THE CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY IN ANTWERP SHINES IN A NEW LIGHT

Since autumn 2018 the “Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal” – the Cathedral of Our Lady – in Antwerp has been showcased with new illumination. The details of the rich ornamentation and tracery, the magnificent towers, gables, cornices and portals, can now also be seen vividly at night. At the same time, this masterpiece of Flemish Brabant architecture appears as a brilliant highlight in Antwerp’s skyline. Several hundred luminaires were installed to achieve this impressive effect, from both near and far – and a large proportion of them were supplied by WE-EF.

“We have now brought many luminaires close to the cathedral that were previously installed on nearby roofs. This enables much more precise illumination and minimises stray light and glare,” lighting designer Susanna Antico said in explaining one of the basic ideas behind her lighting concept. Needless to say, there were numerous restrictions regarding the installation on the historic building fabric. “In order to nonetheless achieve the precise lighting effects desired, the great variety offered by the FLC projector series from WE-EF was very useful,” she noted.

In this project, FLC230, FLC240, FLC260 and FLC141 projectors with different lumen packages and distributions were installed. In some cases, they were also fitted with flood or wallwash lenses. In addition, WE-EF ETC130-GB and ETC140-GB inground luminaires illuminate the buttresses on the naves and apse as well as the portals. Here, too, the luminaire family offered the right lumen packages and light distributions for every task. A DMX light management system enables different lighting scenarios to be realised for the cathedral. WE-EF luminaires have the driver interface needed for this and they each come with their own DMX address, enabling simple integration within a light control system.

The result for the Cathedral of Our Lady is impressive in terms of engineering and design, and has already been recognised by experts with a 2019 IALD Award of Excellence.

Project: Illumination of the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp.
Principal: City of Antwerp.
Lighting Design: Susanna Antico Lighting Design Studio, Milan, in collaboration with arch. Gad Giladi, Lighting Designer and with input from arch. Helena Gentili, Lighting Designer, arch. George Balan, Lighting Designer and Mathieu Cieters, Graphic Designer. WE-EF distributor: Axioma, Waregem.
Electrical planning and project management: Fluvius energy provider,
electric installation: Maes Industriële Verlichting, Elektro Zwijsen, Verstraete Enterprises.
Completion: 2018.