The Tower of Villaricos
With over 7,000 kilometers of coastline and a diverse inland landscape, Spain is one of the most popular destinations in Europe. Due to its great cultural richness, the regions and municipalities on the Iberian Peninsula are in constant competition for visitors from all over the world. The night-time scenery is also of crucial importance in this respect. In the eastern part of Andalusia, in the town of Villaricos, they have now taken advantage of the possibilities and created a monumental nocturnal space with modern lighting technology. The lighting project of the former coastal defence tower of Villaricos aims to change the way this monument is interpreted through the interplay of light and shadow. The light planning office of DCI Lighting Design developed a high-contrast light installation that culminates in the tower's crown. The lighting designers used LED light lines from the AQUALUC C:URVE series with a color temperature of 2800 Kelvin and an IP 67 protection rating.
"The project was an idea of the municipality of Cuevas de Almanzora, which wanted to turn the tower, built in the 18th century, into a tourist attraction during the night hours. Thanks to a grant from the Andalusian government through its Energy Agency for Value Added Projects, it was possible to develop the new night lighting," said Javier Gorriz, founder of DCI Lighting Design.
AQUALUC C:URVE LED Light Lines Installed on the Tower’s Crown
The entire lighting technology consists of ultra-modern LEDs with a Casambi Bluetooth control system that offers both dynamics and efficiency. Flush light is used to highlight reliefs, negative fill light is used to bring hidden elements to the fore.
The flexible LED light lines AQUALUC C:URVE with a color temperature of 2800 Kelvin were installed on the crown of the tower. The polyurethane-ceramic encapsulation of the light lines provides protection against various external elements, including the salty air close to the sea. They emit a perfectly homogeneous light that illuminates the top, allowing a quick visual awareness of the overall height of the tower. The luminaires with IP 67 protection have been individually manufactured for this project with a rear cable feed, so that several light lines could be installed end-to-end without creating shadows. This made it possible to achieve a uniform homogeneity of light all around the tower.
The coastal defence tower of Villaricos is located directly on the sea and with its new lighting at night it provides a fresh landmark for boats. However, it does not serve as a pilot, but is rather an unchangeable monument that indicated a protected place to the sailors of days gone by.
About AQUALUC
The standard versions of the IP-protected LED light lines AQUALUC are characterized by an excellent homogeneity, the AQUALUC mini versions by especially small dimensions. All products of this series do not require any additional aluminium profiles due to their effective heat dissipation and withstand various external conditions due to the particularly high-quality materials and their fully encapsulated construction. In extensive test series the AQUALUC series was tested for resistance against salt, water, UV radiation, abrasion, dust and chemicals. The LED light lines, available with IP 67 or IP 68 protection class depending on the version, are ideal for indoor and outdoor applications such as general outdoor lighting, swimming pools and wellness areas as well as shipbuilding, gardening and landscaping.
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Project Keypoints
Developer Ayantamiento de Cuevas de Almanzora Light Planning Design Javier Górriz Partner Noon light solutions Public Support Andalusian Energy Agency, Junta de Andalucia ©Photogtrapher Martín García Perez