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The right light for McDonald’s pilot restaurant in Toulouse

In Toulouse, a McDonald´s restaurant of a special kind was constructed on an area of 190 m². There McDonald´s not only provides the internationally popular fast-food pleasures, but also invites the guest to actively learn about and to experience the subject of environmental awareness. McDonald´s is, in this case, less interested in promoting its own brand image than, rather, the general informative nature of the theme of environmental protection and the perception of the social responsibility involved. The concept of the restaurant at Plaisance du Touch provided for the best possible use of the natural resources and the integration of the restaurant into its environment.

At the architectural level, the restaurant was to be designed in such a way that the sun generated as much light and heat as possible. The power requirements are met by a photovoltaic unit installed on the roof, while the hot water for the sanitary area is produced by a geothermal heat pump. Well-kept green plants arranged between rows of seats, a great biological diversity, and small nesting birds which have settled there, show that the outer area has been kept natural. A small vegetable garden also provides the guests with an opportunity to discover different types of vegetables. The outdoor area is irrigated by a rainwater treatment unit

As partners for the implementation of the lighting concept, McDonald’s finally at the end of a strictly defined selection procedure decided in favour of the concept from Ansorg France which was, in particular, able to fully meet the central demands of energy efficiency and the design function of the light.

Perfect lighting for scene setting with a 69 percent savings potential

The environmental concept of the restaurant ‘Plaisance du Touch‘ also defined the tasks for the lighting concept within a detailed and very demanding framework. The main demand consisted in a marked energy saving in relation to the lighting solutions used so far. In addition, the lighting of the Plaisance du Touch restaurant was supposed to underline the lounge-like atmosphere of the restaurant. By means of attractive accent lighting, the information boards on various environmental subjects positioned throughout the restaurant are made particularly conspicuous for restaurant guests.

The planning department at Ansorg France decided in favour of the implementation of the terms of reference for a formally reduced lighting concept based on the modular lighting system Lightstripe. For the ambient lighting, downlights of the Maxx type with wide-beam, non-glare reflectors were used. The accentuation of the information boards was effected with the help of gimbal-mounted recessed spotlights with spot reflectors. The light source in both types of luminaires is 20-watt metal halide lamps, of the latest generation.

The decisive qualification criterion for the realisation of the Ansorg concept Plaisance du Touch is, however, to be found in the energy consumption balance. Since the lighting solution found by Ansorg France consumes a mere 10.96 W/m². That means – as compared with the usual McDonald’s lighting concepts with an average energy consumption of 35.75 W/m², a significant savings volume of 69 percent. From environmental points of view, this is a gain which results from a business management point of view, in a short amortisation period of only 15 months.