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128 TECHNOLOGY / CASE STUDY LOUVRE CONCORDE


A three-year project to convert the exterior lighting of Paris’s Louvre museum to LED underscores Toshiba’s plan to take on the international lighting market.


A celebratory night of Japanese and French culture helped mark the completion of the first stage of a project to update the exterior lighting at the world-renowned Louvre Museum from Xenon to a more efficient LED system from Toshiba. This high profile project is very much a statement of intent from the Japanese technology giant as they advance development of their brand in the international lighting market. The process of illuminating one of France’s cultural crown jewels – and a UNESCO world heritage site - has been the subject of much scrutiny over the course of the past year. Constant dialogue between the museum and conservationists has helped reach a solution that balances advances in technology with Parisian aesthetic sensibilities. Takayoshi Moriyama was part of the Toshiba development team. “For us the project presented a series of culture shocks,” he says. “In Japan we would typically use tools such as specification drawings which would be finalised by the sales manager after consultation with the client. We would then make a prototype of the fixture, re-check its optical and electrical performance and barring any problems, progress from product development to product certification in a short time frame then expedite development with the delivery date as a top priority.” Having completed this process with the Louvre’s Technical Directorate, the Toshiba team were surprised by a further screening by Museum Director Henri Loyrette and the Historical Monuments Committee. To help with this stage of discussions, Toshiba designed and manufactured prototype equipment in order to carry out in situ tests.


Colour temperature and fixture shape were central to these discussions. Beam angles were reduced to around 30º to prevent dazzle and diffusion filters were added to prevent the ‘dotting’ effect characteristic of some LED fixtures. The Toshiba team were keen to utilise the abilities of the new technology to create a fresh approach to the lighting scheme, but the museum was wary of a scheme that would jar with Paris’s traditional, muted nightscape. “We proposed a colour temperature that we call ‘light bulb colour’ in Japan, but in France the preference is for a warmer colour temperature that has an orange-


The Pavillion Colbert (above left) and IM Pei’s iconic glass pyramid make up stage one of a project to convert the Louvre’s exterior lighting to LED. The rest of the courtyard is due for completion in May, with a third stage - converting the internal Cour Carrée courtyard - concluding the process in 2013.


tinted light source,” explains Moriyama. A test was carried out to compare the two light types with a side-by-side comparison on one section of façade. Among the observers standing in the falling snow were Director Loyrette and Frédéric Auclair of the Paris Historical Monuments Committee. Both were convinced to embrace the Japanese solution: a 2700K white. The final solution comprises LED baton fixtures ranging in length from 330mm to 1485mm, used on the walls of the ornate Pavillion Corbert, and LED flood lights applied to the pavilion roof and remaining pavilion façade. “In a departure from the


past where the power source was located separate to the fixtures, we managed to integrate them in a compact way on the same board and gave them a form and exterior colour that made them an unobtrusive part of the museum itself,” says Moriyama.


Having completed the illumination of the musuem’s glass pyramids and the Pavillion Corbert, the team will continue to convert the rest of the iconic Napoléon Court before finishing with the museum’s internal courtyard, the Cour Carrée, in 2013. www.toshiba.com


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