Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp illuminated at night with WE-EF FLC230 LED projectors highlighting Gothic architecture and 123-meter spire Belgium

Cathedral, Antwerp, Belgium

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.

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal Antwerp with WE-EF architectural lighting showcasing Flemish Brabant Gothic tracery and ornamental details at dusk

"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.

WE-EF ETC130-GB and ETC140-GB inground luminaires illuminating Gothic portal entrance with precise beam control Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp

WE-EF FLC projectors with flood and wallwash lenses illuminating Gothic tower buttresses and ornamental stonework Cathedral Antwerp 2019 IALD Award winner

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.

Looking up Cathedral of Our Lady spire illuminated by WE-EF FLC230 FLC240 FLC260 projectors with DMX control creating precise architectural lighting Belgium

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.

Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp rooftop statues illuminated with WE-EF FLC projectors with DMX addressable control creating multiple lighting scenarios Belgium

Credits

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.

Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp spire detail illuminated with WE-EF LED projectors minimizing stray light and glare Susanna Antico lighting design

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