Thorn luminaires provide environment fit for 21st Century learning

Working on a brief to deliver the perfect environment for learning for both pupils and teachers at the Kettering Science Academy (KSA) in Northamptonshire, Zumtobel Group’s lighting brands Thorn and Zumtobel have supplied the illumination for the new £28m building. The luminaires were selected to enhance the overall appearance of the state-of-the-art facility and create a flexible and adaptable 21st Century learning environment for pupils, whilst providing a low maintenance, energy efficient solution. Noise levels within the building were a big consideration, particularly within classrooms but the use of Arena Symphony LED luminaires overcame these issues.

The two-storey building is divided into departments which are linked to a central courtyard bearing the inscription:  'Give me a place to stand and I will move the Earth - Archimedes.' In the main entrance, visitors are greeted by a giant periodic table created by gifted and talented pupils from the last year. They were given an element to research and then had to design a tile to reflect its properties. Classrooms are designed for smaller class sizes and the building uses glass throughout to maximise light and create a sense of openness. There is also a swipe card system which acts as an automatic register for pupils and each department is furnished with the latest IT technology.

Thorn’s Arena Symphony LED luminaires illuminate the classrooms throughout the building, providing excellent light quality and sound absorbing features that minimise the sound reverberation in the classrooms. Modern concrete walls, hard flooring and large amounts of glass all reflect (rather than absorb) sound. The echo effect created in this way can make it difficult to hear the teacher speak, causing students to raise the noise level even further by chatting amongst themselves, the innovative Arena LED minimises this.

Arena Symphony LED is an direct/indirect luminaire that gives the Academy a modern visual appearance.  The luminaire is available with a wide range of control options and has been designed for flexibility, offering a choice of infills to adapt the length of the system to match all classroom layouts. Arena LED is fully compliant with BB93 for optimum classroom performance, utilising high-efficiency LEDs to slash energy consumption.

IQ Wave, a smart recessed LED luminaire focusing on intelligent controls, optics, design and installation has also been used in the classrooms to deliver great lighting quality and high user comfort.

Lyric LED decorative, surface mounted luminaires featuring a unique 'starburst' base have been installed in the stairwells. Lyric LED provides an aesthetic appeal both lit and unlit, with interchangeable bezel attachments for different colour and design options. The luminaire has a simple twist and lock mechanism from the diffuser to base for easy installation and maintenance.

Thorn’s Chalice, with a high efficacy of 106lm/W for low energy consumption and less than 100mm overall height, illuminates the circulation areas. This high performance LED downlight offers exceptional efficiency which, combined with a unified glare ratio <22, CRI 80 and a high efficacy of 106lm/W, make Chalice perfect for high quality lighting applications. Engineered for low maintenance, Chalice offers a lifetime of up to 50,000 hours before luminous flux is reduced to 90%.

To complete the project, Zumtobel’s ONDARIA luminaires have been installed in the atrium and library. ONDARIA is a family of circular ambient luminaires with an ultra-thin profile, for direct/indirect distributions, and exquisite detailing for uniform illumination. The clear geometry of the luminaire enhances the architecture without detracting from the interior styling.Glaring reflections on computer screens are kept to a minimum by the use of the Luminance-Reducing Optic (LRO). There is also the option of the Soft Opal Optic and the wide-area acoustic optic optimised to meet the demands of contemporary offices . The round design of ONDARIA means that it can be positioned anywhere and in any direction in a room, without compromising the constant quality of light.

Principal Martin Campbell commented “This new building will enable pupils and staff to work in an environment fit for 21st Century learning. It is the beginning of a new chapter in the life of KSA."