Airam supplies lighting solutions for Mankkaa’s day-care centre

A unique setting with nature right on the doorstep

The renovation of Mankkaa’s day-care centre in Espoo was carried out in line with the principles of sustainable development, with special attention paid to the centre’s focus on operations where natural surroundings are an integral part of the day-to-day activities. In the design of the project, the area’s cultural and historical values had to be considered, as the centre is located on the same plot as the only remaining building of Jurkkala Farm, which dates back to the 18th century.

The building of the new extension and the renovation of the old part will take place in stages to avoid the need for temporary premises and to allow the operations to continue without interruptions. The second stage, the renovation of the building dating to 1982, is slated for completion in spring 2023. "As a result of the project, the capacity of Mankkaa day-care centre will increase", says Jaana Koivisto, the head of the day-care centre.

Energy-efficiency and good warranty terms

Creating energy-efficient lighting solutions with Airam’s products proved to be an excellent choice in many ways. "Collaboration with Airam’s project sales was easy and seamless. The luminaires were delivered to the worksite on schedule, allowing us to progress rapidly with our work. Electricians who worked on the site were particularly pleased about how quick and easy the luminaires were to mount and connect'", says Paretec’s Tero Hyvönen, who was responsible for the work. He adds: "It was a nice project to carry out as the electricians were pleased about the ease of installation, and end users gave positive feedback on the tidy and stylish appearance of the installations even before we had completed the work."

DIALux calculations as a design tool

Lighting design and sustainable choices make a difference for the well-being of both children and staff. Lighting was designed to serve different purposes in different spaces.

Airam performed project-specific DIALux calculations to help determine the amount of light required in various spaces to ensure sufficient illumination and compliance with lighting standards that were specified in the electrical work specifications and pertained to the intended use.

A learning environment’s lighting requirements

The entire lighting solution for the property was realised using Airam’s luminaires designed for public spaces. In the design of an optimal lighting solution for a learning environment, factors to be considered include safety, sufficiency of glare-free illumination and control options. For children, the quality of light is particularly important for the safe navigation of the space and the performance of tasks requiring fine motor skills. Children learn to understand distances, shapes and functions through sight and touch.

For play areas and learning environments, the modular Plata luminaires with micro-prismatic diffusers were selected to provide even, glare-free illumination at a level of 3,300 lumens. Sufficient illumination also helps both children and staff in tasks that require precision. An adjustable lighting solution was required in the larger space for audio-visual presentations. Plata luminaires equipped with the standard DALI lighting control were embedded in the ceilings of the pre-school teaching spaces, corridors and other spaces.

Added comfort for corridors and lobbies

Corridors and lobbies were equipped with round, surface-mounted Puck luminaires, which help create a pleasant atmosphere for the spaces.. These luminaires are available in three sizes and two colour temperatures, and they are also suitable for suspension mounting in higher spaces, such as lobbies.

Robust solutions for technical spaces, high hygiene levels for the kitchen

For technical spaces, the lighting solution was created with versatile, IP54-protected Keto Pro industrial luminaires with a colour temperature of 4,000 K. With a rated lifetime of L70 100,000 hours, they offer a long-term solution. These low-profile luminaires with a steel housing are equipped with an opal acrylic diffuser.

The energy-efficient special-purpose Medic luminaires that meet the hygiene requirements of professional kitchens were mounted on the ceiling in the day-care centre’s kitchen. As indicated by the name, Medic is an ideal choice not only for professional kitchens but also for hospitals and other public-space applications where IP65 protection and additional durability are required. With a cleanroom classification of ISO 3 and ISO 14644-1 certification, Airam’s Medic luminaires provide even, white light of 4,000 K for work areas.

The city’s energy-efficiency targets

According to Yrjö Huotarinen from the City of Espoo, the city’s design guidelines for day-care centres set certain targets for energy-efficiency; for lighting solutions, the targets for the use of electricity cover the following factors:

• optimisation of the energy-efficiency of devices, systems and control systems that use electricity

• the measurement and monitoring of load type-specific electricity consumption.

Lighting solutions must be energy-efficient in terms of their control and lighting technology.

An electrical engineer participates in the calculation of electrical systems' energy use (simulation and data modelling) by delivering information on various lighting options for the calculations and by presenting alternative solutions for the minimisation of electricity consumption and the improvement of energy-efficiency. Energy calculations are carried out at several stages of the design work (see HVAC design guidelines for day-care centres).

Accordingly, energy consumption by lighting is monitored. In the near future, the City of Espoo will compile energy consumption information for all its properties in a data lake, where the information is stored and converted into a visual format that can be analysed and utilised by the City’s decision-makers and energy experts.