GE
Lighting
CASE STUDY
GE LIGHTING DESIGNS THE INNOVATIVE LIGHTING PROJECT FOR LAS
CANTERAS BEACH ON THE ISLAND OF GRAN CANARIA
The emblematic Las Canteras beach (Playa de las Canteras), on Gran Canaria
in the Canary Islands, is showing off new outdoor lighting. It is an innovative,
creative and—most importantly—efficient project, compliant with a set of very
strict requirements governing sustainability, light pollution and design in a
community that is especially sensitive to light and the environmental impact
of its lighting resources.
The Las Canteras beach is considered the ecological pearl of
Gran Canaria. Located in the heart of the capital city, this
urban beach is the oceanfront spot that is preferred by most
of the city's inhabitants and foreign visitors, who can enjoy it
at any time of the year thanks to the island's mild climate.
Architect Carlos Hernández and the GE Lighting team
dreamed together of how they wanted the beach to be
lighted. The City Council had some very clear objectives for
this project: to illuminate the seafront walk and the sand with
elements that would harmonize with their surroundings and
convey an integral look, and that would attenuate the impact of the installations
on their surroundings to the greatest possible extent. By strolling along the beach,
they discovered how they wanted each lighting point to be, and they submitted
their vision to the design competition organized by the City Council. Among the 12
designs submitted, GE Lighting and Carlos Hernández succeeded in gaining the
unanimous approval of their conception, which they called “City Lights”. The
lighting point to illuminate the beach was inspired by the design of the Lateen Sail,
a model that consists of a vertical shaft with an arc that simulates the figure of a
traditional Canary Island sail.
GE Lighting took into account the importance of the Sky Act, legislation which has
come to mean so much in the Canary Islands over the past 20 years, and they
took the necessary measurements, using the photometry that was best suited to
each case. They calculated the optimum lighting solution for such a
representative place on Gran Canaria island.
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Case study/GE Lighitng EMEA
November 2011
GE
Lighting
SAVINGS IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND MAINTENANCE
The 79 lighting assemblies installed generate
energy savings of 30% in terms of power
consumption, which translates into approximately
a €30,000 annual saving in the city’s power bill.
The entire lighting system is controlled through six
distribution frames, each equipped with a voltage
stabilizer and a luminous flux reducer, which
enables the level of illumination on the beach to be
reduced from certain hours of the night onward.
These lighting fixtures replace 28 previously existing towers, high power
consumers whose approximately 30-meter height made the use of a special fire
department crane indispensable when servicing them. The “Lateen Sails”, from 12
to 16 meters in height, are easily accessed and can be maintained with the public
lighting service cranes.
SAFETY
Thanks to the ceramic arc metal halide lamps, safety on the oceanfront walk has
improved substantially, since the white light they cast improves color
reproduction. The new fixtures have also succeeded in ensuring more uniform
lighting by eliminating areas of strong light and dense shadow, thanks to the
reduction of the distance between columns, which has dropped from between 80
and 170 meters to 37 meters.
Plans include lighting the neighboring zones immediately behind the oceanfront.
This will contribute to improving visibility in the area, which at some points is not
safe at night.
LIGHT POLLUTION
In this design it was highly important to comply with the standards governing light
pollution and to minimize the effects of the direct emission of light toward the
upper hemisphere (the sky). This led the technicians to direct the projectors
toward the ground to avoid blinding glare and light intrusion in the nearby
buildings. Regarding the Ocean Floor Protection Act, GE Lighting proposed not
directing the light toward the water to avoid disturbing shore life.
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Case study/GE Lighitng EMEA
November 2011
GE
Lighting
This design is the result of a painstaking effort to create
innovative and sustainable outdoor lighting in an area whose
population is especially concerned about the effects of light
on the environment. Esthetics are also a differential factor in
a design that stands out because of its complexity and
efficient results on all levels.
Some details round out the installation: for example, the
integration of a public address system in the lighting fixture
columns and an astronomic clock that adjusts itself to turn
the lighting on and off.
Armando Cabrera and Ana González, who are in charge of GE Lighting on the
island of Gran Canaria, commented, “This is a very special place for all the island’s
inhabitants. This renovation will mean a substantial improvement in the area in
safety, the environment and quality of life in the city. What’s more, it reduces the
city’s power bill, and thus avoids having to burn solid fuels that emit CO2 into our
atmosphere.”
For further information on GE Lighting's Streetwise range visit:
www.gelighting.com/eu/streetwise
GE Lighting
General Electric was born from the invention of the world's first affordable
incandescent lamp. A century later, GE Lighting is still bringing light to the world,
developing new technologies such as fluorescents and light-emitting diodes, that
operate with more efficiency, less cost and less environmental impact than ever
before.
GE Lighting is part of Appliances & Lighting, which spans the globe as an industry
leader in major appliances, lighting, systems and services for commercial,
industrial and residential use. Technology innovation and the company’s
ecomagination initiative enable GE Appliances & Lighting to aggressively bring to
market products and solutions that help customers meet pressing environmental
challenges.
For more information about GE Lighting’s products visit
http://www.gelighting.com/eu/
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Case study/GE Lighitng EMEA
November 2011