Philips lights up the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris

The aim of this new LED lighting scheme is to show off the cathedral’s gothic features as never before. Philips says that it is ‘placing LED technology at the service of 850 years of history’, paying tribute to the architecture of this Gothic masterpiece.

In total, the company’s lighting designers installed over 400 luminaires – a great many, but because the light sources are LED, far less energy is consumed than before - an installed capacity of 30kW, compared with almost 140kW. This represents an energy consumption reduction of 80%, and all with far better and more dramatic lighting.

The other benefits of using LED lighting is that the luminous efficacy is far greater than that provided by conventional sources – with instant ignition. Very importantly in a building so high inside and so difficult to access is that LED light sources provide a significantly longer installation lifespan - around 13 years for 10 hours of lighting a day (switching on and off does not affect the lamps’ lifespan). This leads to a big reduction in maintenance costs, particularly as LED luminaires need little maintenance.

For example, Philips says that the lights have LED flame lamps that reduce the number of maintenance-related operations (scaffolding and moving furniture), while at the same time cutting energy consumption by 80%.

Another important benefit of LEDs is that of dynamic lighting. This makes it possible to adjust the atmosphere of the site according to the religious or cultural activity (change of intensity and colour).

Making light from dark

While Notre-Dame de Paris is undoubtedly one of France’s greatest gothic cathedral buildings, and also one of the most historic, it has always suffered from the legacy of being relatively early in the gothic architectural phase in having smaller window areas, obstructions and the famous stained glass windows. Many of these are very beautiful and date from the 13th century, but are never-the-less highly coloured and quite dark. The result has always been that compared with many later French gothic cathedrals, Notre Dame de Paris could often seem very gloomy inside. The new lighting has successfully helped address this issue.

The new LED technology has been applied such that the light appears to emanate from the stone itself, with the luminaires displaying the building while themselves remaining inconspicuous. Never dazzling, sometimes powerful, and always warm, this light, claims Philips, ‘creates a reverent atmosphere while still emphasising the architecture’.

Among many other renowned works of art, the lighting reveals the details of the Virgin and Child (see photo). This statue, which was moved to Notre-Dame in 1818, is the most famous of the thirty-seven representations of the Virgin that the cathedral contains.

Today, the profile spots redefine the characters while shining a gentle light onto the sculpture and the white flowers laid out at her feet.

Illuminating the rose windows

The north and south rose windows, which were made in the 13th century and symbolise the flowers of paradise, have also been highlighted.

Sited above the north and south doors, more than 50m from the rose windows, two invisible 250W spotlights direct their beams onto each vast area of intricately carved stone, iron and stained glass, revealing the delicacy of the sculptures. This lighting gives the impression that the stained-glass rose window itself is radiating light, without altering the appearance of the cathedral outside, since – cleverly - the light is only visible on the inside.

Like nearly all of the world’s great cathedral churches, Notre Dame de Paris has both religious and cultural roles, so this new lighting scheme lighting was designed to allow different atmospheres to be created depending on these activities.

Armand Zadikian, the project’s lighting designer, was able to retain areas of half-light, to play upon the contrasts and to create effects of white tones. To integrate the lighting perfectly with the building and make the LED luminaires virtually invisible to visitors, he also worked in close collaboration with ‘Architectes des Bâtiments de France’, the official French architects’ body.

Computerised lighting orchestration 

Designed by Benoit Ferré, the resident bishop’s architect (European Architecture Company, EUROGIP), the major innovation has been the creation of a spinal column, horizontal, flexible and easily accessible. This technical column extends for 300m, the length of the triforium.

The 400 luminaires are operated by a computerised system, with a touch screen to simplify control. There are several lighting programs and Notre-Dame’s manager can add more if required.

Nearly all of the luminaires are dimmable, making it possible to modify the lighting according to the event taking place (ceremonies, concerts, prayers, etc.), the time of day or the season.

Commented Benjamin Azoulay, General Manager of Philips Lighting France: “Philips is very proud to have placed its know-how and technology at the service of this splendid project.

“For us, the challenge was to devise effective lighting while respecting the authenticity of this monument, which attracts several million visitors every year. The lighting really had to enhance the beauty of the site without at any time overwhelming it.”

Source of original material - Philips Lighting.

To learn more about Notre Dame de Paris, go to: http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/-English-