The Loue river in Ornans, an illuminated route that flows with the water

As it celebrates its 40th birthday, LEC looks back at its contribution to lighting with Thierry Walger and the illumination of the Loue river in Ornans.

To illuminate the Loue river in Ornans in 2014, Thierry Walger designed an LED path along the waterway.

" The result is a singular lighting installation strengthened by a personal adventure.”.

Thierry Walger, Lighting designer

Thierry Walger lives in the Franche-Comté region of France and loves his province. When the Town Hall of Ornans called upon his services to illuminate the route of the river Loue in Ornans, he endeavoured to find the best partners to achieve the particular concept he had in mind.

His search for lighting was very precise, and the location posed some difficulties. Thierry Walger thus solicited LEC to meet his requirements with a custom-made proposal. The result was a unique piece of lighting along the length of the river.

Thierry Walger recounts the origins of this special project.

Following the light along the river Loue through Ornans

Thierry Walger recalls his collaboration with LEC

We started with the idea that night falls on the town through the only natural route not used by man: the river. We came up with colour-changing lights that went from cold white to a standard blue and then deep blue, with a random program to symbolise waves.

I knew that given the time and budget constraints, few suppliers could overcome the challenge…we needed a company with the personal touch, whose employees love what they do, such as LEC.

Creating lighting for each use case

To illuminate the river Loue in Ornans, we needed to invent a system that didn’t yet exist in our catalogues. We therefore designed luminaires that LEC attentively developed, providing solutions when needed, and even when not.

We communicated extensively to build and programme the spotlights. We visited the LEC ‘lab’ to test different intensities, colour mixes and beam angles.

A complementary and agile relationship

I remember Michel, my LEC project manager, who would put on his fishing boots to reach the corbels of the houses upstream!

It was a unique project with lighting that had never been seen before. We pooled our expertise with that of a motivated company who tackled the project head on.

Work rewarded by the industry and tourists

I put my heart and soul into this project, and I was particularly moved when I received the AFE award in recognition of our work.

Lastly, the lighting along the river Loue in Ornans also had a positive impact on tourism, encouraging visitors to take photos of the river at night-time.

In short, I am delighted to have met this bold challenge for a town of less than 5,000 inhabitants.

⇒ Did you know?
In 1977, LEC decided to focus all its attention on LED technology. These decades of dedicated expertise have allowed the company to meet strict requirements in terms of reliability, efficiency, maintenance and aesthetic appeal. Relive with us 40 historic years devoted to LED technology and the lighting industry.