The Children’s Surgical Hospital in Entebbe, 35 km from Kampala, capital of Uganda, is a highly innovative project of excellence developed by Renzo Piano and his studio Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), in collaboration with Studio TAMassociati and EMERGENCY’s Technical Department.
Thanks to established expertise in lighting systems for the healthcare sector, PERFORMANCE iN LIGHTING has provided lighting calibrated according to the peculiarities of the place and able to favour the comfort of patients in the hospital rooms and a better visibility for hospital staff in the operating rooms.
In the design of the lighting project, the needs of the hospital environment were considered, also in terms of sustainability in the reference territory, such as energy savings, low operating costs, and, above all, durability over time.
The result achieved is an optimal light that, together with the exceptional nature of the place where the Hospital is located, helps create a feeling of well-being for patients and favour the concentration and efficiency of medical staff.
The Children’s Surgical Hospital lighting
A close and fruitful collaboration from the design phase has been able to meet the specific needs of EMERGENCY and TAMassociati, integrating lighting into the architecture of the building. Products that perform and are reliable were key requests, along with ease of installation, reduced maintenance, and that in case of intervention (for failures or malfunctions) do not require highly specialized repair. In making aesthetic choices when selecting a small number of fixtures from the wide range of PERFORMANCE iN LIGHTING meeting these characteristics and that can adapt to diverse hospital environments, from operating rooms to offices and clinics to warehouses.
Interior lighting
The hospital has 72 ward beds, 3 operating theatres and all the diagnostic and auxiliary services needed to run it.
The three operating theatres needed products with a high colour rendering index (CRI 90) like the FL600EL LED Medicus Opal Cover recessed ceiling luminaires, specially designed for hospital environments. In compliance with health regulations, the high quality of the materials used and the homogeneous diffusion of light over the entire the surface thanks to the Sidelight-Technology LED system promotes visual comfort and correct illumination values, to ensure maximum visibility and safety at work. These luminaires are also dimmable with DALI control protocol, so illumination can be varied as necessary.
In wards, clinics, offices and service areas, more than 250 PLATO SQUARE LEDs provide general lighting and ensure excellent visual comfort (UGR <19). The luminaires were also chosen because of the simplicity of ceiling installation. Finally, in many of the 72 beds in the hospital rooms, the SL740WL LED wall luminaire is installed as a bedhead, providing modular lighting (via DALI digital protocol) on each location.
FL333PL LED suspended luminaires were chosen for the lunch and dining areas, with a homogeneous and diffuse light distribution for correct visual comfort in refreshment areas.
In the 42-bed guest house, built to accommodate family members from all over Africa, the intimate atmosphere and sense of welcome were created through FL555AB LED luminaires, with compact, minimalist dimensions.
The waiting areas, corridors and passage areas are illuminated with the NV414 LED recessed luminaires with different emission optics, excellent light efficiency and reduced product size.
In areas with sloped ceilings, the EB431 LED recessed spotlights with adjustable body have allowed regular pointing, so as to have the light emission perpendicular to horizontal planes below, creating a comfortable effect reducing the risk of glare.
Storage areas, changing rooms and service spaces with the technical compartments have been illuminated with IKE LED watertight ceiling lights with symmetrical optics, which guarantee an excellent price-quality ratio. All interior products are 3,000 K warm light.
Exterior lighting
The entire hospital is located in a natural setting, near Lake Victoria, with reduced light pollution. For the exteriors, 3,000 K luminaires were selected, coordinated with the colour temperature of the interior luminaires. The luminaires were installed by calibrating the distancing between the products in such a way as to reduce light pollution.
To highlight the metal structure supporting the photovoltaic system, the designers sought to create an effect of lightness through lighting from below provided by about a hundred FOCUS+ 1 A55/W projectors with asymmetrical optics. Spaced evenly on the roof, the luminaires lighten the architectural volume by illuminating the lower part.
The functional areas around the building, parking, access road and internal circulation are illuminated with pole- mounted THEOS MINI luminaires; for walkway safety, alternating MIMIK POST 600 bollards have been installed on building structural elements. To define green areas such as planting beds and access routes, CRICKET+ recessed in-ground luminaires have been installed.
QUASAR 20 TECH and MIMIK 10 FLAT MONO on the walls and GUELL 1 A40/W and FOCUS+ 2 A55/W professional floodlights complete the lighting intervention.
