The Lighting Control Innovation Award was created in 2011 as part of the Illuminating Engineering Society’s Illumination Awards program, which recognizes professionalism, ingenuity and originality in lighting design. LCA is proud to sponsor the Lighting Control Innovation Award, which recognizes projects that exemplify the effective use of lighting controls in nonresidential applications.
This month, we will explore an innovative installation of lighting controls at a control room in an oil refinery–the PCK Control Room in Schwedt, Germany. Lighting and control design by Lichtvision Design.
An oil refinery northeast of Berlin has rebuilt their control room (about 1000 sq.m.), a windowless bunker – flame and explosion proof. Six teams work there in three shifts 24/7. The room only contains transparent glass walls. The whole space is visible from any observer position. To enhance this impression, wallwashers were mounted along the outer walls.
Each of the 26 working places in front of the monitor walls is lit by two suspended luminaires positioned between two working places. The direct flux for a work desk comes from two luminaires, left and right. The staff can dim the direct component individually. The indirect component is controlled by the team. Therefore, the suspended luminaire exists of three DALI dimming groups: direct left, direct right and indirect. All luminaires are equipped with DALI-drivers connected to a KNX-backbone. Color temperature for the direct component is 3000K, the indirect 4000K.
To avoid a bunker-like atmosphere, two elements were established: digital windows and a virtual sky.
On the outer walls, additional screens were installed to show the stream of related webcams mounted on the roof of the building.
The peanut shape of the central meeting area is completely covered by a 110-sq.m. luminous ceiling. It is equipped with RGB-LED-panels (pixel pitch: 6.25 cm.), which make it possible to create dynamic changing weather conditions over the day. Passing clouds, blue sky, sunset and dawn can be created. Based on scientific research color temperature ranges for the different times of the day were specified and real time rendered weather phenomena were calibrated accordingly.
Other more emotional stimulating events are randomly added with the video servers overlay function: gadgets like the contrail of an airplane, birds, a passing hot-air balloon or for events the rotating company logo. This kind of lighting creates a pleasant working environment.
Harmonizing human engineering and design in a windowless bunker for “true” human-centric lighting:
Color-temperature-ranges for the different times of day were specified and real time-rendered weather phenomena were calibrated accordingly to create best-possible working conditions.
Individually controllable workplace lighting for a comfortable work environment:
Twilight hour in the 24/7 control room:
Virtual sky with some clouds during dawn:
Overview of the central meeting area, covered by a 110-sq.m. luminous ceiling, equipped with RGB-LED-panels:
Ceiling plan with positions of digital windows and virtual sky:
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