Le Monde Headquarters

The unforgettable Le Monde headquarters arches like a glass-clad, inhabited bridge whose underbelly glimmers to life each night. The Le Monde underarch’s ceiling holds 1312 Lumendome Nano Color Changing luminaires that create a “sky” of dynamic luminescence which “breathes” in-synch with the media events being broadcast from within.

The “skies” playing out on the arch’s undercarriage changes not only with the news, but also to be in harmony with the city, “We have designed a daily looping animation with a montage of sky effects. It oscillates between warm white, cold white, and color changing according to the colors of the night and Paris itself,” says Fabienne Maman, Technical Director at BOA Light Studio.

The 1312 Lumendome luminaires are placed within the shotcrete of the arch at a distance between 60 centimeters and over two meters from each other in order to create a non-linear, organic dynamic lighting scheme. Each luminaire is controlled point-by-point in the shotcrete using a Pharos controller, 3936 DMX addresses and 8 DMX universes. “Having a low-maintenance yet dynamic lighting system was of prime importance,” adds Fabienne Maman, “The highly articulate programmes can easily be controlled with the push of a button.”

The high-quality Lumendome luminaires lend themselves perfectly to this application as they are low-maintenance and easily serviceable from below, even if wiring adjustments are required. This allows any maintenance to be done from the exterior, alleviating any need to damage the concrete in which the luminaires are placed.

The night sky reflected in BOA’s light scheme is thoughtfully influenced by world events. The Lumendome luminaires react directly to world events being reported within the building. For instance, the luminaires were programmed to interact with Le Monde’s Twitter account in the future so that every time there is a mention of Le Monde, a shiver of light would ripple through the programming. It is touches like these, the interactive and reactive aspects of the dynamic lighting system that not only make it distinct, but make it an active participant in the world, something Le Monde and its media interests are devoted to themselves. In this way, the luminaires and the lighting design are not only reflective of the world, they are reflective of our reaction to it.

The Le Monde headquarters is symbolic, not only of its media output, but also of those who are listening, watching, and interacting with the world around us. That’s what a great dynamic lighting design does, it joins in and is part of the conversation.

EQUIPMENT SPECIFIED
1312 x Lumendome Nano Color Changing