LESSONS IN LIGHTING - FROM RIDI

Pupils at Kingsdale comprehensive school in Dulwich, South London can look forward to a ‘bright’ future thanks to an installation of HRL pendant luminaires from RIDI Lighting.

Built in 1957, the 1,100-pupil mixed comprehensive in Southwark has recently undergone a much acclaimed architectural transformation. Architect de Rijke Marsh Morgan’s (dRMM) won a RIBA competition to revamp the original 1950s school building – and the ingenious result is the perfect demonstration of the impact architecture can still have in the public sector.

The most innovative element of the project is the vast new atrium which has been created to enclose the school’s courtyard. A huge undertaking (the courtyard is measures 80m in length and 40m in width), the space is covered with a variable skin ptfe roof which sets considerable lighting challenges. Patterns on the top two layers of each ‘cushion’ allow the amount of light entering the space to be controlled, but supplementary electrical lighting was also required to satisfy the luminance targets. The roofed over courtyard now creates a bright, airy space which, with the addition of the first floor walkways, acts as the schools main circulation space.

Pendant luminaires from RIDI Lighting were chosen to complement the unusual design of the scheme. Says Mike Attard, Managing Director at RIDI: “The aluminium industrial-looking pendants fit perfectly with the look the architects wanted to achieve, and working with the lighting engineers, we have managed to achieve the lux levels required for a building which is used by pupils all year round, whatever the weather. We are very proud that our luminaires fitted the bill for what is, quite frankly, an astounding example of truly innovative school design.”

Produced as a designer/industrial pendant high bay luminaire, this version of the HRL range was supplied with a large fluted prismatic reflector and is finished off with a robust extruded aluminium control gear housing. Manufactured in Germany to stringent quality, safety and performance standards, the HRL range is often found in industrial and commercial applications. HRL is available in a wide range of discharge and high output compact fluorescent lamps including the new generation 120w PL lamp.

RIDI UK is part of the RIDI Group, which has for over 50 years been one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of affordable architectural luminaires for commercial building applications. Based in Germany, the RIDI Group range extends from simple bare batten fittings through to complex luminaire systems. For further details on MIELA SG or any RIDI product, contact the company direct on tel 01279 450882, fax 01279 451169, email: info@ridi.co.uk or visit the website at www.ridi.co.uk.