Church of Our Lady of Laeken restored to a healthy glow

Once a dark mass, dirty and forgotten on the northern horizon of Brussels, the Church of Our Lady of Laeken is now illuminated by a golden glow. The neo-Gothic landmark, which had been blackened by years of pollution, has been cleaned, restored and will now lit by a new light installation which accentuates its grandeur and gives the capital’s panorama a new focus point.

Some 350 projectors and five kilometres of cables were needed to illuminate the entire building. The installation, designed by the company Light-to-Light and installed by contractor VSE, was installed along and on the building with local residents in mind and every effort made to reduce light pollution and energy consumption.

Beliris, the public construction department responsible for building work in Brussels, said that the design of the €1 million light installation was "chosen to create subtle lighting which would be respectful of the building’s heritage. The lights were mainly installed on the building, thus reducing light pollution for local residents."

The latest generation of LED technology has also been selected to minimise energy consumption. "The entire lighting system consumes barely 50kWh per day, which is comparable to a large family home," according to Beliris. The light intensity will also be decreased between midnight and 5.00. The system is automatic and remotely controlled, "which further limits the energy bill."