The town of Cazalla de la Sierra has a rich natural and cultural heritage. It is located in the Sierra Morena de Sevilla Natural Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve in 2002, as well as a Starlight Reserve, a Special Protection Area for birds (ZEPA) and a Geopark. Added to all this natural wealth is the town’s architectural heritage, attested to by its status of Asset of Cultural Interest with the category of Historic Site, and home to several BICs (Asset of Cultural Interest), including the parish church and La Cartuja.

With a long agricultural and livestock tradition, this Sevillian town stands out for pig and sheep rearing and the production of brandy, an industry whose golden age was the 16th and 17th centuries, heralding the arrival of many religious orders. These Augustinian and Franciscan congregations, among others, ended up settling in Cazalla de la Sierra, leaving behind an outstanding architectural heritage which, despite the passage of time, has managed to be preserved to this day.

LOW-QUALITY, INEFFICIENT DISCHARGE LIGHTING

The lighting in the town of Cazalla de la Sierra consisted of a heterogeneous mix of discharge light points with different light levels and various colour temperatures. Aside from consuming a huge amount of energy compared to the values ​​that LEDs can offer us today, the condition of these lamps had also deteriorated over time, affecting light quality, uniformities, performance and maintenance costs.

What is more, the main historical monuments had insufficient lighting to spotlight their true value at night, thereby losing a certain attractiveness and, consequently, the interest of visitors to the town.

NEW LIGHTING TO APPRECIATE THE HISTORICAL HERITAGE 

Given this situation, the town council decided to modernise all the lighting in the municipality, with a double objective. First, to enhance the beauty of the historical buildings by means of an ornamental and homogeneous lighting system that would further the development of tourism with the creation of night visits, routes to visit the monuments and night sky and star gazing. And second, to improve the lighting to help reduce the high rural exodus of population that has taken place in recent years in this and other towns of the interior.

Apart from meeting these objectives, the Office of the Mayor also requested a maximum colour temperature of 2700K in the urban areas, and the elimination of light pollution, an essential condition given that the town is in a protected area classified as a Starlight Reserve.

THE PROPOSED SOLUTION

Carandini was the company responsible for updating all the lighting, with the help of the installation companies Citelum (public street lighting) and Servicios de Electricidad 2011 (monuments and sports areas).

Because the project involved some very different scenarios, ranging from the historic town centre to the football pitch, the industrial estates, the architectural monuments, the paddle courts and the bullring, a mixed solution featuring different models was decided on. It included both classic solutions, such as the CLAMOD lantern, and much more current luminaires such as the VEKA model street luminaire and the MIKOS, ATHLOS and T-MAX floodlights.

A total of over 1,200 lighting points were updated. Specifically, the ATHLOS sports solution, designed to illuminate large spaces and at great heights, was installed in the football pitch; the MIKOS floodlight was chosen for the paddle, tennis and multi-sports courts; the T-MAX for the bullring; the VEKA solution for the car parks and the town’s entry points; and the classic CLAMOD model for the old town.

For the historical monuments, the town council opted for small and medium-sized MIKOS floodlights, which have a tool-free opening system for easy maintenance and a design that prevents dirt and elements that may affect proper heat dissipation from accumulating.

All the luminaires are made of an EN AC-44100 aluminium alloy with a copper content of less than 0.1%, guaranteeing excellent protection against corrosion, extending the lifespan of the product and reducing maintenance needs.

In addition to these 1,200 light points, Carandini also installed a lighting regulation system that dims the light at times of reduced traffic, thereby facilitating considerable energy savings for the town and a reduced environmental impact.

RESULTS ACHIEVED

As per the town council’s request, the new lighting has managed to highlight the architectural beauty of this Sevillian town of whitewashed houses characteristic of these mountains, mixed with stately palaces and ancient convents and churches. Thanks to the new lighting, the area’s inhabitants and tourists alike can enjoy ornamental lighting that highlights the Cazalla de la Sierra’s historical heritage, while also providing visual comfort and safety.

In terms of lighting, the personalised studies carried out and the adjustment of the optics have enabled a high uniformity and excellent colour rendering to be achieved when using LEDs with a CRI of over 80. This is in addition to energy savings of 70% and a reduction in light pollution, in compliance with the requirements set by Starlight.

Likewise at the town council’s request, the colour temperature installed in the urban areas is the warm 2700K, featuring a reduced spectral blue component that preserves the dark sky and minimises light pollution.

AWARD-WINNING PROJECT

The I Lighting Awards, organized by the Urban Solutions Symposium, honored this project last fall with the award for the best road or environmental lighting.