The city tram station in Grenoble, France, has been outfitted with two Martin Exterior 600 colour changing washlights in a unique example of the creative possibilities inherent in intelligent lighting. Mounted in the tram station’s ceiling, strobe and colour change effects are used to signal the arrival and departure of trams.

When a tram is not present at the station, the Exterior 600s project white light. But as a tram nears, a sensor sends a signal to a Martin ProScenium DMX512 lighting controller, signalling the Exteriors to strobe. As the tram enters the station, the light then turns blue. Upon arrival, the strobing stops and the light remains blue. When the tram is ready to depart and pulls out from the station, the light turns progressively whiter. The lighting designer for the installation was Pierre Negre.

(Lee Baldock)


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