Tromsøbadet
NorwayLighting Up the World’s Northernmost Swimming Facility
At a cost of almost NOK 1 billion, Tromsøbadet was built with a focus on energy efficiency and the environment. The aim was to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’, and materials were chosen to resist rust and corrosion, in line with offshore structures.
Tromsøbadet – which is the world’s northernmost swimming facility – is located on Templarheimen, Tromsø’s largest and most important piece of land. In the more than 13,800km2 bathing facility, which includes a 50-metre plunge pool, wellness pool, family pool, therapy pool, and outdoor pools as well as an indoor climbing facility, local natural elements such as rock formations, ice, snow and direct contact with the unique northern nature have been a main inspiration in the architecture of the building.
Emphasis on universal design
The open bathroom on the main level provides both contacts with nature from the outside and a view of the magnificent scenery from the inside. You can swim out through the façade to a separate outdoor pool that is open all year round, lit with underwater RGBW luminaires that create a great atmosphere, summer, and winter. Bathers can swim out and look at the landscape, including the Northern Lights.
This idea has also been continued in both the design of the lighting plan and the lighting control in the building. The lighting itself is planned in accordance with NS-EN12464-1 and NS-EN12193 for sports lighting in swimming pools and climbing centres.
The emphasis on the interaction between light, light colour, surfaces and glare, and good contrasts on surfaces is evident here. No light points in the building are placed randomly or lack lighting calculations to support the lighting quality or the overall experience. Good visual guidance should make it easy to find your way around and cater to all users.
Lighting design is based on the alignment and underpinning of the building’s architecture, in interaction with focused lighting. It also incorporates some of the outdoor concepts of direct lighting from masts without dazzling points inside.
The use of continuous light lines throughout the building is an important element. The most prominent is the light line installed between the glass façade and the concrete slab that runs around the building, another 290 metres.
Energy efficiency
Since swimming pools can consume a lot of energy and given Tromsø Swimming Pool’s high demands for energy efficiency, electronics and lighting control were already planned at the design stage of the building.
The highly corrosive environment in such facilities, combined with the BREEAM classification’s high energy management standards, meant that great emphasis was placed on high quality for the luminaire housing, LED chip, electronics, and controls.
Helvar’s Imagine lighting control solution was chosen as the control system throughout the facility. This system is one of the few that easily enables detailed control of each individual luminaire and sensor/switch panel.
With built-in astro timers in the applications controllers 905, 910, and 920 Tromsøbadet was able to control the outdoor lighting, ensuring that the facility was illuminated at the appropriate times, considering the changing seasons and daylight hours. The DMX technology in the 920-application controller also enabled scene control of the pool lighting, including colour changes.
To optimise lighting levels and energy consumption, Helvar’s 320 and 321 sensors are used to monitor various environmental factors, such as occupancy and daylight levels, while the 135-control panel provides a user-friendly interface for controlling the lighting system.
By utilising these advanced lighting control technologies, Helvar and our Norwegian partner Vanpee Norge AS, were able to create a lighting system that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The system provides optimal lighting levels for various activities, such as swimming, diving, and climbing. Additionally, the system is designed to minimise energy consumption, contributing to the facility’s overall sustainability goals.
Norway
