Tal Shield – Protecting nocturnal wildlife and the night sky
Project
Bridge lighting upgrade at
the Neumühlsteg
Erlangen, Germany
The Wiesengrund, a vast protected landscape in the Regnitz Valley, lies immediately west of Erlangen's historic town centre. It provides an important habitat for rare and protected plant and animal species. At the Neumühlsteg, where two bridges cross the River Regnitz, the City of Erlangen launched Tal Shield, a pilot project for environmentally responsible lighting.
As part of the replacement of the parapets on the two bridge structures, the lighting system was upgraded with energy-efficient LED technology. The previous integrated design of the bridge and parapets was discontinued, and the cables that had formerly been routed within the handrail were relocated to the outside.
Mounted on the outer side of the bridge, Tal Shield luminaires are ideally suited to this nature conservation pilot project given the sensitive location within the Wiesengrund. Their distinctive design, combined with the Circular Light Profile ›Biological White‹, makes them ideal for applications that require light colour and intensity to adapt to insect activity.
Background
Tal Shield, in combination with Circular Light Profiles, is provided pre-programmed, eliminating the need for time-consuming planning and programming work.
The ›Biological White‹ light profile considers the activity of the majority of insects and adjusts the light colour between 2,200 and 3,000 Kelvin during the relevant months. Moreover, the light intensity adapts over the course of the year and night. This approach enables the creation of diverse lighting experiences at the location while simultaneously establishing sufficient dark zones.
During periods of higher pedestrian and cycle traffic, as well as at dusk, the lighting operates at a colour temperature of 3,000 Kelvin. From 8:00 pm until 5:00 am, the colour temperature is reduced to a warm 2,200 Kelvin. Special shielding integrated into the luminaires completely screens the light source, ensuring that only the pedestrian and cycle path is illuminated while protecting wildlife and the night sky from unnecessary light spill.
object Neumühlsteg Erlangen, Germany
client City of Erlangen
photographer Frank Pfeiffer
product Tal Shield, Light profile Biological White