Zumtobel and Thorn provide ‘a light at the end of the tunnel’ for St. Patrick’s Special School  

Working on a brief to deliver a first-class facility for students and teachers at St. Patrick’s Special School in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Zumtobel Group brands Zumtobel and Thorn have supplied a number of luminaires throughout the €14 million project. In conjunction with building engineers Semple and McKillop Ltd, the project involved the supply of custom made linear SLOTLIGHT infinity light lines that had to be the exact size of the radiant panels and be able to incorporate 3^rd party lighting control sensors. The lighting installation was carried out by electrical contractor, Ronan Burke Electrical Ltd.

Designed for students with special educational needs, the 5,940m² building, mainly single-storey and part three-storey, consists of 20 classrooms with ensuite toilets, junior and senior dining areas, a general-purpose hall, specialist teaching rooms, and clinician facilities. The school provides a much needed, high quality facility for 400 students from Enniscorthy and the surrounding areas. In addition, the building incorporates a hydrotherapy pool with an extensive range of support facilities onsite, including a fully equipped speech and language suite, horticulture room, ICT suite, home economics room, and physio services.

To achieve the required light levels and customised client requirements, Zumtobel’s SLOTLIGHT infinity has been installed extensively throughout the facility – custom versions for the main classrooms, corridors, and the GP Hall. The SLOTLGHT infinity modular light line offers practically unlimited options, with freedom and flexibility of design, not just in straight lines but even around corners. The unmatched, consistent light quality with virtually end-to-end illumination is available in runs of up to 20 metres in length without any joins to fulfil every lighting requirement. An unusual and eye-catching, customised SLOTLIGHT infinity ‘ring’ was created primarily to illuminate the main foyer.

Zumtobel’s CLEAN recessed linear luminaires have been installed in the swimming pool area to meet the exact specification requirements of swimming pool and clean area lighting, using the latest lighting technology with a three-level luminaire concept. An important feature of CLEAN is the cover which has a high-quality anodised aluminium frame and toughened glass to ensure maximum safety for pool users. Zumtobel’s versatile CAELA illuminates the changing rooms, with a depth of only 55 mm and a diffuse cover that delivers the perfect light distribution.

Thorn’s Beta 2 LED luminaires have been used to illuminate the office spaces, providing low glare (UGR 19<) and ensuring a comfortable ambient light.

Other luminaires installed in the interior of St. Patrick’s include Zumtobel’s HELISSA in the toilet and stairwells, Thorn’s Duoproof LED in the kitchens, ForceLED in the plant rooms, and Linn modular, wall recessed luminaires in the interconnecting space. Thorn’s long life and low maintenance Voyager Star provides the addressable emergency lighting throughout the school, thanks to its specialised optics, Voyager Star sends light exactly where it is needed in the event of an emergency. Its wide spacing values reduces the number of luminaires required compared to other solutions and therefore reduces the costs involved.

External illumination is provided by Thorn’s Isaro Pro robust and high-performance LED street luminaires, D-CO LED Bollards offer comfortable visual guidance, and square recessed Linn LED luminaires the pathway lighting. Thorn’s Eyekon energy efficient, robust, and impact resistant LED bulkheads and Olysys LED floodlights with asymmetric distribution have also been incorporated into the exterior lighting design, including illumination of the amphitheatre space.

“From start to finish, we partnered with ZG Lighting Ireland, as we have done for many of our educational projects in Ireland. The brief was complex, and we needed to ensure that we delivered a state-of-the-art lighting solution for a state-of-the-art school, and ZG Lighting Ireland did not disappoint. The bespoke circular fitting that greets you when you enter the school is a testament of the hard work undertaking by all parties involved. I very much look forward to working with Niall and his team on future projects in Ireland,” comments Declan Smyth, Senior Associate and Project Engineer at Semple & McKillop Ltd.

Zumtobel and Thorn have delivered a flexible and adaptable energy efficient, low maintenance solution to create a 21st Century learning environment for the pupils of St Patrick’s Special School. Principal Lee Rogers commented, “Because of the difficult year that everyone has had in terms of activities and outings being curtailed by COVID 19 restrictions within the school, the new campus is effectively ‘a light at the end of the tunnel’”.

For more information on Zumtobel, please visit the website https://z.lighting/en/zumtobel/ and for Thorn www.thornlighting.co.uk