Two Shining Examples – LED Technology in Dwellings Saves Energy

Reservations about LEDs? Well, the builder-owner had none, quite on the contrary. Frank Nickels first had his workplace equipped with LED luminaires. When it was then time to decide what light was to illuminate his holiday home on the island of Sylt, the builder-owner‘s enthusiasm had been awoken: „I was able to convince myself that LED light works not only in functional rooms, but also in a dwelling“.

Data and facts:
year of construction 2009, building type: two semi-detached houses, function: holiday home, floor space of house 1 approx. 170 m², house 2 approx. 185 m², location: Hörnum, island of Sylt, planning: interior designers and architects Bredt und Partner, Darmstadt, builder-owner: Frank Nickel, Eschwege, LED luminaires from Nimbus Group, Stuttgart.

Nimbus luminaires were chosen because their aesthetics corresponds to the builder-owner‘s expectation of his holiday home among dunes. „An ambience that stands between agreeableness and a sense of well-being, but with clear signs of modernity“, is how the architect Alexander Bredt defines the task, „which applies to both the lighting and the interior design in general“. He also recognised in his builder-owner a „a strong inclination towards technology and especially also building engineering“. The holiday home consists of two almost identical semi-detached houses with space for a maximum of six persons each on four floors. From a slightly heightened position, the domicile by the beach offers a direct view of the North Sea. If at all, the grassy dunes between which the houses are embedded might minimally limit the unobstructed view of the sea. No-nonsense design, high-grade furniture and warm, earthy material colours determine the character of the rooms. Large window surfaces, glass walls, floors made out of natural stone and wood, and bright walls – the LED luminaires fit perfectly and discreetly into the overall picture with their clear design and their reduced formal idiom.

The wellness area is the bel etage - the ideal location for the aqua module:
The rooms are equipped with the square Q 36 or the Q 64 module ceiling luminaires for basic lighting. In the stairwells, by contrast, the Mike India luminaires fitted near the floor are fully sufficient for lighting the steps properly. With its swivelling head, the wall-mounted Spirito Santo luminaire provides accentuated lighting, for example on the kitchen and living floor or at the beds in some of the bedrooms. The height-adjustable Line C pendant luminaire immerses the dining table in light. Not one single conventional luminaire is to be found in either of the houses. Particular attention was paid to the bathroom in the basement floor, the dwelling mound floor. A large round bathtub, a bed and a washbasin area, all of them with a view of the dunes, and a sauna – the openly designed level is one single wellness oasis and is almost something like the house‘s bel etage. As the module Q Aqua ceiling luminaires were developed specially for moist or wet rooms, the planners were able to consistently implement the lighting concept in this room too. Thus, the Q 36 or Q 64 ceiling luminaires were used both in the shower and for the washbasins. Outdoors, the lighting squares, fitted under the balcony, serve as terrace lighting.
  
Hardly any maintenance thanks to a long useful life:
The building systems including the light are controlled via a bus system. As the two houses are rented to guests, handling of this system should be uncomplicated. Moreover, once they are installed the LED luminaires practically produce no more work thanks to their long useful life. „They are practically maintenance-free“, reports Jens Ewich, an architect at Bredt und Partner and the project manager for the holiday home. Another holiday home of the Nickels is still equipped with conventional lighting which, according to the builder-owners, causes disproportionately more maintenance effort.
 
Frank Nickels is still enthusiastic. The LED luminaires have also proven themselves in the holiday homes. „Their warm light is very pleasant and a distinctly cosy atmosphere can be created thanks to the fact that the luminaires can be dimmed.“
 
The technical progress is not for nothing. For over twenty years, the Stuttgart-based Nimbus Group around company founder and managing director Dietrich Brennenstuhl has been developing and producing innovative luminaires that are the result of integral product development. In the case of the LED luminaires, factors such as lighting technology, optics, intelligent electronics and thermal management are united in timeless luminaires that feature a purist design.