Arnhem Centraal Station opened its doors in November 2015, fulfilling the expectations of a long-term project that sought to consolidate itself as a new icon of Dutch and European architecture. The project is led by UN studio, the main architecture firm in the country. The lighting section of Arup, the world leading brand in urban engineering, was directed by the prestigious Dutch light designer Irish Dijkstra, founder of Atelier Lek. The presence of “Lighting Designers” in the project team allowed the implementation of an independent strategic lighting technology capable of responding to the foundations of modern architecture, and so enhancing its essence: the meeting of light and form. Since 2007, Atelier Lek contributed to the creation of an avant-garde vision of the station, later translating it into an executable master plan capable of integrating total cost of ownership, visual comfort and aesthetic harmonisation. Following a benchmark of the most advanced and versatile alternatives on the market, the Lined luminaire from Setga was the design selected to illuminate the access roads and the surroundings of this futuristic railway station.
Technological reliability
The applied luminaire stands out for its APS (Argon Pressurised System) technology with IP68 rated seals, whereby the optical-electronic module is pressurised in an inert atmosphere of argon gas in order to prevent the entry of moist air from outside. A phenomenon caused by the pressure reduction experienced within the interior of any standard LED luminaire at the time when it is switched off. By creating such an inert atmosphere, the destructive effects of moisture, salinity, volatile organic components and sulphurisation in LED semiconductors are therefore avoided, all of these being elements which are present in the external environment of a city.
It should be noted that recent studies by Samsung Electronics [1] [2] and the Harbin Institute of Technology [3], presented empirical evidence on premature flow degradation and variations in colour temperature and CRI due to the impact of such agents SETGA argon gas technology (APS) was therefore a particularly valued aspect when analysing the potential for lifespan, yield and colour stability of the product in a country where relative humidity indices are above 80%. In order to minimise the total cost of ownership (TOC), the Lined luminaire incorporates a long-term replacement programme whereby the manufacturer has the ability to update LED technology inside the optical-electronic module by reusing the rest of the components of the luminaire. According to a thesis produced at the prestigious ESADE business school, LED technologies based on inert atmospheres and in this L/P maintenance model would entail an additional 40% reduction in the total cost of ownership of the EU public lighting infrastructure with respect to the existing LED standards in the market, from -50.46% to -70.58%.
Avant-garde and conceptual versatility.
According to the SETGA project team, composed of Jesús Saveedra, Jorge Lameiro, and Francisco Paz, “the Arnhem Centraal Station project was an opportunity for co-innovation, from which the elementary form of the Lined Luminaire demonstrated once again its ability to adapt to the essence of each urban challenge.” On this occasion, Irish Dijkstra was looking for a symmetrical column capable of providing continuity to the form, avoiding arrogant design in order to preserve harmony with a modern environment, based on a principle of aesthetic honesty. From this vision, the Arnhem column series was born.
[1]Costantini.A; Sulfurization – Samsung LED technology, Samsung Electronics
(2015).
[2]Lee.S; Case study of LED PKG fieldfailures, discoloration.
Samsung Electronics (2015).
[3]Zhao, S., Caers, J., Hang, C., Fei, J., Tian, Y ., Zhang, W., Wang,C. (2013). Theeffects of
humidity and temperatureon flexible packagingled modules. Philips Research High Tech
Campus 34, Harbin Institute of Technology, p 1126 – 1129