Airport Ceiling, Lighting and Daylight systems

Changi Airport in Singapore was chosen as the world’s best airport at the „World Airports Awards 2010“. Among other parameters, judging included comfort and atmosphere. And this is where Terminal 3, the most important business and tourism hub in Asia, sets the standard. The virtually fully glazed terminal and its optimal utilisation of daylight create an atmosphere of well-being for visitors, at the same time reducing energy consumption and being environmentally friendly.
 
The planning and implementation of the daylight solution had to take a number of factors into account. A special challenge was letting daylight enter the terminal, yet at the same time avoiding direct natural light.

The tropical climate in Singapore with its average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius would otherwise have warmed the terminal to greenhouse temperatures within a short space of time, which in turn would have required tremendous air conditioning resources.

A number of other challenging questions had to be answered too: How can the considerable climate-induced variations in daylight be balanced? How can the necessary artificial light be prevented from heating the terminal additionally? How can the use of artificial light be kept as low as possible?

The answer to these complex requirements is a worldwide unique lighting solution developed by the Austrian Bartenbach LichtLabor company and realised by durlum GmbH of Germany. Compared with conventional lighting systems this avoids up to 2,400 t of CO2 emissions annually and reduces the cooling load by approx. 15 million kWh per annum.
 
At the core of the daylight solution are over 900 special daylights. Their aluminium reflectors direct the natural light into the building such that the visitors are not dazzled. The amount of light directed into the terminal is determined via flexible aluminium panels fitted above each skylight.

Due to their shape they are also referred to as “Butterfly Panels“. When the panels are fully opened, they look like the folded wings of a butterfly in the centre of the skylight. From this position, they can be folded downwards and completely cover the skylight in closed condition. Even then, the special perforation of the panels allows the required daylight to pass through.

The position of the butterfly panels depends on the position of the sun, the daylight and weather situation. Sensors on the roof determine the information necessary to control the butterfly panels and transmit this information to a central computer which controls the entire terminal. This system, developed by durlum, ensures constant lighting conditions throughout the terminal.
 
If natural light is insufficient, 1,000 Watt spotlights above the skylights and 5-metre-long suspended floodlights compensate the role of the sun. As this artificial light is installed outside the building, the resulting thermal heat is not channelled into the terminal.
 
For the durlum GmbH, manufacturer of the entire ceiling lighting system, the project proved to be a true milestone in the company’s history by virtue of the dimensions involved and the extremely complex technical challenges. Not only were some 60.000 m² of aluminium used to construct the daylight solution, but durlum also developed and implemented the complete lighting control system.
 
Besides Changi Airport, durlum has already supplied over 25 airports around the globe and is a renowned partner among architects, planners and construction companies alike.