July Column

The July Column, which commemorates France's Revolution of 1830, has been illustriously illuminated through a new lighting design by the City of Paris using luminaires from Lumenpulse.

Standing at the epicenter of the Place de la Bastille, the commemorative column marked a new age for France, the column's symbolism still sits at the heart of the French people even today.

The July Column is located at a bustling crossroads of small streets lined with bars and modern operas in the east of Paris and stands at 47 meters in height. The lighting design, created by Xavier Bancquart, lighting designer for the City of Paris, takes advantage of the Lumenpulse optics to bathe each individual section of the Corinthian column with a subtle yet noticeable wash that attracts passersby and creates a place of contemplation.

The large, street-level circular base, or plinth, of the statue is grazed using Lumenbeam Large color-changing luminaires with a linear spread lens, 10°x45° optics that thoroughly cover its entirety with minimal spill.

Above the base, Lumenpulse Inground luminaires inclined to 20°wash the square marble platform with inlaid medallions.

The column's next level is ornamented with bronze bas-reliefs and Lumenbeam Grande luminaires with a color temperature of 4000K animate the animal shapes against the Paris nightscape.

The length of the column itself is illuminated using Lumenbeam color-changing luminaires with 10° optics and linear spread lenses, ultimately creating an 8°x60° beam that tightly fits the column and alleviates spill while still showcasing the marble's texture. The RGBW feature of the luminaire has been personalized to project in Royal Blue, to match the country's flag color.

The bronze sculpture which crowns the column's pinnacle, known as the Génie de la Liberté (Spirit of Freedom), comes alive in the light of the Lumenpulse Grande luminaires mounted inside the railing that surrounds it. 

All the fittings were installed without the need to do any rewiring, which both preserved the historical integrity of the column and made the installation much more economical. This was made possible using Lumenpulse's proprietary technology, Lumentalk, which gives digital control over analogue wiring and eliminates the need to replace old wiring with digital cables. Lumentalk has given the City the ability to digitally control the column's luminaires using a Pharos control system, not only increasing the lighting scheme's flexibility but also modernizing the entire endeavor.

Thanks to Lumenpulse and the new exciting lighting design, a fresh era of tourism has been ushered in around this iconic column.  This refreshed look has enlivened part of the heart of the city. Each day, the July Column seems to be soaking up the new attention it's been getting and glowing from within into the night.