Flaneerkade, Den Helder: custom work with the municipal logo in the luminaire

A waterfront promenade in the naval city

Den Helder, the naval city at the northern tip of North Holland, gained a waterfront promenade with the Flaneerkade. Instead of a standard catalogue column, it has a slender lighting column with a luminaire in which the municipal logo is incorporated as a shield: a lighting point that belongs to the place.

The shield was designed by an urban planner; the lighting supplier engineered it into a manufacturable, watertight component. A sketch on paper thus became a recognisable lighting point on the quay.

How a logo shield in a luminaire works

A custom shield is usually a laser-cut plate of aluminium or steel, mounted in or on the housing, outside the optic. The logo then appears as a silhouette against the lit surface or as an illuminated outline on the outside. Two things must remain intact:

• The light distribution. The shield must not cover the lens, otherwise the lighting calculation no longer holds.
• The sealing. Every additional seam is a risk to the IP rating. Outdoors on the coast, IP66 is the minimum.

What the coastal location demands

Den Helder lies by the sea, in the most severe wind zone of the Netherlands and in a salt-laden atmosphere. That places demands on column, luminaire and fixings:

• Column to EN 40, calculated for the local wind load.
• Hot-dip galvanised steel with powder coating, or aluminium, which does not rust. On a salty coast you allow for a high corrosivity category; ask for a coating system matched to it.
• Stainless fixings, including for the shield itself.
• A driver with 10 kV surge protection: long cable runs along open water pick up spikes.

The light level on a promenade

A promenade with many pedestrians in the evening falls within the pedestrian classes (P classes) of the standard for public lighting. As a guide value, in practice you aim for 7.5 to 10 lux average, with good uniformity and without glare, so that faces remain recognisable at a distance. Warm white of 2700 to 3000 K suits a waterfront amenity area and contains less blue light than 4000 K, which is often a requirement near water and greenery because of the effect on nocturnal wildlife. A lighting calculation on the actual column spacing gives certainty about the light level.

Comparable custom work through Lichtplein

For comparable projects Lichtplein supplies the standard combination: street luminaires from VIA (IP66, 10 kV surge protection, tiltable on a 60 mm spigot, 25 to 100 W) or post-top luminaires from POLARIS (IP66, adjustable from 2200 to 4000 K, spigot 60 to 80 mm), on a conical steel column from TURRIS of 4 or 6 metres, hot-dip galvanised or in RAL 9005, or an aluminium column from CIVIS. We supply luminaires from European stock within 5 working days; steel columns have a lead time of 3 to 5 weeks, aluminium columns 4 to 6 weeks.

If your project falls outside the standard, such as a project colour, a different light point height or a shield with a logo, state this in your quote request or email your drawing to info@lichtplein.nl. We assess what is feasible and come back with a proposal. Lichtplein supplies businesses only; the installation is carried out by your own fitting crew.

Frequently asked questions