Veenendaal: minimalist lighting at a private home

The project in brief

At a detached home in Veenendaal, the exterior lighting of the driveway and garden has been renewed. The starting point: no conspicuous lanterns, but lighting that disappears against the clean architecture by day and at night gives just enough light for the driveway and the way to the front door. Lichtplein was not involved in this project; it serves here as an example of minimalist lighting at a private home, a look you can also set up with our range.

The choice fell on a minimalist post-top luminaire: a closed cylinder without visible screws or covers, on a slender column of around 3 metres. Functional, and at the same time a quietly designed object in the garden. That makes the project interesting for installers and landscapers working on private homes.

Why a low column at a home

At a home, a mounting height of 3 metres is usually the right size. The column stays below the eaves, the light lands on the driveway and path and not in the neighbours' windows. With a symmetrical beam of around 90 degrees and a shielded underside, nothing goes upwards. As a rule of thumb, allow for a column spacing of three to four times the mounting height, so 9 to 12 metres; a 20 metre driveway is then often done with two or three columns. A lighting calculation settles it.

How much light and which colour

A driveway and garden path do not need a high illuminance. An average of 3 to 5 lux is a common guide value, comparable with a residential street, and is enough provided the light is uniform and does not glare. More light causes nuisance sooner than it adds safety.

For a home you choose warm white, 2700 or 3000 K. It matches the lighting indoors, looks calm and attracts fewer insects than cool white. Start at the lowest setting and only go up if the lighting calculation calls for it.

How to build this with POLARIS and CIVIS

The modern post-top luminaires in the POLARIS series give the same clean look: output selectable at 30, 40 or 60 W, colour temperature at 2200, 3000 or 4000 K, up to 9,600 lumens, IP66, for a spigot of 60 to 80 mm. With the remote control from the series you set output and colour after installation; for a home, the lowest setting at 3000 K is the starting point.

As the column, the 3 metre aluminium column from the CIVIS series fits, plain finish, sharp price on request with an answer within 48 hours. Aluminium does not rust, is light and therefore easy to erect, and needs no protective coating. We supply the CIVIS columns on a project basis. Prefer black? Then look at the powder-coated steel columns of TURRIS in RAL 9005; they come in 4 and 6 metres. The fused column connection box is in NEXUS.

Points of attention for the installer

• Foundation: column plumb in a concrete base or ground anchor, underground cable with spare length up to the door hatch.
• Cable: each column through a fused column connection box, so one fault does not switch off the rest.
• Switching: a twilight switch or time clock is enough; the luminaire is not dimmable, you preset the output.
• Business only: Lichtplein supplies businesses only; as an installer or landscaper you order on your business account, also for a private client.
• Lead time: luminaires within 5 working days from European stock, aluminium columns 4 to 6 weeks, steel columns 3 to 5 weeks. Order the column first.

Frequently asked questions