Illumination in educational facilities

Varied lighting design for corridors of movement

Wellbeing from the outset: how to make corridors feel inviting in an educational facility

Appropriate lighting that creates a sense of safety in the corridors of educational facilities provides accessibility, enables quick orientation, indicates escape routes during emergencies and highlights information areas.

The corridors and staircases are the arteries of a building, and help users to find their way around the facility. The lighting draws on the architecture and becomes an functioning part of the building, thanks to the interaction of shapes and light.

Alongside basic illumination, variety is created by indirect light, using ceilings and walls as reflection surfaces.

When selecting suitable luminaires from the product portfolio, the amount of daylight should also be taken into account – different control options can turn on the lights only as needed. During declining daylight hours or when people are present, exit lighting is enhanced. This satisfies energy saving aspects without compromising on safety.

When modernising existing buildings, replacing the luminaires offers significant potential for improvement, thanks to greater energy efficiency and control options.

Precise illumination using optical systems of the highest lighting quality

Maximising the efficiency of light deflection can further improve the illumination of corridors in educational facilities. These surface-mounted ceiling luminaires feature patented BEGA Vortex Optics® technology. The twisted reflectors made of pure aluminium enable perfect light deflection with excellent visual comfort, thanks to intensive light bundling. The corridor and reflective flooring are illuminated with precision, as soon as the daylight entering the space no longer suffices.

Soft, uniform light from unshielded luminaires, attractively arranged in rows for basic illumination

The arrangement of the unshielded luminaires in rows draws on the length and symmetry of the corridor. Here too, the lighting can supplement the available daylight or replace it after dark. The soft, uniform light brightly illuminates the corridor – the luminaires are DALI-controlled, meaning they receive clearly defined, preset commands to provide dim, supplementary lighting or full lighting.

Illuminating extraordinary architecture in harmony with the effects of light

The satin matt floor of the corridor harmonises with the minimalistic yet impressive concrete walls: Meanwhile, the lighting not only provides basic illumination from the ceiling, but also utilises the effect of the light from the recessed wall luminaires on the floor. Even in areas like these, without natural daylight, the adequate glare-free lighting provides a feeling of safety and clear orientation.

Wide variety of lighting options and controls: flexible planning for different requirements is the central focus

The requirements for the interaction between impressively designed staircases or minimalistic, functional staircases and the accompanying lighting are high. Safety and highlighting of potential hazards, as well as adequate presentation of the architecture, all have a role to play in the illumination.

As the connection between different levels of the building, staircases must attract the attention of the user. With high-quality lighting, they can be highlighted in a way that draws attention, without further distractions.

Staircases offer a wide range of illumination options: these include light on the ceiling, wall luminaires with unshielded light, recessed wall luminaires at different heights, light on the steps or impressive pendant luminaires, to name but a few. They offer maximum design freedom when it comes to the rich and varied lighting of staircases in accordance with standards.

Different control options provide increased flexibility and allow architects, installers and lighting designers to attractively illuminate staircases, guide visitors, increase energy efficiency and respond to the level of foot traffic.

Light from the ceiling

Classic lighting of a stairwell from top to bottom: The directed light from the recessed ceiling luminaires fulfils safety requirements and generates an attention-boosting overall brightness. Meanwhile, the luminaires remain unobtrusive yet efficient lighting elements.

Light from the steps

The safety-promoting illumination of the steps and attractive aesthetic combine into an impressive lighting scenario, without subjecting the user to glare.

Light from the wall

Low-lying light from recessed wall luminaires is cast far across the steps and provides users with a feeling of safety. High contrasts increase attention.

Light on the wall

Unshielded light, which is reflected from the walls, ensures excellent overall illumination of the stairwell. The robust luminaires, arranged in a row, draw on the lines of the architecture and the direction of the stairs. The result is a harmonious overall appearance.

High footfall or virtually unused: Corridors and staircases require lighting designs for highly diverse requirements

Light is used as a guide and for safety, making it essential in stairs and corridors. Soft and glare-free light creates an inviting sense of well-being. And this type of soft glare-free light won’t cast hard, irritating shadows on steps. This contributes to safety and prevents danger spots caused by the difficult-to-detect change from light to shadow.

The important visual information vital for navigation is therefore clearly discernible thanks to a highly efficient combination of ceiling and wall luminaires. With a cleverly chosen arrangement, these lights will accentuate landings, stairs and longer corridors in different ways, while also producing the desired result of providing lighting which both increases safety and creates an inviting ambience.

The system makes it easy to devise different lighting scenarios which are suitable both for areas that are used dynamically and with high frequency, on the one hand, but go virtually unused during teaching hours. Lighting scenarios can be pre-defined, operated and controlled using DALI control.

Safe and particularly bright illumination is required at the beginning of the day, during breaks and at the end of the day, as these are the times when many people are entering and leaving. Illumination should of course comply with all defined standards, and should even exceed these where possible in order to increase awareness. The choice of luminaires and light intensities is influenced by potential reflection surfaces on the walls and floors, with the colour determining the intensity of the reflection.

The degree of illuminance required during break times can be activated either via fixed time settings or via PIR sensor technology.

During lessons and when there are no people present in the corridors and staircases, the light is dimmed to a minimum level. PIR sensors activate the full light intensity when required.

Wherever possible, the control tools for the illumination (pushbuttons) should be located in a suitable place to prevent misuse or tampering. It is recommended to place these in the central control area (caretaker’s office/control cabinet). This means that the control system will not be accessible to unauthorised persons, thus ensuring operational safety and safe lighting at all times.

Our offer: DALI Training Our BEGA DALI Training offers an introduction to DALI in conveniently structured steps. The training covers the basics (definition, properties, prerequisites), concrete examples of circuit design, as well as configuration and control. For users who are just starting out or those in need of a refresher – BEGA’s DALI Training offers high-quality instruction in the basics and the finer points.

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