Precision profiles in the Havenhuis

Old and new in contrast and unity

The extension for the Havenhuis, the headquarters of the Antwerp Port Authority, is reminiscent of a diamond or the hull of a ship. The sea and the sky are attractively reflected in its façade of plain and curved glass. The juxtaposition of the historic and the modern is fascinating, with the new structure hovering over the existing building which served for many years as a fire station. The dynamic nature of the glass structure contrasts with the rigid box shape of the building below it. In terms of their function, however, the existing building and the extension are seamlessly connected.

The central courtyard of the fire station has been covered by a glass roof and now acts as the lobby for the headquarters. The hall that once housed the fire trucks now accommodates a library. The communicative core of the building fluently spans the upper floors of the old structure and the lower floors of the new structure and includes a restaurant, meeting rooms and an auditorium. Covering five floors in the extension is a varied office landscape for around 500 employees.
 

Dynamic lines continue inside

Unconventional details such as free-form floor plans for walkways, offices and meeting zones, angled pillars and walls, and curved stairways, galleries and coving characterize the interior style of the new building. Many of the internal fittings have dynamic lines and even some of the desks are trapezoidal in shape.

The way light interacts with these special structural elements is particularly elegant. Strip lights integrated in the ceiling are used to emphasise contours or create regular graphic patterns based on existing building structures. A special solution had to be developed so that the light could serve as an easily recognizable analogy for the architecture. Multiline, the Belgian luminaire manufacturer, adapted one of its standard luminaires specifically for this project, making good use of Tridonic’s know-how in LED technology in the process.

“We have already been very pleased with the LED modules from Tridonic that we use in our standard products”, said Stijn Pittomvils, the man in charge of the project at Multiline. “It was therefore never in doubt that we would also use them for the special luminaires for the Havenhuis.”
 

Tailor-made strip lights

At the time the luminaire manufacturer came onto the project the ceiling structures had already been determined, and they required a profile width of 90 mm. “We therefore adapted an existing standard product to this width”, explained Stijn Pittomvils. That was just one of the many requirements they had to meet, however. The profiles, luminaire covers and blanking covers had to be manufactured in many different lengths to suit the individual room geometries. In all, about a kilometre of Multiline strip lights equipped with Tridonic LED components was installed in the Havenhuis. A great deal of fine tuning was therefore needed. All this precision work was worth it, however, as the luminaires blend seamlessly with the architecture.
 

High-performance LED lighting

In view of the wide variety of luminaire dimensions and geometries, it was a relief that flexible LED systems were available for integrating in the profiles. Multiline incorporated Tridonic  LLE-G3-24 modules and associated LED Drivers in its special solution. The LLE linear LED light engines are available in lengths of 140 mm, 280 mm and 560 mm. They could be easily combined depending on the length of particular profile.
 

Light management saves energy

The different lengths of the LED modules for incorporation in the strip lights were a blessing because other technical systems also had to be integrated in the profiles. Smoke detectors, for example, could be positioned appropriately and even the sprinkler heads could project through the profiles.

Presence sensors and ambient light sensors ensure that the light is controlled to suit demand at all times. Both types of sensor communicate via DALI with the LED Drivers which Tridonic supplies for its LED light engines. LCAI 35W and LCAI 65W are used in the Havenhuis in Antwerp. The DALI light management system reacts to presence or absence and to ambient light levels and is part of a comprehensive sustainability and energy efficiency concept for the entire building. It was given a “Very Good” BREEAM rating for environmental construction.
 

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