is needed, even at short notice to react to real-time events, it can be accomplished swiftly and painlessly thanks to this brilliant new Anolis solution.
Photo Credit: Vincent Laganier
He worked closely with François Guillet of Lumières Utiles who was appointed as the technical consultant and the person responsible for specifying an updated lighting scheme for the landmark, which has had the North and South sides clad with reinforced concrete latticed screens that were awaiting some dynamic lighting to bring them to life.
The Archives Tower was designed by architects Bahrmann, Leroy, and Dussaux and is 11 metres wide. It has graced the Rouen skyline along this part of the city and the River Seine since its inauguration in 1965, and houses 37 linear kilometres of documents spread over 27 floors. It is the 2nd highest point in Rouen after the cathedral!
Twelve years after it was initially lit - in 2007 - in a fabulous scheme by lighting designer Sylvain Bigot from Lyum, formerly Neo Light, and well-maintained by department 76 and Lumières Utiles who were responsible for the lighting control and programming, the decision was made to renovate the media façade.
François was asked to draft a set of specifications for tender that involved replacing the previous equipment and that optimised any required maintenance. While previously they had remote monitoring for the control side of the installation, this time they also wanted the same for the luminaires.
As part of the proposed tender, Francois recommended the Anolis Eminere 1 RGBW luminaires and an ArKaos media server to control the two facades.
Key goals were replacing the DMX network with Art-Net (more suitable to media facades) and simplifying the LED maintenance with the monitoring plus automatic addressing in case of needing replacement fixtures.
The overall effect would also be to improve the visual contrast and reduce the power requirements.
The Eminere 1 RGBWs provide 1000 lumens of output per lattice screen, and thanks to the Anolis LED engine and superior colour mixing, the Tower now has stronger and better vibrancy and colour saturation than ever before and can be seen from a longer distance … a living, breathing beacon of light.
Each Eminere – supplied via local Anolis distributor Éclipse Diffusion – is fitted with an E-box positioned at the base of its respective lattice screen and – depending on the fullness of the light spectrum – upwardly illuminates the concrete panels and slats.
Using the Anolis E-Box Remote, if a fixture needs replacing, it’s as simple as unplugging the old one and adding a new one which automatically addresses itself, so apart from the technician with the necessary safety and electrical knowledge, no additional specialist programming skills are needed to add a new light to the ‘global’ lighting system.
The other advantage of the Anolis E-box is that it can be directly connected to Art-Net.
The E-Box drivers controlling the Emineres are fitted with web servers – which sister entertainment manufacturer Robe s.r.o. was already using for its stage lighting products – and so this tech could be adapted for use with this Anolis installation, stated François, highlighting the great flexibility of working with this manufacturer.
The servers received several optimisations and updates during the installation phase of the project, enabling the installation to be controlled and monitored from the Lumières Utiles offices in Châteaubriant.
Each E-Box can be individually checked which in turn allows the quick and efficient co-ordination of maintenance with the onsite maintenance team.
“Customer support is one of our many strengths,” commented Robe France’s architectural product specialist, Bruno Francois.
He and the team visited the Rouen site several times during the installation and programming period and prior to that had liaised closely with the Anolis factory in the Czech Republic regarding software development.
“One of our goals is that the lighting designer or control specialist company should not have to visit any site until the installation is fully functional. With good communication and efficient workflow, we aim to hand over to them with all the technical in place so they can fully focus on completing all the creative requirements and aesthetic finessing of the system … making everything look spectacular for their client!”
The Tour des Archives lighting scheme changes each month, with special displays activated for seasonal times of the year like Christmas and New Year and other year-round events. If a new look or display is needed, even at short notice to react to real-time events, it can be accomplished swiftly and painlessly thanks to this brilliant new Anolis solution.
Photo Credit: Vincent Laganier
