The new, compact school building of De Brug practical school is located in Zaltbommel. In the special design by architectural firm Schaap en Sturm, the auditorium is situated in the central core, which is surrounded by the theory and practical classrooms in which lessons are given in green maintenance, wood and metalworking, catering and care.
Schaap en Sturm has explored various options for the entry of daylight into this centrally located space. As skylights and domes did not meet the strict requirements of BENG and because people had other plans for the roof surface, the architects quickly came to Techcomlight.
Techcomlight has completely reconstructed the school building in 3D for the lighting plan of De Brug. ‘In this way we could show what the daylight yield would be in every part of the auditorium if you were to use a certain amount of tubes. Together with the architect, we adjusted the positions and dimensions of the tubes and arrived at the application of 22 Solatubes with a diameter of 35 centimetres. With these daylight tubes, users of the auditorium are assured of sufficient daylight and the investment is guaranteed.
At the Koning Willem III Barracks in Apeldoorn, the assembly building was restored in 2016. This building has a multifunctional presentation room with a stage. There were no windows in this room and it was illuminated purely by artificial light.
A long day with presentations under artificial light is not desirable, not even for soldiers. There is a need for natural daylight. However, this daylight had to be dimmable to be able to see presentations with a projector. Because the presentation space is also used in the evening, artificial light cannot be left out altogether.
The most important point is the sustainability of the building. This means limiting energy loss by applying a high insulation value for the roof and facade. Because the facade consists of concrete, it has a particularly high accumulating capacity. To provide the indoor spaces with daylight, it was decided to build in various Solatubes. Moreover, the Solatube is well insulated, so there is virtually no energy loss to the outside and it blocks the outside temperature and noise.
Thanks to Solatube there is now daylight in our multifunctional space. The beauty of this daylight is that it is adjustable. During a presentation we can simply dim the daylight, ideal!
Since September 2012, the Emmen fire brigade has been housed in a new fire station on the Nijbracht. From this location the fire brigade is on its way to call-outs faster.
When building the barracks, the appearance of the building had to be taken into account. This had to match the character of the organization; tough, robust, sympathetic and transparent. In addition, the architect aimed for a sustainable GPR score of 8.
The most important point is the sustainability of the building. This means limiting energy loss by applying a high insulation value for the roof and facade. Because the facade consists of concrete, it has a particularly high accumulating capacity. To provide the indoor spaces with daylight, it was decided to build in various Solatubes. Moreover, the Solatube is well insulated, so there is virtually no energy loss to the outside and it blocks the outside temperature and noise.
The barracks have a dark corridor, the bedrooms of the firemen adjoin this. Solatubes have been built in to lighten this corridor. The daylight yield is a relief during the day.
The design concept of this new build was to provide a well-lit, comfortable, practical and stimulating learning environment with an emphasis on sustainable technologies and energy efficient solutions. To achieve these goals meant finding a way to deliver daylight into the dark inner areas of the classrooms – even though the roof was two storeys above.
The architects researched tubular daylighting systems and realized that they would require a system that would be capable of delivering impressive levels of daylight over long distances and with incorporating several 90° bends; they opted for Solatube Daylighting Systems.
The Solatube Ø 35 cm Daylighting Systems installed each incorporated a minimum 8 metre drop, a 90° turn with up to a further 8 metres of horizontal tubing before turning yet again to reach the designated ceiling positions in the classrooms.
The demand on the daylighting systems was immense, but thanks to their superior light capture and transfer, the daylight levels ultimately achieved were excellent and contributed greatly to attaining the architect’s specified daylight factors.
The enhanced reflective surface coating of 99.7% within the Solatube system made it ideal for use in long runs, some up to 16.5 metres, including several bends. In spite of this, they remain impressively effective, delivering natural daylight to areas it would not otherwise be possible to achieve.
The architect’s specification for South Baddesley School’s new build Ecological Discovery Centre (EDC) included the use of eco-friendly, innovative technologies, building fabrics and construction techniques. Along with other eco-technologies, they sought a method of introducing daylight that would meet their requirements for sustainability, lighting performance and innovation.
BBA certified Solatube Daylighting Systems gave the school’s architects the technical confidence they sought and were their natural choice for this project.
Ten Solatubes Ø 35 cm were installed into the Centre’s green sedum roof to provide natural light during the daytime to areas inside the building that suffered from a lack of natural light because they were not close to the windows.
Along with the Solatube systems, the school installed several other sustainable technologies and used many re-cycled materials such as glass bottles, bricks and newspaper.
We wanted to create an innovative project that effortlessly fitted into the local environment and sat naturally into the local surroundings. It is a wonderful facility which the children love and it has been brilliant to see how passionately they feel about being ‘eco.
Sedbergh School in Cumbria sought a solution to introduce natural light and reduce energy usage as part of their energy management strategy to reduce their carbon footprint. Having researched the industry, they chose to retrofit Solatube Daylighting Systems.
Key factors in the Bursar’s decision-making process included the Solatube product’s BBA Certification which confirmed compliance to Building Regulations as well as daylight, performance and thermal characteristics.
The school’s in-house maintenance team installed five Solatube Ø 53 cm systems into the building’s flat roof.
The square Prismatic diffusers complemented the existing suspended ceiling electric light fittings and three Solatube Electric Daylight Dimmers were also installed so the daylight may be easily dimmed for film or whiteboard presentations in the classrooms.
In line with the Government carbon reduction policy and as part of the school energy management/ reduction strategy we aim to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible year on year. We are achieving this by retrofitting energy saving devices and equipment and whenever appropriate we install passive equipment enhancing the environment and delivering a carbon neutral solution, which in turn will go some way to reducing our carbon footprint.
The Heerenland College was built in 2010 to accommodate more than 250 pupils of VMBO. There is a pleasant atmosphere inside the building because there is a lot of daylight.
The school building had to be provided with sufficient daylight. This has been maintained throughout the building by using a lot of glass. However, this was a different story in the gym, because daylight entry had to meet different requirements.
6 Solatubes were installed in the sports hall to transport sufficient daylight inside without glare from the sun. The daylight system therefore complies with all standards and requirements set by the NOC * NSF with regard to daylight entry in gymnasiums.
There is a very pleasant atmosphere inside the Heerenland College building. There is daylight everywhere, this is also much more pleasing to the eyes than artificial light. Even in dark days it is light inside. You can also find everything in the gym without first having to turn on the light.
The free primary school De Knipoog is located in Rummen, Flemish Brabant. It is a real village school with around 180 students. What makes this school so unique is that everyone knows each other personally.
The prefab buildings in which the classrooms were housed no longer met contemporary standards and were also physically outdated. It was decided to demolish the school and build a whole new school: a primary school and a kindergarten that are connected. In 2014, the first phase, the primary school, was delivered by architecture firm Joris Gijsenberg. The concept plan opted for a central circulation area with limited external walls.
The board wanted to illuminate the circulation area in a sustainable way. The architect chose to use Solatube daylight systems combined with controlled artificial lighting. Bringing daylight in through the deep construction from the roof down to a lowered ceiling was a challenge, however Solatubes are the ideal solution for this. The resulting daylight reduces energy costs and provides a healthy indoor climate for young students which promotes the ability to concentrate and therefore improves student productivity.
The Solatubes give us a lot of pleasant light, I think this is great. It is a nice ecological solution for our school.
