Albarracín, a city of exceptional architectural and natural beauty, has been a National Monument since 1961 and is currently a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status. In a Lighting Master Plan developed by Louis Clair, Lumínica Proyectos carried out the execution project for the pedestrian streets of the historic center.

One of the premises of the lighting project was the integration of new LED technology while maintaining the aesthetic of Albarracín’s traditional wrought iron lanterns. Several types of lanterns were developed: full lantern, large lantern, small lantern, and a half-lantern for the narrow streets. The location of each lantern was designed so that it would not be the focal point but instead blend into the surroundings, providing uniformity to the streets. To achieve a warm color temperature, the polycarbonates were made in amber color with a sandblasted gradient to prevent glare.

We restructured the placement of the lanterns and replaced the 100W sodium vapor luminaires with 30W LED luminaires. The new lights are dimmable, so they are not at full intensity throughout the night, reducing energy consumption by 50% when traffic in the city decreases, contributing to energy savings. The color rendering of LED technology is significantly better than sodium vapor, allowing for better nighttime visibility and color perception.

The city is nestled in the mountains, so we had to respect the darkness of its environment. Avoiding light pollution was an important premise of the urban lighting plan. The optics of the luminaires prevent light from being emitted into the sky, allowing the stars of the Albarracín mountain range to still be visible.