Boulevard Katwijk sparkles again in aluminium
The wooden poles that illuminated Katwijk’s coastline in the Netherlands for the past 10 years are there no longer. They have been replaced by aluminium poles. Though you probably would not even notice.
The calling card of the seaside town of Katwijk, located just north of The Hague, is its boulevard. Lined with poles, sparkling with light, the boulevard is striking. But wooden poles along a salty coastline is not an economical long-term solution, and this sent the municipality in search of an alternative: aluminium.
Choosing aluminium was easy for the town, because Katwijk has good experience with aluminium poles, particularly when it comes to durability. Its urban area, as well as its coastline, can point to aluminium poles that have lasted more than 50 years.
Close collaboration with local expertise
The appearance of the boulevard with the new poles makes you think of the past. Back to the 1960s, but with the knowledge of today.
Due to the decorative surface treatment, the poles hardly differ in color from the models they replace. The lower parts and the brackets have been natural anodized, with the top parts of the poles anodized in the color bronze. Anodizing is a better option along the coast than powder coating, because salt from the sea puts extra demands on a pole.
The 84 pieces are equipped with a Schréder luminaire, type Albany LED. Six poles are installed on a two-part base plate, thereby allowing them to be temporarily removed during festivities.
Hydro developed the aluminium design in close collaboration with the municipality and landscape architect.
During the design phase, we actually looked at a pole model that Katwijk had installed along the boulevard in the 1950s,” says Vincent Alberts of Hydro’s dedicated pole products unit. “We did change the original design to beautify and optimize the model according to the latest EN 40-6 standards.”
He adds that the company also worked with the contractor Heijmans on the technical and logistical aspects of the project to guarantee successful installation of the light poles.
Sustainability in Katwijk
Hydro has long had a role to play, especially in the identification of sustainable solutions, with the Dutch town.
For example, the municipality was an early adopter of carbon-neutral poles and Cradle to Cradle-certified poles, and the town also participated in the first Take Back pilot project. Take Back is Hydro's return system, where old light poles are taken back and remelted into new poles in our own foundry.