Sint Jozefkerk, Achterveld: classic lighting around the church square

A church at the heart of the village

Achterveld is a village in the municipality of Leusden, on the border between the provinces of Utrecht and Gelderland. The Sint Jozefkerk is its natural centre: on the square in front of it visitors park, people linger after a service and the village gathers. A square like this needs lighting that suits the building by day and gives a safe, calm atmosphere after dark.

The picture around the church: classic lanterns with modern LED technology, street furniture beside a historic façade by day, directed light on the square after dark without casting a harsh glare on the church. Lichtplein did not carry out this project; the square serves here as an example of what this combination does.

Classic outside, LED inside

With a classic LED lantern, the canopy and the slender body set the look and the LED module sets the performance: around 140 lm/W, tens of thousands of hours and a beam that stays directed downwards, so spill light towards the façade and the surrounding homes stays limited.

Around a church that brings an extra advantage: the lanterns light the square, not the building. If you want to accent the façade, do it separately with a warm floodlight, so both layers can be switched independently.

What a church square needs in light

In practice a church square is a pedestrian area with a parking function. As a rule of thumb, expect an average of 5 to 10 lux with good uniformity; the walking routes to the entrance and the parking bays decide where the columns go. A light point height of 4 metres is usual for a classic lantern.

With 4,000 lumens per lantern at 4 metres, column spacing usually lands between 12 and 20 metres, depending on the shape of the square. A lighting calculation on the actual column positions prevents a dark corner at the entrance.

How to recreate it with POLARIS

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. If you prefer warmer light, the modern POLARIS luminaires are adjustable from 2200 to 4000 K.

You choose the column to go with it: TURRIS supplies conical steel columns of 4 and 6 metres from stock, galvanised or powder-coated in RAL 9005, with a NEXUS cut-out box in the door opening. A compact floodlight from FLUX in 2700 K lights the façade separately.

What to check when choosing

• Spigot. The classic POLARIS takes 80 mm; measure existing columns first.

• Colour temperature. The classic version gives 4000 K; 3000 K or warmer often suits brick better and comes from the modern POLARIS.

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

• Lead time. Luminaires within 5 working days, steel columns in 3 to 5 weeks: order the columns first.

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

Frequently asked questions