Line for a sustainable square with space for relaxation, movement and events
Project
Geerstraat at the Burgemeester van Grunsvenplein
Heerlen, Netherlands
Heerlen is a city in the south east of the Netherlands. Originated in the 1st century AD as a Roman settlement and formerly a mining town, Heerlen is now seen more in the context of cultural events, such as the International Performing Arts Festival Cultura Nova or the street art that is prominent in the city. On the Burgemeester van Grunsvenplein square, visitors can watch skaters and breakdancers perform their daredevil disciplines or, if they're lucky, catch a performance by musicians, dancers or cabaret artists.
In the 1960s, the large-scale new buildings were built on the square, such as the theater, now Parkstad Limburg Theater, shopping centers and apartments. At that time, the van Grunsvenplein was a large, stony square that lacked greenery. The city of Heerlen decided to make the square more sustainable and to renovate the square to make the city center more attractive.
Background
The precision of the Line optics avoids light pollution and allows habitats to be illuminated in harmony with nature.
Studio DL developed a lighting concept for the illumination of Geerstraat, located on the square, which was implemented with the Line light column. Vertical, linear optical modules fit flush into the minimalist luminaire form. With its innovative lighting technology, Line takes over the illumination of the square as well as the street and path. Eleven light columns with a height of seven meters were installed for this purpose. They have both a street and sidewalk option, which with a light color of 3000 Kelvin provide comfortable lighting on the van Grunsvenplein and the Geerstraat. Microfacetted reflectors in silver provide high visual comfort and standard-compliant glare control. The precision of the optics avoids light pollution and allows habitats to be illuminated in harmony with nature. A built-in Zhaga-compliant interface allows the luminaire to be expanded with Smart City options.
The van Grunsvenplein was transformed into a pleasant place with plenty of greenery and newly designed open spaces to linger. By using recycled materials and limiting the use of new construction and raw materials, the square was made sustainable. An oasis with an urban dynamic was created, a place where the inhabitants of Heerlen and its guests feel at home.
object Geerstraat Heerlen at the Burgemeester van Grunsvenplein
client City of Heerlen
lighting design Studio DL
landscape architecture Buro Lubbers
construction team Besix Infra & Ingenieursbureau RA Infra
electrical installation Spie Infra Weert
photographer Robert Koelewijn
product Line