Project description

SG Lighting illuminates the outdoor environment of a climate-smart housing association

Lower energy consumption and a brighter, safer outdoor environment were the results when Brf Toppsockret invested in new outdoor lighting for its large inner courtyard.

 Brf Toppsockret is located in Hökarängen, southern Stockholm. The housing association consists of 143 apartments in a building constructed in 1964. Since the early 2000s, they have had a strong environmental focus and have been working continuously on measures to reduce heat, water and electricity consumption.
“Our outdoor lighting was originally from the 1960s and mostly consisted of pole lighting. Over the years, the 125 W mercury lamps were replaced with 70 W metal-halide lamps for the luminaires, and a few poles were added to dark areas of the property. However, it was time to completely overhaul the lighting, as the 60-year-old poles were rusting, and the luminaires used outdated and high energy-consuming technology. The front entrance areas of the property were also felt to be not very well lit. That’s why our maintenance plan including to carrying out this project and investing in modern, energy-efficient LED lighting,” says Thomas Bäcklin, chairman of Brf Toppsockret.

Lighting solution

Replacing all lighting

The housing association wanted to replace all lighting to reset the entire system and bring it up to date. In the summer of 2021, they began to tackle the project in earnest, giving a great deal of thought to how to come up with the best possible solution.

“I got in touch with Thomas Bäcklin after he visited our stand at the property trade fair in Kista. One of the things we showed them was our Place lamppost luminaire; this caught Thomas’ attention and he requested a lighting proposal for the association’s inner courtyard,” says Mikael d’Ailly, a sales representative from SG Lighting.

Testing different brands

The next step was for Mikael to visit Brf Toppsockret, assess the conditions, go through their requirements and provide sample luminaires. SG Lighting then prepared a lighting design for the inner courtyard. Besides replacing and adding pole luminaires, the housing association was keen to complement the setup with bollard lighting to create a soft and pleasant transition towards Lingvägen street and various parts of the courtyard and parking area. They wanted to accentuate two key features of the inner courtyard with spotlights on poles: the boules court and the playground.

We borrowed samples of the Place luminaire in both 3000K and 4000K, as well as bollards from SG, and test luminaires from two other manufacturers. We had to remove one pole luminaire by another manufacturer, as it was shining into the apartments above and directing glare towards the residents. The other luminaires were left in position for a couple of months to give everyone in the housing association the opportunity to have their say. In the end, we chose the Place luminaire in 3000K, which provides a warm and pleasant light. SG Lighting won in terms of both light quality and the design of the luminaires, which matched the architecture of the 1960s building,” says Thomas Bäcklin.

 

Pole luminaires, bollards and spotlights

SG Lighting delivered a total of 12 Place pole luminaires, 22 Ray bollards and seven Wax spotlights (for the boules court and the playground). All the poles are new, nearly one metre taller than the previous ones; they are positioned symmetrically in the courtyard. All poles and luminaires are painted black.

“Black is easier to maintain without different colour blends, and many different black luminaires are always likely to be available if you need to supplement or replace them in the future,” Thomas comments.

 

A safer environment

The installation of the new lighting began last summer and the facility passed its final inspection in early December.

The new lighting makes our courtyard more welcoming and pleasant, and gives the residents a safer outdoor environment. Last but not least, we achieve an energy saving of 50 per cent, while enjoying better lighting with more than twice as many light sources. We also use the light-dimming function on all pole luminaires to dim by 50 per cent at nighttime, which is included as a standard feature in the luminaires. We’re delighted about how well everyone involved worked together, and about the results we’ve achieved. In hindsight, testing different luminaires before making a decision was a smart move. Everyone facing such a major investment should do live tests with different luminaires so they’re not confronted with unpleasant surprises when it’s too late,” concludes Thomas Bäcklin.

 “Last but not least, we achieve an energy saving of 50 per cent, with better light and more than twice as many light sources.”