Lighting solution for Shopping Centre

The Kaari Shopping Centre located at Kannelmäki in Helsinki is a compact retail venue. All services are found close by: almost 80 shops, more than 10 cafés or restaurants, 1,700 parking spaces and good public transport connections. Now the look of Kannelmäki’s own shopping centre has been revamped. The end result is pleasant, bright and spacious. This was achieved by, among other things, installing impressive walls covered in plants, improving thoroughfares and renewing lighting.

Parts of the shopping centre are open round-the-clock, so the lighting solutions must be durable and reliable. Good lighting in facilities increases safety and accessibility. “We want people to be able to move around easily in our centre. We opened up views, provided additional shops, and increased the number of access points to the second floor. Now both customers and employees get a better experience of the shopping centre,” says Shopping Centre Director Sanna Kinnunen.

The precise requirements of installation

According to plans by Innovarch Architects, the visual look was chosen to correspond as closely as possible to the look of the adjacent lobby with its new suspended ceiling. According to architect Markus Miikkulainen, it was important to find a solution in which the lower surfaces of the luminaires were exactly at the level of lower surface of the ceiling, to the millimetre. Airam’s Plata panel luminaires was selected for the thoroughfares and lobby facilities. The precise installation requirements were met using a recess-mounted installation kit of concealed batten strips. Technical lighting calculations for the site were carried out by Ramboll Finland Oy.

Easy and precise installation

Plata is a low-profiled light fitting, which can be not only recess-mounted, but also suspended on wires or surface-mounted with a special mounting set. The new installation kit for ceilings with concealed battens strips is always needed for special ceilings. The installation kit is suitable for all Plata luminaires. In product comparisons, they have been praised for their ease of installation.

Microprism optics for discomfort glare

The chainable luminaire is available in two colour-temperature alternatives, 830 and 840. The Plata luminaire is made with both an opal diffuser and microprism optics. Thanks to the microprism diffuser, UGR (unified glare rating) is less than 19 (model Plata MP). It is suitable for, among other things, offices, educational institutions, hospitals and other healthcare facilities - in general places where the discomfort glare of lighting can be a critical factor. Plata luminaires also come with Dali control.