LED handrail lighting for lighting designers and architects
Illuminated handrails on stairs, underpasses, bridges, escape routes, and safety paths are indispensable today. Their light illuminates the walkways, provides safety and orientation, highlights potential obstacles, and reduces the risk of accidents—in short, artificial light makes public spaces safe and inviting at night, just like during the day.
At the same time, handrails are a versatile architectural design element. They artfully emphasize the contours and individual design, or form an atmospheric unity between proven construction methods and contemporary, efficient lighting.
By individually selecting different light colors, covers, and/or lenses, accent or homogeneous ambient lighting can be tailored to the surroundings and their requirements. The lights themselves disappear invisibly directly into the handrail.
Why you should also choose the NauticProfil® system for handrails
For over 18 years, we have been manufacturing linear luminaires using our modular LED system – the NauticProfil® system. Light lines with a total length of up to 100 meters per electrical feed can be easily implemented. This is made possible by the integrated through-wiring , based on our patented contacting technology. This makes luminaire installation simple and, in some cases, tool-free – saving considerable time and money .
We offer a wide range of lighting solutions for diverse applications and provide products for virtually any task. Our lighting systems also impress with their quality, durability, and excellent cost-benefit ratio. The ideal choice for LED light lines integrated into handrails are our slim and elegant classic mounting profiles made of high-quality aluminum: the NauticProfil® S1 and S2 . Thanks to their minimalist design, these profiles can be easily integrated into the small cavities of all standard handrail systems.
We supply the profiles cut to size or in the transport-optimized standard length of 2010 mm. Profiles can be supplied in a maximum length of 6000 mm. Upon request, all profiles can also be mitered and provided with drill holes and milled recesses.
Our NauticProfil® S1 is a slim profile that forms an optimal unit together with our NP light inserts. It can be perfectly integrated into even the smallest cavities.
There is a mounting hole every 150 mm at the bottom of the profile, which allows for easy attachment.
Thanks to its modified shape based on the S1 profile, the NauticProfil® S2
These are available in various designs and with or without angles – perfect for symmetrical and asymmetrical light lines and luminaires.
Intelligent and efficient lighting — versatile, reliable, robust
For our LEDs, we exclusively use aluminum-core circuit boards, which are specially assembled for us in Germany. These offer optimal cooling and maximum light output, a long lifespan, and low failure rates. You can choose from various NauticProfil® LED series with different LED configurations and light characteristics. Each variant can be configured with different light colors, optics, and lengths. Bright, homogeneous, and energy-efficient light lines illuminate every corner. The NauticProfil® light inserts fit into all our profiles with a single click. Everything simply fits together perfectly.
Which cover is the right choice?
NauticProfil® luminaire inserts are available with round, square, and flat covers, each with a 120° beam angle. Various lenses with symmetrical and asymmetrical light emission are also available for customized lighting solutions. A range of colors and vandal-resistant versions (impact-resistant and flame-retardant (non-dripping) according to IK10) made of polycarbonate complete the product line.
When it comes to LED handrail lighting, the most common choice is a square, frosted, or white cover. The result is a long, pleasantly homogeneous line of light with no visible light points. Another crucial advantage is that the square cover integrates seamlessly into the handrail, creating a clean finish – the tactile experience remains unaffected. The handrail remains easy to grip, with no protruding parts – eliminating any risk of injury.
For the use of our lights outdoors and the required protection class IP65, IP66, IP67, IP69, we encapsulate our lights with a high-quality, transparent polyurethane (PU) to insulate them from moisture and weathering.
Experience has shown that the S1 profile is the most commonly used. It's screwed directly into the handrail, and together with the flat cable and light fixture, it forms a seamless unit. It can only be removed with a special tool – making it vandal-proof. Directed light is achieved with a lens or the ILAF system. Alternatively, mounting clips can be installed in the handrail, and the factory-pre-assembled light fixture, including the S2 profile, can be clicked into place.
Example Lahmeyer Bridge in Frankfurt
The Lahmeyer Bridge in Frankfurt has a curved span of 160 meters. The challenge was to create a continuous, uninterrupted line of light within the handrail. To achieve this, mounting clips were first attached to the handrail, onto which the NauticProfil® S2 light inserts were then mounted. Remarkably, despite the bridge's considerable length, our patented integrated through-wiring system meant that only one power supply unit at each end of the two bridge abutments was needed to power the light lines. The light output was designed to illuminate the walkway almost completely without glare. An additional cover within the handrail ensures a clean finish and prevents dirt from entering.
Directed light
With directional lighting, the viewing direction, or possibly several directions, must be taken into account, because glare only avoided when the light and viewing direction coincide. If you want to deliberately direct the light, lenses come into play.
Specifically for projects highly efficient and vandal-resistant handrail lighting , we have developed a new linear lens for our NauticProfil® system: the ILAF ( integrated linear asymmetric frosted a asymmetric , a 30° lens (see illustration). While one side is illuminated glare-free and evenly, no disruptive light escapes from the other side. This prevents unwanted reflections on the water or road surfaces below, for example, on bridges.
Combined with an impact-resistant or UV-resistant square cover and our unique FLASHAARPremiumCoating, it is also protected against weathering and vandalism. Finally, compared to a conventional lens, it scores points with its flat, smooth, and clean finish to the groove in the handrail, thanks to the square cover. The feel of the handrail is not disturbed by a linear lens protruding from the groove tube, and there are fewer surfaces for dirt to accumulate.
Tip: If individual lights are deliberately damaged or even destroyed, they can be easily replaced using our disassembly tool thanks to the plug-and-play design. If only the covers are affected (e.g., by graffiti artists), no problem, we can replace those quickly and easily as well. This saves time and is environmentally friendly.
How much light is standard? Which circuit board is suitable?
Note: 1 lux is the luminous flux of one lumen, which uniformly illuminates an area of one square meter. 1 lx = 1 lm/ m²
For the artificial lighting of bridges, the lighting standard DIN EN 13201 applies to pedestrian and cycle paths . The minimum illuminance for walkways and stairs outdoors is 5 lux, ideally 20 lux. Pedestrians and cyclists should feel safe on the bridge and find the light pleasant.
The higher the brightness and the more even the illumination, the more pleasant it is for the eye, as differences between light and dark are perceived precisely.
In urban areas, it's important to consider the surrounding environment when planning lighting design. Often, other traffic routes run through these areas and should be protected from glare. Unwanted reflections, such as those onto water or road surfaces below, should be avoided.
Another important aspect is the environmental friendliness of the lighting. The impact on plant and animal life should be minimized.
Pleasant, warm light colors between 2200 and 3000 K are recommended, with very low ultraviolet and blue light content. Modern LED lights excel here, as they are very efficient even with yellowish and warm white light and have a high color rendering index (CRI).
We recommend using the NauticProfil® Mayflower-3 or Sta. Maria-6 . Both are perfectly suited for outdoor use where low lumen output is required. At the same time, they impress with high light quality and a CRI > 90.
The highlight – light lines with a total length of up to 100 meters per power feed can be easily implemented.
NauticProfil® Mayflower-3
99 m per feed-in
302 lm/m*
CRI > 90
2200 K – 6500 K
24 V DC
NauticProfil® Sta. Maria-6
100 m per feed-in
654 lm/m*
CRI > 90
2200 K – 6500 K
48 V DC
Protected from vandalism and environmental influences
The handrail's function lies in the constant contact area of passersby, making it particularly important to protect the lights within it from the elements and vandalism. To protect against moisture, dust, vibration, mechanical stress, and other harmful environmental influences, we encapsulate the LED lights with a transparent polyurethane (PU) using our in-house potting system. PU is an elastic material that gives the lights a degree of flexibility to absorb impacts and vibrations. At the same time, it is moisture-resistant, has good insulating properties, and is highly transparent.
Specifically for projects requiring, for example, a continuous line of light from the exterior to the interior, we also offer a potting process patented for the NauticProfil®: FLASHAAR PremiumCoating . The advantage here is that you don't have to choose between two different LED boards or light colors to avoid the otherwise common color drift between potted and unpotted luminaires. With IP PremiumCoating, a small cover is clipped lengthwise over our LED aluminum core boards before the luminaire is potted. This technology guarantees an absolutely homogeneous, uniform linear appearance, whether potted or unpotted.
Advantages at a glance that speak in favor of our NauticProfil® for handrail lighting:
- Tailor-made LED technologies and high-quality materials – Made in Germany
- Reliable, durable, weather-resistant, dimensionally stable and environmentally friendly LED handrail lighting
- Variety of options; thanks to the modular system, everything fits together
- significant reduction in energy consumption
- Various types of protection are available
- Protection rating IP 65, IP65Premium, IP69, impact resistance IK10 and protection class III
- Simple and time-saving installation thanks to the plug-and-play principle
- Vandal-proof LED handrail lighting, thanks to IP65 PremiumCoating
- LED lines up to 100 meters long with only one power supply, thanks to integrated through-wiring
- diverse selection of covers and lenses for individual lighting solutions
- Design, production and service – all from one source
For the environment:
- For our aluminum profiles we use Hydro REDUXA – an aluminum with one of the best climate footprint values
- Our energy-saving lighting solutions replace old, energy-intensive lighting systems, thereby saving large amounts of climate-damaging CO₂2
- sustainable, resource-saving light
- We use exclusively pollutant-free and recyclable materials
- For the LEDs, we primarily rely on aluminum core circuit boards, which are assembled specifically for us in Germany
- All potting materials are exclusively lead-free.
Protection of nocturnal ecosystems
- precisely calibrated brightness of the LED lines
- Directed light exactly where it is needed
- Avoid light pollution with dimmable/switchable LEDs