Project description

Technology at the forefront of new retirement home in Skara, Sweden

When the decision was made to build Teglagården, the message from politicians was clear - they wanted to use new technology in the building to create a better quality of life and the safest and best possible living environment. One of the solutions was to have dynamic lighting, which automatically adjusts the colour temperature of the light throughout the day.

There has been a need for a new nursing home in Skara for several years and after the decision was made to build Teglagården, the project has taken about three years to complete. The first tenants moved in during the autumn of 2023. Staffan Lundstedt is the project manager in Skara municipality and has been involved in driving the project from start to finish.

Teglagården has a floor area of approximately 12,000 square metres, spread over five floors and an attic. The building contains 107 flats and eight LSS homes, as well as premises for daily activities and a café. It also houses a municipal archive, says Staffan Lundstedt.

‘When the project started, we received a clear assignment from the politicians, and that was that we should use cutting-edge technology throughout. This was partly to maximise the quality of life for the residents and partly to give the staff the best possible conditions for carrying out their work, thereby also creating security for the residents.

Dynamic lighting
The project was carried out as a partnering contract, which meant that the municipality, architect, builder and subcontractors worked together to best utilise everyone's knowledge and drive the project in the right direction. When it came to finding the right solutions for cutting-edge technology, they started by drawing up a wish list of different measures, one of which was to use dynamic lighting, also known as Tunable White.

With dynamic lighting, the colour temperature of the light in the building can be changed automatically throughout the day. This means that in the morning, for example, the light is a softer yellow colour, in the middle of the day it becomes brighter and cooler, and in the evening it is dimmed down to a more yellow level again. Research shows that this has a very positive impact on people's well-being and makes it easier to keep the circadian rhythm,’ says Staffan

Lighting solution

Easy-to-install luminaires
Teglagården was built by Asplunds Bygg i Mellansverige AB, and Källströms Elektriska was commissioned to be responsible for the installation of electricity, lighting, fire alarms and access systems.

We started the design in 2021 and the installation works started in January 2022. When it came to the lighting, we contacted SG Armaturen at an early stage. We have worked with them before and the main advantages are that they have a wide range, the products are installation-friendly, they have support and can help with lighting calculations. This project was a bit special as they wanted luminaires with tunable white throughout, something we have not installed before,’ says Jonas Svantesson, project manager at Källströms Elektriska.

Light calculation
At SG Armaturen, salesman Sören Wilhelmsson was responsible for the project.
We have done many projects together with Källströms Elektriska and they are growing steadily as a customer and partner. Källströms had received drawings of Teglagården and wanted us to develop proposals for lighting fixtures and make lighting calculations for them. The assignment was that they wanted lighting with tunable white, everywhere inside the building and also outdoors on the facade, says Sören Wilhelmsson.

Developed specialised luminaires
The lighting proposal was developed by Jonas Lavin, lighting designer at SG Armaturen.
‘We have supplied some lighting with tunable white before, but then it was mainly for certain spaces in schools and hospitals. This was the first time that it applied to virtually all lighting in a project. When I started designing the installation, I soon realised that although we have many standard luminaires with tunable white, they wouldn't be enough in this case, but maybe 80%. I therefore contacted our factory in Denmark and asked if we could modify and produce the other selected luminaires in a tunable white version,’ says Jonas Lavin.

2000 luminaires with Tunable White
Due to the large numbers involved, the factory decided to make modifications to the Tunable White version of the luminaires that did not have this as standard.

The factory did a great job of producing these customised luminaires in such a short time. It is a great advantage that we have this close contact with our factory, which means that we can quickly fulfil customers‘ different wishes,’ comments Sören Wilhelmsson.

‘In total, we have installed around 2,000 luminaires with Tunable White from SG Armaturen in Teglagården. I think this is the largest installation of tunable white in Sweden! We have worked according to SG's lighting calculations and the work has gone very well, at most we have had 25 electricians on site for all installations, including fire alarms and access systems. The Tunable White function is controlled via a KNX system, which we programmed so that the lighting goes from very warm white, 2700 Kelvin, in the morning to daylight, 6500 Kelvin, in the middle of the day and then down to warm white in the evening again,’ says Jonas Svantesson.

It's been a great project, but there have certainly been challenges. The electrical part is a big part of ‘Technology at the forefront’ and there have been many different technical parts to get together in the house. But I think we've got it right and now there are just a few adjustments left.

Many technical solutions
Other technical solutions at Teglagården include airborne cooling, solar panels on the roofs, nappy suction in each ward, TVs with the option of video calls in each room and a separate Wi-Fi system linked to each apartment, etc.

We are happy with the lighting, it gives a homely atmosphere and the reactions we have received are that people think it has become cosy. It has contributed to a good environment and a higher quality of life for the residents and for the staff. We are pleased with the end result and I think a success factor is that we had a good dialogue climate in the project team where everyone has pulled in the same direction, concludes Staffan Lundstedt.

‘I believe this is the largest Tunable White facility in Sweden’