Customer application 14 October 2021
New Light in Old Walls

No fewer than 3,500 new lights illuminate the lecture halls and common spaces in Duborg-Skolen (the Duborg Danish school) in Flensburg, and they were installed quickly and safely using the WINSTA^® Pluggable Connection System from WAGO.

Students who attend the Duborg-Skolen can consider themselves privileged: Their degrees are recognized in both Germany and Denmark, and the Danish government also invests a great deal of money into its schooling and educational system. The Danes believe that successful education – both teaching and learning – should be a positive experience – a joy – and that the environment makes a significant contribution to this success.

However, by the end of the 1990s, this environment was getting further and further out of balance: The premises of Duborg-Skolen were designed for approximately 600 students, but almost twice that number attended in 2007. For that reasons, in 2005 the Association of Danish Schools had already decided to build A. P. Møller Skolen, a new college-preparatory secondary school, in Schleswig and to upgrade Duborg-Skolen in Flensburg from the ground up. In addition to comprehensive structural work, both inside and outside of the buildings, the plan included installation of a communication standard based on KNX/EIB for the building automation. The existing IT infrastructure was to be permanently expanded, and all the classrooms, common spaces and administrative office spaces were to be updated with contemporary lighting, for a total investment of around 13 million euros.

Overview of WAGO Technology Used:

Fast, safe and error-free: Pluggable connection of electrical installations is easy with WINSTA^® MINI.
Imitating natural daylight: Lighting control with DALI lamps and KNX sensors from WAGO.
Future-proof: The lighting system from WAGO allows straightforward, flexible extension at any time.

Duborg-Skolen should have the best light in Europe.

Markus Wiederhold, Architect from Odense and Project Manager for the Upgrade

Highlight: “Light”

Okholm Lighting A/S, an internationally renowned manufacturer of interior and exterior lighting from Tønder in Denmark with a rich history, won the tender for the lighting concept. Their experts also asked Ulrike Brandt, an internationally successful lighting designer from Hamburg, to join the project. This collaboration resulted in a new type of lamp, which uses DALI interfaces to imitate natural daylight – including the weather. The lights shine brightly on cloudless days and mimic cloudy skies with opaque, diffused light. The lighting controller automatically adjusts the temperature color according to the time of day, while the lighting intensity remains constant. This trick of the light helps maintain the students’ attention at a nearly constant high level – even during the sixth or seventh hour of instruction. The lights are designed as hanging pendant globes or as light bars for installation in ceiling elements. Some 3,500 were installed in the classrooms and common spaces at Duborg-Skolen.

WAGO’s Comprehensive Lighting Technology Package

While the lights were being developed, the electrical planning was underway under the direction of Jürgen Mond at the GDP engineering consulting firm in Büdelsdorf. The lighting technology was installed by Köster Elektro-Technik GmbH & Co of Husum. The engineering consulting firm Beyer from Neumünster was tasked by Köster with setting up the WAGO lighting controllers with the DALI lights and KNX sensors. The building engineers from Husum have collaborated with WAGO for years, giving them extensive experience with the installation technology of this Minden company. For Andreas Peter, an electrical engineer at Köster, the deciding factor was WAGO’s comprehensive package.

Duborg-Skolen should have the best light in Europe.

Markus Wiederhold, Architect from Odense and Project Manager for the Upgrade

For Dirk Beyer, founder and owner of the engineering company of the same name, WAGO was the first choice for a different reason: “The lights installed in Duborg-Skolen correspond to DALI standard device type 8 – DT8 for short. To control the color of the lights, gateways have to be introduced between the DALI controllers and the KNX system. Many manufacturers produce these gateways; however, very few work with the DT8 protocol, which can cause problems during programming. In contrast, with the WAGO I/O System, these problems don’t arise.”

Therefore, Wiederhold draws a positive conclusion: “When overseeing a construction project, you always have to keep an eye on the overall costs – even long after the project’s finished. Everyone involved was focused on the sustainability, durability, fail-safety and flexibility of the systems to be installed here. For the lighting decisions, WAGO’s installation technology scored the most points in several categories. The lighting system can be expanded flexibly and easily when needed – using all the components that are currently installed. This means maximum sustainability.”

WAGO Products in Duborg-Skolen

Item no.: 890-213

Plug; 3-pole; Cod. A; 1,50 mm²; black

Item no.: 750-8207

Controller PFC200; 2 x ETHERNET, RS-232/-485, Mobile Radio Module

News

Perfectly Plugged Electrical Installations – with WINSTA^®

WINSTA^® pluggable installation connectors are the ideal solution anywhere installation requirements repeat or are planned on a grid, e.g., installing grid lighting or flush-mount lighting. Use of these pre-assembled pluggable connectors reduces assembly times and installation errors at the construction site.

Learn more

WINSTA^® System Partners

WINSTA^® makes electrical installation fast, safe and error-free. Many well-known companies rely on our connection system for electrical installations and have integrated WINSTA^® connections into their portfolios. Click here for an overview of our system partners.

Learn more