In the latest sign of the growing popularity of LED outdoor lights, the first phase of a plan to upgrade the lighting at the world famous Louvre museum and gallery has got underway.
A special ceremony has held at the museum in Paris to mark the completion of the first stage of a programme to replace all of the Louvre's external lighting with LEDs, reports LEDs Magazine.
This initial phase saw the lighting inside the iconic central pyramid replaced with LEDs, as well as that in the three surrounding smaller pyramids and a section of the facade of the Colbert pavilion, part of the main museum building.
The work was carried out by Toshiba, which has a contract with the museum running until 2023.
As part of the next stage of the project, the remaining facades of the Napoleon Court will be fitted with LEDs in the first half of this year, while the courtyard will follow in 2013.
Ultimately, Toshiba will provide a total of 3,200 LED light fittings to replace 4,500 xenon light fittings.
One of the advantages to switching to LED outdoor lights is the amount of energy they save in comparison to other types of bulbs.
It is estimated that by the completion for the project the Louvre's lighting power consumption will be reduced by 73 per cent, from 392,000W to 105,000W.
But in addition to the lower energy costs, a great deal of focus has been placed on the aesthetic qualities of the new LEDs.
Takayoshi Moriyama, a Toshiba lighting specialist, told the magazine that this meant the plans had to undergo a far more lengthy development progress than usual to ensure that the warmth and the brightness of the lights were just right.
"We had to harmonise the fixtures with the building as part of the scenery," he said.
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