The magic of light: The new ERCO Castor bollard luminaire

Lüdenscheid, June 2016. Bollard luminaires are ideal for illuminating open areas and pathways, bringing a sense of safety and orientation at dusk and beyond. As well as providing adequate ambient lighting, they add spatial structure by creating perceptual hierarchies that accentuate and delimit movement zones and public places. The ERCO Castor is designed precisely with these diverse functions in mind. The versatile bollard luminaire offers lighting designers, building and landscape architects plenty of creative freedom in designing comprehensive lighting concepts for complex outdoor projects, such as in the context of prestigious public buildings, the gastronomy or the home.

This is the first pure LED bollard luminaire in the ERCO portfolio, and thus the Castor range enables hugely creative solutions combining consistent design with superior glare control and excellent energy efficiency. Available with 360° radial beam for open areas or, alternatively, with a light aperture designed to spread the light 180° in a semicircle onto pathways, as well as in different sizes and lumen packages, the floor washlight allows the luminaires to be spaced particularly far apart at up to 10m - producing highly precise and uniform light without compromising on the glare control. This synthesis of visual comfort, light quality and luminous power is based on the special ERCO LED technology developed for Castor, with an innovative and highly efficient light guidance ring integrated almost invisibly in the bollard’s minimalist design.

Castor is the first luminaire to enable differentiated lighting design concepts for movement zones and open areas as well as for terraces and car parks, entrance areas and pathways, using a single range of ERCO luminaires with a consistent design. The versions with a wide beam light distribution of 180° have a connected load of 8W to 12W, with lumen packages between 840lm and 1650lm, whereas the version with 360° radial beam delivers between 16W and 24W, with lumen packages of 1680lm to 3300lm. Castor comes in a height of 800mm or 900mm with two different light colours. The flexible bollard luminaires are switchable or DALI dimmable.

The “light digital” light guidance technology - an innovation blending technology and design

Castor demonstrates the approach that ERCO has taken to advance the philosophy of “light, not luminaires” into the digital age. The sealed light guidance ring in a housing with a perfectly shielded light aperture directs the light effectively, precisely and without glare onto the target surface. The result is light of unprecedented symmetry and brilliance with superb uniformity. The perfection of the radial beam in the 360° version is enhanced by the absence of any inference, such as by a fitting or other component. The ERCO Dark Sky technology prevents light from being emitted above the horizontal plane, leaving the night sky dark whilst ensuring a good view for passers-by and drivers. The light guidance ring of Castor, specially developed and produced by ERCO and made of optical polymer, combines light guidance and lens. It is mounted directly above the ring-shaped layout of the LED module with high-power LEDs, which is integrated upside down in the luminaire. The photometric system is based on the same highly precise optical principle applied to the collimating lenses in ERCO spotlights and wallwashers.

Effective floor washlight for the outdoor area

Thanks to its very attractive commercial positioning, with excellent energy efficiency on top, Castor is an effective lighting tool for projects with budget issues. With very high luminous efficacy and distribution characteristics, the luminaires can be spaced up to 10m apart, without compromising the glare control. Castor conforms to the stringent requirements of the IP65 rating, with a housing made of powder-coated cast aluminium, no glass components and electronics that are protected in the upper part of the bollard, making Castor suitable for use in snow. Needless to say, the robust bollard luminaire is equipped with the maintenance-free ERCO optoelectronics designed for a long life, to help save resources and lower the operating costs.

Technical features Castor

ERCO light guidance ring: Combines light guidance and lens made of optical polymer
ERCO LED module: High-power LEDs on metal-core PCB,
light colours: warm white or neutral white, 3000 or 4000K
Control gear: Switchable or DALI dimmable
Bollard: Corrosion-resistant cast aluminium, No-Rinse surface treatment, Graphit, double powder-coated, optimised surface for reduced accumulation of dirt
Anti-glare cone: Corrosion-resistant cast aluminium, No-Rinse surface treatment, double powder-coated and black lacquered, glare-free above the light aperture
Upper cover: Corrosion-resistant cast aluminium, No-Rinse surface treatment, Graphit, double powder-coated
Base plate: For mounting on accessories, mounting accessories to be ordered separately
Protection mode IP65: Dust-tight and water jet-proof