The Al Salam Community School (ASCS) opened its doors in September 2019. It is the second branch of Al Salam Private School in Dubai, which began as a nursery school in 1985. It caters to primary and secondary education and follows the NCE (National Curriculum for England). The ASCS campus is equipped with ultra-modern facilities, including a 6-lane swimming pool with an accompanying beginner’s pool, high-tech sports areas, seven science laboratories, a 1,000 sq. m. multi-purpose hall, external play spaces of over 4,000 sq. m., and a dedicated Heritage centre built as an innovative venue for learning, exploration, and reconnecting with roots. With over 30 years of expertise in the academe, ASCS provides its students with the right environment to foster their academic excellence as well as to mould them into well-rounded individuals. Its high academic aspirations are amalgamated with social and moral responsibility.
The challenge
Owned by Mohammad Omar Bin Haider Group, ASCS was built with the well-being of its students as the top priority. Hence, all the equipment and facilities should be ergonomically designed. This, of course, includes the quality of the lighting system. The light output should be designed in such a way that it optimizes learning by ensuring that it doesn’t have any dire effects on health as well as the overall well-being of the students which can, in turn, affect behaviour and performance in a negative manner. In addition to the sustainability goals of the UAE in general, the lighting system should be sustainable as well as have significantly low CO2 emission. A sustainable LED lighting system with the right light output is the obvious solution.
The Tridonic LED technology solution
The architectural concept provided by Mimar Interiors ensured that the exacting requirements of the lighting system for ASCS was met. They worked together with one of Tridonic Dubai’s key clients Oslo Al Khaleej Electrical Industries to enable the concept to come to fruition. Oslo Al Khaleej assembled and supplied light fittings powered by Tridonic, which are the following: ELA G1 600x600 mm 3800 lm 840 SNC powered by LC 35/800 SNC2 LED Drivers used in the classrooms and special activity rooms; CLE G1 120 mm 2500 lm 840 SNC LED Modules powered by LC 25/500 SNC2 LED Drivers used for the bulkheads in the outdoor walls, lifts, and rooftop areas; LC 69 W 350-500 mA flexC ADV LED Drivers for 60 W IP65 LED Tri-proof light fittings used in the parking areas and electrical rooms, and LC 35/800 SNC2 LED Drivers used for the 30x120 mm panel lights installed in the prayer halls, activity rooms, hallways, and cafeteria.
Aside from being ergonomically sound, the lighting design from Oslo Al Khaleej enabled at least 40% energy savings as opposed to using fluorescent light fittings. Also, it fully complied with the lighting concept from the architect, which recommended the latest models of light fittings suitable for an ergonomic school environment. Furthermore, because of the high efficacy of the Tridonic LED Modules as well as the low THD values of the Tridonic LED Drivers, the lighting system is assured to have proper equipment operation as well as a longer lifespan as opposed to other brands, making it highly sustainable and economical in the long run.