Heereweg, Lisse: a classic lantern as the eye-catcher

A village street with character

Lisse sits in the heart of the Dutch bulb region, between Haarlem and Leiden. The Heereweg runs through the village as one long axis: shops, cafés and homes alternate, and in the bulb season a great deal of visitor traffic joins them. A street like this needs lighting that looks right by day and simply does its job after dark.

The choice fell on a classic lantern: a recognisable canopy on a slender body that reads as street furniture in daylight. Not a modern road luminaire, but not a nostalgic lamp with poor efficiency either.

One luminaire, two light distributions

The lanterns on the Heereweg come in two light distributions. Along the carriageway, one version throws its light lengthwise down the street, so the columns can stand further apart without dark patches between them. On small squares, junctions and parking bays, a version with an all-round distribution lights the whole area evenly.

The luminous flux runs up to 4,500 lumens per luminaire: with suitable column spacing, enough for a village centre with mixed traffic, with margin to dim at night. Choose the light distribution so that the light lands on the street and not in the flats above the shops; that limits light nuisance.

What a village centre needs from its lighting

A shopping street with pedestrians, cyclists and cars usually falls into a higher class than a residential street under the Dutch practice guideline: as a rule of thumb an average of 7.5 to 10 lux, against 3 to 5 lux in a residential area. The road authority sets the exact class for each situation. Uniformity matters at least as much: large contrasts between light and dark feel unsafe.

For a classic lantern a light point height of 4 to 5 metres is usual. With 4,000 lumens at 4 metres, column spacing in practice lands between 15 and 25 metres, depending on the width of the profile and the class required. A lighting calculation on the actual column positions removes that uncertainty.

How to recreate it with POLARIS

Lichtplein did not carry out this project; it serves as a reference image. If you want the same look, the classic post-top luminaire from POLARIS is the match: 40 W, 4,000 lumens at 140 lm/W, 4000 K, IP66, a 120 degree beam, an 80 mm spigot and up to 5 years warranty. That is close to the level on the Heereweg.

You choose the column to go with it. TURRIS supplies conical steel columns of 4 and 6 metres from stock, hot-dip galvanised or additionally powder-coated in RAL 9005. If you prefer aluminium, look at CIVIS. A NEXUS cut-out box for one or two fuses fits in the door opening.

What to check when choosing

• Spigot. The classic POLARIS takes 80 mm, the modern versions 60 to 80 mm.

• Colour temperature. The classic version gives 4000 K; if you want warmer light, the modern POLARIS luminaires are adjustable from 2200 to 4000 K.

• Ingress protection. IP66 keeps out dust, rain and the pressure washer.

• Lead time. Luminaires within 5 working days from European stock, steel columns in 3 to 5 weeks, aluminium columns in 4 to 6 weeks. So order the columns first.

• Quantities. From 20 columns or 100 luminaires a project price applies. Lichtplein sells to businesses only.

Frequently asked questions