Greater efficiency, lower cost

The Court of Justice of the European Union, located on the Kirchberg plateau, is the judicial authority of the European Union and ensures the uniform interpretation and implementation of EU legislation in Member States. A section of the 20-year old complex was recently renovated. Offices, courtrooms, interpreter booths and car parks – comprising a surface area of 65,000 m2 – were entirely fitted out with new lighting and emergency lighting.

For Michaël Baiwir, engineer-partner in the consultancy Felgen & Associés Engineering SA, the goals were threefold: ”The first requirement was that the new lighting last more than 20 years with daily use. Therefore we went in search of a reliable lighting solution, which at the same time resulted in considerable energy savings.“
Energy-efficiency and operating costs were nonetheless not the only criteria. “The buildings are highly complex in terms of layout and design. For example, there are spaces with various heights (false ceilings) and variable modulation. Thanks to tailored lighting solutions ETAP was able to bring this assignment to a successful conclusion.”

Over 60% saved
The new luminaires not only stand out in terms of efficiency, they also are (partially) fitted with light control systems. In the offices the UJ recessed luminaires are dimmed depending on daylight, thanks to a suitably integrated daylight sensor (ELS). The result is not only high lighting comfort, but also an estimated energy saving in excess of 60%. In the car parks and technical spaces, the high efficiency of the E6 luminaires minimise the number of installed luminaires and consequently lower investment, energy and maintenance costs..

Reliable emergency lighting
During the renovation the emergency lighting was also updated. For example, K9 luminaires with LEDs were installed, connected to the ETAP Safety Manager (ESM). This central management and control system allows to monitor the facility continuously and to check whether all luminaires are standard-compliant and work properly. “Given the size of the site, a reliable and safe system to monitor the emergency lighting was of the utmost importance, to enable us to ensure proper operation at all times,” according to Baiwir. The switch to LEDs furthermore allowed to reduce the number of luminaires and made maintenance easier.

Lighting 
- 1000 D14 downlights
- 2500 E6 luminaires
- 50 R8-diffuser luminaires
- 6500 special UJ recessed luminaires

Emergency lighting 
- 1200 K2 en K6 luminaires (fluorescent)
- 700 K9 luminaires (LED)
- Central management and control system ESM
- Central battery system EBS