IHK Arnsberg/ VWA Hellweg-Sauerland

Learning with a happy heart

How can we transform standard seminar rooms of an academy into vibrant learning spaces? How can we break out of rigid spatial concepts and design rooms flexibly both in terms of utilization and atmospheric conditions? These are some questions that had to be answered by the Arnsberg architectural office Keggenhoff |who are our partners in an intriguing modernization project of the IHK Arnsberg. The existing seminar rooms at the Hellweg-Sauerland Academy of Administration and Economics had to be transformed such that they could be easily adapted for various other purposes. Using sliding walls instead of fixed walls primarily created the variability in room size. Now, in order to be prepared for a wide variety of events ranging from seminars and company workshops to evening events, the decision was made to make intelligent use of light and illumination fixtures.

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Learning in a modern working environment. For students at the VWA Hellweg-Sauerland, it usually means that they have to attend their seminars at the weekend or in the evening after work. It's important, they are able to learn with full concentration and efficiency. It was in this context that architect Prof. Sabine Keggenhoff (certificate in civil engineering) asked her lighting designers (Gebro Herwig Engineering, Arnsberg) for the Brumberg vitaLED vital light. It offers a crucial advantage: The RGBW colored light ensures continuous regulation of white light (from 2,000 to 10,000 Kelvin) beyond the RGB color spectrum (red, green, blue). In this way, the blue light fractions in white light, which are essential for the human ability to concentrate and perform, can be optimally controlled.

If seminar rooms are to be converted into event rooms for evening functions, different colored, atmospheric scenarios can be implemented and called up via the vitaLEDvitaLED®">^®control unit and illuminants. The interplay with light beamers and moving heads creates impressive luminaires ambiances that have wowed and intrigued the building owners. In this project, Brumberg supplied the control system as well as the illuminants. And since the latter had to be installed in existing luminaires within the context of modernization, Brumberg developed a special adapter ring.

The overall concept has been tried and tested in practice. The rooms can now be used in a much wider variety of capacities and the feedback from students is also overwhelmingly positive. This project is therefore a good example of what can be achieved when architecture, planning and lighting design work hand in hand.