Tournai city centre regeneration

Tournai is one of the oldest Gallo-Roman cities in Belgium. With its Cathedral of Notre-Dame, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the 13th century Pont des Trous bridge, Tournai is a historic city with a rich past. Like many cities, Tournai was facing decline due to urban problems such as mobility, attractive amenities and a feeling of insecurity in the evenings.

The city council decided to regenerate the urban axis from Place Crombez to Rue Royale, providing a multimodal platform to take visitors from the station to the cathedral in the historic centre.
 

Ambitions for an evolving city

The local authorities had a very clear vision of what this urban regeneration should achieve:  

• enhance the city centre to make it a more pleasant place to live and visit;
• improve commercial activity in the city centre;
• promote all forms of active mobility, such as mopeds, bicycles and public transport, while ensuring safety.

They also firmly believe that street lighting has an important role to play in urban transformation. For a city to come alive after dark, it is important to have lighting that creates a friendly atmosphere and an attractive environment. Lighting must also ensure safety, while respecting the environment, limiting light pollution and spill, and all this without cluttering public spaces.

To meet this challenge, Schréder worked with Studio Paola Vigano, the architects appointed by the city to lead the regeneration project. Our role was to ensure that the lighting solutions met all the functional requirements.

Our multi-functional SHUFFLE pole was able to provide the required lighting with additional features, including an electric bike charging station, a loudspeaker, a 230V socket, a camera and smart parking. By integrating all these functions into one pole, the city benefits from a discreet solution that takes up little space in the public realm.
 

Controlled bubbles of light

The SHUFFLE poles, equipped with 180° light modules on Rue Royale, provide bubbles of light to create a welcoming atmosphere on this shopping artery. The refined design of this multi-functional lighting pole adds a touch of elegance by day and by night without obstructing the public realm. 

To direct the light perfectly to where it is needed, the lighting modules are fitted with Schréder ReFlexo™ reflectors. This light distribution ensures visual comfort and creates a sense of perspective on this main axis leading to the cathedral.

TECEO luminaires have been installed on the facades of the buildings to provide additional light on the pavements and increase the sense of security. These luminaires are equipped with a backlight control system to ensure that all the light is directed onto the pavements, minimising light pollution and light spillage for residents.

The park on Place Crombez is also lit by our SHUFFLE poles. They bathe the area in a soft light, creating a warm nocturnal atmosphere for people to relax and enjoy this green space in the heart of the city.
 

Managing lighting on demand

The city council wanted flexible lighting that could adapt to its needs. All of the luminaires are connected to the Schréder EXEDRA central management system. Based on a pre-defined calendar, we programmed different lighting profiles so that the city benefits from lighting that varies according to events and the seasons.

In addition to flexibility, Schréder EXEDRA also provides ORES, the lighting operator, with a tool for managing the lighting network. ORES now has a precise overview of each luminaire, making it easier to optimise the service life of the installation.

The SHUFFLE poles on Rue Royale and Place Crombez can do much more than just provide lighting. They can integrate innovative functions to enhance the urban experience.
 

Enhanced security and smart parking

The cameras integrated in the SHUFFLE poles provide constant surveillance to enhance security.

These cameras are also used for smart parking in the car parks on Rue Royale and Place Crombez: the cameras are linked to an app that knows the layout of the car parks. The system detects the presence of vehicles in the spaces in real time and is also connected to interactive panels. Drivers are therefore constantly aware of the number of available spaces and their location via an app or the interactive panels, facilitating mobility in the city.
 

Meeting current and future needs

The modularity of the SHUFFLE is undoubtedly one of its main advantages. On Rue Royale, in addition to the lighting and cameras, the following functions are integrated into the pole: 

• a loudspeaker to broadcast music and enhance the urban experience for pedestrians;
• a charging station for electric bikes to promote active mobility;
• a 230V socket for temporary street events such as markets, flea markets, etc;
• an empty module that can be easily fitted with another feature to meet future needs.
   

Supporting urban development

One of Schréder's strengths is that it is an international group with strong local roots. The city of Tournai was therefore able to count on a local partner offering innovative solutions. 

We carried out the photometric studies to propose lighting adapted to the different areas of the city. We understood the city's needs for different functions and were able to configure each SHUFFLE to meet them.

This integrated approach to lighting creates open spaces for a welcoming, safe and sustainable public realm. This urban regeneration demonstrates Tournai's commitment to welcoming its citizens and visitors in a friendly, sustainable and innovative public space.