Osram connected lighting solution gives the world’s soon-to-be largest aviation facility a human-centric atrium
The world’s soon-to-be largest aviation structure, the Beijing Daxing International Airport basks in new joys and radiance. Over 1,300 OSRAM LED luminaires are lighting up its tremendous atrium, accentuating the feeling of space around the check-in area and the feeling of warmth and relaxation for the resting districts.
Beijing Daxing International Airport is considered one of the largest of its sort on the planet. With total investment of 79.98 billion Chinese Yuan, it took four years to complete. With an area of 1.4 million square meters and a central atrium equivalent to the Water Cube stadium, it has the capacity to accommodate at least 100 million passengers a year.
This is yet another architectural wonder brought to life by Osram advanced connected green lighting solution which invigorates this mega structure by giving it a light-filled and people-centric indoor space. People’s comfort and energy efficiency are the primary challenges for indoor lighting in massive structures. And the solution is intelligence.
The customised LED luminaires from Osram come in various colour temperatures to fit demands by different areas, e.g. a refreshing 5000K for the check-in area whereas a warmer 4000K for the resting districts. UGR is lowered to below 19 to eliminate glare and discomfort to the human eye.
Beyond uniformity and pleasure to the eye, the lighting system aims to make the Airport a greener infrastructure as well. Via a DALI protocol, the LED lights interconnect with the vast KNX control system throughout the overall structure and allow the central control room to manage each individual unit like the cockpit of a space shuttle monitoring the whole vehicle.
Brightnesses, working hours and working units can be pre-set to meet desired effects. Such an advanced mega-system benefits the airport management with a considerable power consumption reduction by 2/3 compared to traditional mechanisms.
Osram LED downlights, in combination with natural daylight via skylights and windows, provides architectural illumination at Beijing Daxing. It’s not clear how much IoT the lighting delivers. Osram has provided customised luminaires in the curved ceiling at Beijing’s sprawling new airport.
In providing customised 4000K downlights in the concourse ceiling and its Simplitz floodlights over check-in desks set at 5000K, Osram also supplied a central wired control system designed to balance the artificial light with natural light from skylights and windows, all part of the airport’s architectural design.
As per a published report, the control system makes use of sensors that note lighting conditions and people flow that help inform brightness levels. It’s not clear whether the sensors are in the lights or mounted outside.
The Munich company supplied a combination of 1300 LED downlights and floodlights to help illuminate the central concourse and check in areas at the starfish-shaped Beijing Daxing International Airport, believed to be the world’s largest airport by size, and expected to eventually become the world’s busiest airport.
It’s also not clear the extent to which Osram has endowed the lighting system with Internet of Things (IoT) features beyond lighting conditions and basic occupancy. IoT lighting in principle can offer a wide range of functions, including detailed tracking of people movement; asset tracking; climate and air quality monitoring; wayfinding for passengers; and much more.
Beijing Daxing is using a 5G mobile network provided by China’s Huawei to support passenger interactions including facial recognition for check-in and security, luggage services, and personalised airport experience, using what Huawei and its partners China Eastern Airlines and China Unicom suggested (without mentioning Osram) is a combination of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, cloud computing, and other technologies. Huawei delivers indoor 5G via a ceiling-mounted box it calls LampSite.
The brand-new airport would also seem like a perfect setting to power LED lights via Ethernet cable, a technology known as Power over Ethernet (PoE). But Osram declined to reveal whether PoE is at play. PoE lighting saves considerable expense in new builds because it can eliminate the costs of conventional wiring. Ethernet cable can handle the low voltages required for LEDs, while also doubling in its traditional role as a data conduit, which could in turn facilitate smart lighting and smart building IoT schemes.
Beijing Daxing is about 29 miles south of the city and was designed by prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid, who died in 2016. By some accounts it spans 18 square miles including the main terminal and four runways. It is expected to help alleviate overcrowding at Beijing Capital International Airport to the north of the city, which continues to operate and which has been the world’s second-busiest airport after Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to the website Airport Technology.
Meanwhile, Osram as a company continues to put more emphasis on photonic chips, such as the new infrared LEDs it introduced recently to help lock and unlock smartwatches via facial recognition. Although Osram has cut back on general illumination, having recently sold its Siteco luminaire business, it nonetheless sees opportunities such as Daxing in general lighting.
About Osram
OSRAM, based in Munich, is a leading global high-tech company with a history dating back more than 110 years. Primarily focused on semiconductor-based technologies, our products are used in highly diverse applications ranging from virtual reality to autonomous driving and from smartphones to networked, intelligent lighting solutions in buildings and cities. OSRAM utilises the infinite possibilities of light to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. OSRAM’s innovations will enable people all over the world not only to see better, but also to communicate, travel, work, and live better.
