A popular destination for locals and tourists alike, KÖKI is one of the largest shopping centres in Budapest, with its location at the intersection of the two districts of Kőbánya and Kispest also giving the centre its name. With over 150 retailers, the shopping centre offers a variety of shops, restaurants and cafés alongside cultural events and activities. The 2,000 m² "FoodPort" at KÖKI is a busy meeting point where shoppers can enjoy a quick snack or a meal at a restaurant. The location of the shopping centre is also an important transport interchange connecting the city centre and the airport with regional train, metro and bus stations.

A lighting makeover

For KÖKI Terminal Budapest and the investors, the Adventum Group, the aim of new interior lighting was to significantly improve energy efficiency and reliability and increase the well-being factor in the "FoodPort". Gábor Schmidt from Haas & Schmidt Lighting Ltd. and Manfred Raffler from Setup.lighting s.r.o. were responsible for the lighting design and managing the project, in which KÖKI replaced the existing six kilometres of installed T5 fluorescent lamps with a new LED lighting solution. "The main challenge was the time at which the work could be completed," remembers Gergely Gyevi-Tóth, Area Sales Manager SEE at Tridonic. "As the shopping centre was open as normal during the day, the work had to be carried out at night and all the equipment needed to be gone by the morning. Night after night, it was 'out with the old and in with the new'. The employees’ high level of efficiency was key to the success of the installation."

Challenging initial situation

"The customer explicitly requested that the existing architecture of the main lighting system comprising customised continuous rows with tensioned textile diffusors be retained and only as much changed as necessary," says Gábor Schmidt from Haas & Schmidt Lighting Ltd. The lighting channels all have contrasting lengths and widths and meet each other at different angles. At some points, horizontal strips merge into vertical strips, with the vertical being slightly offset. "Architecturally this looks very good, but the technical aspects of the implementation were a challenge, particularly at the corners where horizontal and vertical channels meet. The lighting we installed needed to be perfectly adapted to these channels, which proved to be the most difficult aspect of the project," explains Gergely Gyevi-Tóth.

LEDs replace fluorescent lamps

The project involved replacing T5 fluorescent lamps with LEDs. Thanks to its comprehensive range of products, Tridonic was able to supply all the relevant solutions and components to meet the client’s requirements. Tridonic installed LLE 20x280-560mm 775lm HV SNC3 linear LED modules and 2,000 LC 25W / 300 mA fixC lp SNC2 and LC 35W / 300 mA fixC lp SNC2 LED drivers over a total length of six kilometres. These modules have a long service life of 72,000 hours and perfect light homogeneity, making them the ideal solution for linear and surface luminaires. When combined with the LED drivers, they offer maximum system efficiency. Several LED modules can be quickly and easily wired together using plug-in terminals, with two terminals available for serial wiring.