Cape Henlopen School District, Delaware
Background
The elementary school buildings in the Cape Henlopen School District, in coastal, southeastern Delaware, were older and crowded. The community wanted better for their schoolchildren.
As part of a larger project, it was decided that three new elementary schools would be built: the Love Creek School, HO Brittingham School, and the Rehobeth School – the group of schools was often affectionately referred to as “The Triplets” by those working on the new build.
This project was completed, from start to finish, by Lighting Solutions, Inc.
Challenge
The Cape Henlopen School District and students’ parents were very active in the planning of the three schools. To ensure parity between them, everyone was in agreement that the schools be identical (another reason for the nickname, The Triplets), with one difference; each school’s assembly area would have its own theme. Creek School chose a boardwalk concept; HO Brittingham School went with a pirate ship; and Rehobeth School’s theme was a beach and lighthouse.
Because these were public school builds with limited recourses, the engineers and consultants for the school project, Furlow Associates, Inc., had the difficult job of specifying lighting products that met the Tetra Tech architects’ quality and aesthetics standards, Title 24 requirements, and were within budget restrictions.
Some homeowners abutting school property were also very vocal about their light trespass concerns, i.e., concerns that light from the schools’ outdoor illumination would spill over onto private property and roadways.
And a local historical society wanted to approve any exterior lighting decisions to be sure the fixtures’ appearance was appropriate for the area.
As you may imagine, making all the constituencies happy was a tall order. But Furlow Associates was up to the job. And for lighting, they turned to Cooper Lighting Solutions, a company that’s come through for them before.
Results
Lighting from Cooper Lighting Solutions is a popular choice among specifiers for public school projects. They’ve found that our products deliver the kind of performance and cost that fit into schools’ Value Engineering strategies.
On time and on budget. Cooper Lighting Solutions products were delivered as scheduled. Construction for the project began in 2015 and ended in 2022.
Quality and aesthetics. Specifiers were able to meet the requirements of architects, parents, and the historical society by choosing fixtures from Cooper Lighting Solutions.
No light trespass. All of our products are engineered to perform exactly as intended, making lighting design easier.
Energy savings. Using motion sensors from Cooper Lighting Solutions helps the schools save on lighting energy costs. When classrooms and other school areas are empty, the lights are off; but when people enter, the sensors automatically signal the lights to come on.
Easy maintenance. In classrooms, our JAYLUM Suspended downlights simply wipe clean – there’s no need to clean the lens from the inside, saving the schools labor hours.
Title 24 compliance. The Cooper Lighting Solutions products used met state and local codes and standards.
Products Used
- Corelite JAYLUM Suspended downlighting for classrooms
- NeoRay Define Recessed Linear for media rooms
- Shaper in the restrooms
- Greengate Controls
- McGraw-Edison Talon
- McGraw-Edison Sensors with Photocells in the parking lot
- Sure-Lites LED Emergency Lighting exit signs
- Metalux SkyRidge
- Shaper 1800
- Ametrix ASYX
I’ve repeatedly used Cooper Lighting products in our educational projects and anything else that’s a state bid. Because I can get the aesthetic that the architect wants and it fits the budget.Shirley Johnson, Lighting Designer and Managing Partner, Furlow Associates, Inc.