The daylight system from Osram lets only cool light in while reflecitng heat. (All Photos Courtesy of Osram)

In the newly constructed Schmuttertal secondary school in Diedorf Germany, micro sun shielding louvres from the Osram subsidiary Siteco create natural lighting in the classroom buildings, auditorium and sports hall. The school benefits in several ways – in addition to energy savings, the daylight system also supports the school’s architectural and educational concept.

The fifth secondary school in the vicinity of the autonomous city of Augsburg is based on an especially ecological and sustainable building concept. Built as a woodframe structure with grass roofs, photovoltaic installations, special air-conditioning systems and heat sensors, the school generates more energy than it requires daily for operational needs (Plus energy standard). Part of this is the factor of light that plays a central role for the Schmuttertal secondary school, and is much more than merely illumination.

Rooflights allow natural light to enter the auditorium, relaxation areas and galleries of the Schmuttertal secondary school in Diedorf.

The installed daylight system achieves significant energy savings because artificial light must only be activated in a supplementary way according to needs. The lighting system also provides a bright atmosphere and stimulating effect for both teachers and pupils. For this purpose, maintenance-free micro sun shielding louvres were integrated into the intermediate pane space of the roof light fenestration of the sports hall, auditorium and the classroom buildings. The highly specular louvres manufactured with ultra-pure aluminium enable only diffuse, cool daylight to enter the space while hot, direct sunlight is reflected outwards, thus preventing the excessive ingress of heat. Another advantage is that larger areas in the roof construction can be opened than would normally be possible due to heat and glare restrictions.

The sports hall was also equipped with a micro sun shielding louvre.

Simultaneously, the bright and transparent spatial effect achieved underlines the educational concept of the secondary school that places much emphasis on the unrestricted development of pupils. A part of this is having less traditional frontal teaching to allow work based on groups and the independent processing of lesson content. It's here that daylight can be used in a supportive and activating way to promote concentration and increase attention levels.

The 'Schmuttertal', where the school is located and after which it is named, is an ecologically significant meadow landscape near to Augsburg. Teachers and pupils moved into the secondary school in September 2015. The school is one of the largest woodframe buildings in Europe and the "most up-to-date school in Germany", as explained by School Director Günter Manhardt. The new construction was subsidised by the German Environmental Agency (DBU).