Whereas in the past Saint-Éti­enne was a wealthy indus­trial town, today the city in the Rhône-Alpes region is geared more towards cul­ture and tourism. Mod­erni­sa­tion of the munic­i­pal light­ing was one of the mea­sures intended to pro­vide this city near to Lyon with a new iden­tity. As a result a new light­ing con­cept has been devised for the city’s main square.

The Place du Peuple is a city square of sym­bolic impor­tance and forms part of Saint-Etienne’s his­toric town centre. When it was redesigned, strength­en­ing its iden­tity at night time was of major pri­or­ity. The plan­ners from Cobalt Lumière opted for the mod­u­lar system lumi­naire Lif, which can handle a vari­ety of dif­fer­ent light­ing tasks simul­ta­ne­ously. The top ele­ment with quadru­ple Tritec optics ensures a har­mo­nious light mood while a fur­ther func­tion of the twinspot module is to radi­ate light onto objects on the square. The inte­rior-illu­mi­nated open holder ele­ment radi­ates trans­parency and light­ness. Its custom-made spe­cial oval recess, which is also coloured red, is a real eye­catcher that attracts the admir­ing looks of pedes­tri­ans not just during the day. The Lif top module has been equipped with a warm light colour of 2700K – ensur­ing a light accent that pro­vides com­fort and warmth during the evening hours.

client: Ville de Saint-Étienne

lighting designer: Cobalt Lumière, Lyon