Lighting in Design November-December 2015

Multisensory experience at railway museum TrainWorld, a Belgian railway museum, opened on September 25 after ten years of work and an invest- ment of 25 million euros. Lightemotion, creative office in Montreal, was involved in lighting this past, present and future railway showcase, which exhibits the most beautiful original pieces of the country’s historical collection.

railway world. To accommodate the diversity and difference in scale of the exhibits, the creators of Lightemotion used lighting systems, architectural technology and unusual applications. "We had to think outside the box. For example, we used lighting systems designed for outdoor ap- plication to obtain the power and durability required to highlight the locomotives," explains Roupinian, President, Design Director at Lightemotion. The project required more than 2 000 LEDs and metal halide lamps; the latter are known as ‘Metalarc’ and widely used in movie projectors and theatres. Every detail was carefully embraced by the light through a thorough study of exposed volumes. Each light source was custom tailored to the scenography needs and context. Simulations using 3D software have achieved an unprecedented level of precision for highlighting the project. The lighting at times is dramatic; at times vibrant; at times animated. Each exhibition hall is unique and presents a variety of environments.The space, object, light, image and sound combine to create a multisensory experience designed to carry visitors into the world of Belgian railway, the oldest network on the European continent. www.lightemotion.ca

The scenography, designed by Belgian artist François Schuiten and Expoduo, plunges visitors into a multisensory and theatrical universe. The staging of spaces and objects had to be supported by an exclusive lighting layout and Schuiten re- quested the services of Lightemotion, which has worked on more than twenty international projects. The first act of this ‘opera of the train’ starts in Schaerbeek Station, the architectural jewel of Belgian railway and one of the oldest stations in the country. Located in the heart of Europe it was con- structed on the first rail track of the continent linking Brussels and Mechelen and is now connected to a new industrial hangar via the railway garden. The 8 000 m 2 hangar contains four exhibition halls where visitors can admire several locomotives, including the Pays de Waes , the oldest preserved steam locomotive in Europe, as well as hundreds of objects, drawings and models relating to the

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