The redevelopment of the Calais seafront is accompanied by functional and scenographic lighting over 1.2 km to highlight the new facilities : the promenade along the sea wall, the skate park, the events square, the playgrounds, and the route dedicated to the “Dragon de Calais” designed by François Delarozière.
“Les Flambeaux de Calais” is a specific design that punctuates the route and offers a scenarisation of the public space in line with the Dragon Parade, the emblematic live show of the site. The range is composed of 3 sets of different heights 7m, 10m and 12m. The 7m and 10m masts are equipped with multitude of micro-projectors on top. The 12m mast is the emblematic version, equipped with 6 micro-projector blades: “Le Flambeau”.
A “made in France” project led by the ON agency, produced by Technilum, equipped with Lumteam projectors, and programmed by Soliled, with the participation of the City’s technical services for future operation.
The Flambeaux are the only vertical equipment installed in a flat dune landscape. They punctuate the route to create intuitive landmarks that complement the facilities by day and by night.
The lighting design proposes a totally unique dynamic lighting system that combines scenography and respect for biodiversity. The lighting is connected according to use, the Dragon Parade, the night-time, the seasons, and the wind. Particular attention is paid to energy consumption, since the maximum level of the project corresponds to 40% of the installation’s potential, which guarantees a sustainable project over time.
At the beginning of the night, the functional lighting is in warm white 2700K accompanied by an illumination via a random play of light in 3000K. This flickering animates the entire waterfront according to the strength of the wind. Three dynamic states have been defined depending on whether the wind is weak, medium, or strong. In the evening, the flicker is gradually extinguished while the functional lighting heats up to 2200K. In the middle of the night, all the floodlights on the seaside are switched off. At the end of the night, a gradual increase in light to 2700K accompanies daybreak.
