Mintlaw Academy
Luminaires manufactured by Zumtobel Lighting have been installed as part of a £600,000 makeover project at the Mintlaw Academy, giving their library a brand new space known as the “Learning Plaza”. The luminaires were chosen to enhance the overall appearance of the new state-of-the-art facility whilst increasing wellbeing and comfort for users, providing a low maintenance, energy efficient solution.
Mintlaw Academy is a secondary school located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland serving the rural communities of Central Buchan and has a capacity for 1,000 students. The new Learning Plaza includes new study areas for pupils, a library, a resource centre for teachers and an information technology suite. There are also “book hives” where youngsters can sit among the library’s latest titles.
Zumtobel’s VAERO LED was chosen to cater for the need to adapt the lighting for different visual tasks and individual needs. VAERO LED is a purist direct/indirect pendant luminaire with a clear, minimalist and discreet design that can be successfully integrated into very different areas and almost any room architecture – whether a classic working or learning environment or a creative zone. With the aid of special technology, the light is evenly spread from the luminaire centre to the edge, for a pleasant distribution of light and a pleasing visual ambience.
Caela pendants along with an Ondaria fitting were used for their flexibility and aesthetic qualities. The precisely processed diffuser material of Caela enables exact dispersion of the light emitted and the luminaires can also turn 355° and tilt 45° so several luminaires can form a curve. The Ondaria decorative round fitting provides a gentle lighting effect within a harmonious design.
Lightfields, with its minimalist, unobtrusive design provides the perfect lighting quality for educational establishments thanks to a micro-pyramidal optic. Ideal for screen-based work, Lightfields has been wall mounted to provide an uplight of illumination against the turquoise walls in the Learning Plaza. To complete the perfect lighting environment for pupils and staff, Panos downlights have been utilised to provide maximum luminaire efficiency.
Pupils have been involved in design, selection of furnishing and colours and will also be involved in coordinating a community event aimed at showcasing the finished Plaza for parents and the community. The school is now enjoying its lovely new Learning Plaza with a fantastic new library area and the ICT hub that is providing a superb resource for pupils.