Prize(s) Honorable Mentions
Lighting Design/Product Company Loomit Studio srls
Lead Designers Susanna Antico
Other Designer's names Samuel Vespo; Daniela Lupacchini; Gad Giladi
Architecture Company Bureau Bas Smets Landscape architects
Interior Design Company n/a
Client City of Genk (BE)
Photo Credits Benno van den Bogaert photos:GK01,GK02,GK03,GK04;GK05;GK09;GK10- Eric Muller photos:GK06;GK07;GK08
Completion Date Phase 1 - October 3, 2024
Project Location Genk (BE)
Entry DescriptionThe city centre is defined by a sequence of three interconnected squares. The project, in three phases, started with the Market Square. Once a fully paved space, sealed and mineral, it has been reimagined as a green, soft, porous urban square, offering strolling, relaxing, playing and outdoor dining areas. Following the landscape design competition, the city launched a lighting design competition to illuminate the spaces in line with the new project. The presence of a project of high cultural and symbolic value led to close successful collaboration with the landscape architects. The need for darkness inside the “forests”, the unmissable sense of security and visual comfort, the request of minimising the visual impact of the lighting infrastructure and the necessity to fulfil norms and standards where part of the brief. The new lighting system, combines pole-mounted and pendant luminaires, enhancing functionality and ambience: Lighting poles are strategically placed along the square’s perimeter and pathways, with projectors mounted at heights ranging from 3.5 m to 6.7 m to illuminate pedestrian and motorized routes as well as accent features. The top of the pole is tapered to reduce its visual impact. At the heart of the square, a playground is lit with DMX controlled RGB projectors, creating slowly shifting colourful light scenarios that add vibrancy to the space.
Sustainability ApproachOn the northern side, location of the largest cluster of outdoor dining terraces, decorative pendant luminaires with amber-coloured LEDs enhance the pedestrian walkways and dining areas. The custom-designed luminaires project intricate patterns onto the ground, reminiscent of sunlight filtered through tree leaves. The choice of amber-coloured LEDs is aesthetically pleasing as well as eco-conscious. The spectral composition of this warm-toned light minimizes disruption to nocturnal wildlife, making it a sustainable choice for urban lighting. Lighting levels are low, the ambience is soft and the place feels safe . The total annual consumption of the system is 4.252,17 KWh for a surface of 6729 m2. All luminaires respond to the highest quality and environmental standard. A maintenance contract guarantees intervention for failures and annual cleaning and focusing of the projectors.
