LED lighting makes inroads in public spaces

Piet Devriese of LEDtechnic sees increasing interest in LED lighting in public spaces. Think of bicycle and pedestrian bridges, tunnels, platform crossings, public lighting, stairs and seating elements. Not without reason: LED lighting scores high in terms of safety and aesthetics. A good example is the spectacular bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Watersportbaan in Ghent.

"Lighting is like a marriage between the aesthetic requirements and wishes of the designer and achieving a certain level of illumination and light image, and then seeing how we get the lighting integrated into the design," said Piet Devriese, owner of LEDtechnic. The Belgian company has been a specialist in linear lighting for public spaces for more than 20 years. Important features of its LED lighting are that it is waterproof, impact-resistant and Belgian-made. It is resistant to both vehicles and vandalism. Broadly speaking, there are two applications. First, as visible or indirect light lines in pavements, retaining walls and walls, benches and stairs; either in concrete or metal. And twen second as handrail lighting of (bicycle or pedestrian) bridges and stairs. Piet: "The possibilities of our LED lighting are endless. From integrated LED track lighting in a handrail and indirect lighting in a staircase to LED marker lighting of footpaths and shopping areas. Even in terms of color scheme, a lot is possible. For example, we apply amber-colored LEDs a lot in areas with nocturnal animals."

A lot safer

When asked about the advantage of linear LED lighting over regular point lighting, Pete replied, "Proper lighting has a positive effect on traffic safety. Where our LED lighting has been used in bridge railings, cyclists and pedestrians are more clearly identifiable than with regular street lighting. This is because LED lighting radiates to 1.5 to 2 meters. So you can see the faces, which also benefits social safety. In such an application, face recognition is more important than a high level of lighting."

Beautifying public space

Increased safety partly explains the growing interest in LED lighting. The role of the aesthetic value of a bridge, tunnel or seating element, is also playing an increasing role. "Lighting in public spaces must meet certain lighting standards. In addition, it beautifies the public space. Since we have 20 years of experience and have experienced just about every situation, we work closely with architects and designers on how to integrate lighting into the design. We also relieve the contractor with our total solution. We supply and install complete lighting systems, including all components such as power supply, cabling, controls and LED modules." Nice example of this is the spectacular design of the bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Watersportbaan in Ghent. "Here lighting was approached in a totally different way," Piet explains. "The lighting designer came up with a positioning of the luminaires low against the bridge deck. One section is oriented horizontally to light the bridge deck and thus intended for the safety of passers-by. The rest of the luminaires are oriented towards the structure of the bridge so that, on the one hand, the silhouette of the bridge is perfectly rendered and, on the other hand, the reflection from the wall provides a beautiful and subtle facial recognition. This bridge in Ghent is just one example, more fine examples are on our website."