Springtime in Paris, and Martin Professional has added to the city's beauty with three new projects. First up, the Trocadero Fountain (pictured), which has been augmented with Martin washlights. Facing the Eiffel Tower in the sloping gardens of the Palais de Chaillot, the fountain, decorated by Rodin, has always been a favorite place to rest during warm summer days. Now the fountain has become a nighttime attraction as well.
Lighting designer Sacchelli, from Lightec, was approached to add a “splash” of color to this famous landmark. Usually partial to white light, this time the city decided that different hues would be appropriate.
Sacchelli wanted to illuminate the fountain with weatherproof Martin Exterior 600 fixtures, but because the instruments were going to be placed in a dry location beneath the fountain, projecting through rectangular windows, the waterproof function was not needed. He decided to use 19 MAC 300 washlights, modified to use a beam-shaping lens in place of the frost lens. The software used to control the lights is specially made and also drives the fountains' jets.
Exterior gear has found a home in two hotel projects, both supplied by the Accor Group and installed by CHRP/Serge Pinel. For the beautification of the Sofitel Bercy Hotel in the heart of the city, 10 Exterior 600s and nine Exterior 600 Compacts were installed to add a wash of color to the architectural details of the hotel.
The Exterior luminaires are controlled by a Martin ProScenium, situated inside the hotel manager's office. The lighting concept centers on several groups of three Exterior fixtures each. The Exterior's long-throw beam is projected up to 28m (92') onto the various facades of the hotel. Color wash is provided in dual colors that slowly change while single-colored walls are programmed to change every five seconds. Special Eurotruss mountings are used to support the fixtures, which are positioned 1m and 2m (3.3' and 6.6') from the wall.
Hotel Mercure at the Gare de Lyon train station in central Paris is also using Martin Exterior gear. The two prominent features of the building, matching 25m-high (82.5') facade columns, are washed in color from four Exterior Compacts. The design is now more visible, gaining depth and dimension, even from blocks away. Color choices and fade times were specified by the hotel manager, programmed on a ProScenium controller, and downloaded to a Martin 2510 playback controller, as Martin does its part to enliven urban environments.