Anolis Helps Re-Light Gerland Park in Lyon
Anolis ArcPar 150 Outdoor architectural luminaires have been installed for a ground-breaking urban lighting renovation scheme – halving the power consumption – in and around the vibrant Gerland Park district of Lyon, France.
Gerland is a dynamic residential area that has also become a hub for emerging tech companies and commerce and a hotspot for sports and entertainment events with several world-class venues located in its 7th arrondissement catchment area.
Lighting designer Laurent Fachard, founder of Les Éclairagistes Associés (LEA), has worked extensively in and around this area, and recently two of his key landscape lighting projects were updated with new LED technology that had subsequently come to the market.
The new Anolis lighting beautifully and authentically replicates his original illuminated art, simultaneously making these landmark urban lighting designs more energy efficient and sustainable.
The two areas that have been re-lit using the Anolis fixtures are the ‘Chromatic Garden’ in Gerland Park, running adjacent to the river Rhône, and a landscaped roundabout on the Place des Docteurs Mérieux, part of the major road gateway into the city of Lyon.
The job of completing this diligent and meticulous task fell to Thierry Marsick, head of the city of Lyon's urban lighting department (DEU), who commented, “With LEDs coming onstream, apart from the energy efficiency, it was also an opportunity for us to utilise fixtures with much finer colour control and tuning”.
A main requirement for the new luminaires was to reproduce the original lighting scheme colours, including some – like yellow – which can be a challenge for LEDs!
They also wanted to be able to focus the lights to obtain tight beams whilst maintaining maximum luminous flux.
“We really needed to understand what tools were available to help us achieve this goal,” commented Frédéric Flacher, the DEU office project manager responsible for the works, who was assisted by Jérôme Donna.
As their search for suitable technologies began, they also decided they wanted one type of luminaire that would fulfil all these multiple criteria … and they chose the Anolis ArcPar 150.
The decision came following several options initially considered and extensive testing into exactly how to re-light both areas.
They loved the fact that as an IP65 floodlight, the ArcPar 150 has a 3.8° to 60° optical system, which is ideal for both spot lighting and for illuminating larger areas.
The RGBA colour mix – red, green, blue, and amber – provides up to 1,676 lumens with 7 x 40 W multichip LEDs achieving a total of 220W of power consumption compared to 430W drawn by the previous metal halide lighting – representing an impressive energy saving of 51% for this architectural lighting!
Bruno François, head of the architectural department at Anolis France, commented, "The ArcPar 150 uses an optical train like the stage version, so the LED PCB does not move. Only the lens moves forward or backward to open the light beam!”
He adds that the fixtures are completely glare-free, as the body of the device effectively acts as a barn door shuttering the light.
The ArcPar 150s are considerably more compact and lightweight than the predecessor lights, and DEU has integrated them into special arms that lift them off the structural masts to which they are rigged.
Anolis also modified the units to remove the screen and buttons at the back, and DEU wanted a specific version of the management software allowing the user to choose the focal length and colour / hue of the projector remotely which facilitates both lighting adjustments and ongoing maintenance. The same customised software also switches the Anolis units on and off at the requisite times.
Chromatic Garden, Gerland Park
Gerland Park was inaugurated in 2000 by landscape designer Michel Corajoud. The contemporary concept is organised around a 650m by 40m area comprising different rectilinear strips, each with an array of varied horticultural elements, plants, and foliage. Close to the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, it is a 22-hectare haven of peace on the outskirts of bustling Lyon.
Laurent Fachard’s architectural and landscape lighting for the park transforms it into a "chromatic garden" at night.
Seven colours of light are used: mauve, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Coloured shadows and textures shift and change in harmony with the plants and the transitioning seasons.
In the new lighting scheme, 80 x Anolis ArcPar 150 Outdoor spotlights are installed which were supplied by Saint-Genis-Laval based Anolis distributor, Tech'Lux, in collaboration with installer SPIE which is also in Lyon.
Landscaped roundabout on the Place des Docteurs Mérieux
This southern gateway to Lyon offers the main access to the city via the ring road and the Autoroute du Soleil.
From the Musée des Confluences via the Pasteur Bridge, drivers arrive at a huge four-lane landscaped roundabout, with an outer ring for bicycles. Visible at 360°, the central median of the roundabout takes the form of an arena. Majestic plane trees stand in the middle, and the space is planted with multiple shrubs and herbaceous plants.
The roundabout is adjacent to the Place des Docteurs Charles et Christophe Mérieux, which overlooks the Tony Garnier Hall, one of Gerland’s major venues. The whole area was laid out by Michel Corajoud in 2008.
To highlight this site, LEA proposed creating an ‘impressionist painting’ visible at 360° with blue functional lighting detailing the roundabout ring, a picture now achieved using 22 x Anolis ArcPar 150 Outdoor floodlights.
The central reservation features fabulous and rich coloured landscape lighting. Two high ‘needle masts’ are installed at the rotation axes of the ‘arena’, they once housed a cluster of circular discharge floodlights with dichroic glass filters and different optics and now host the Anolis ArcPar 150s.
Getting the new Anolis lights to mimic the look and style of the original lighting installation took the DEU team two nights of programming and adjustment to get stunning results.
The roundabout’s coloured illumination is currently taking place only on Saturday evenings, a political choice to align with the city of Lyon's overall energy conservation plan.
Ends.
Photos: Michel Djaoui
