Inspirations

Customized light lines for the trapezoidal Alfa College

Line lighting in a school deviating from the norm

11.02.2026

"In fact, little has changed for them, and yet they experience a world of difference." Project manager Wim Supheert (Hanab) smiles as he says it. And that difference? That's in light. New, efficient, comfortable light. With the latest E-line Pro, the Alfa College on the Boumaboulevard in Groningen changed from a building full of traditional lighting into a future-proof learning environment. A collaboration in which craftsmanship, trust and flexibility were key.

Customisation in every metre

Account manager Martin Zuurveld (TRILUX) has known Wim for many years. Wim says: "We have taken on many great projects over the years and complement each other well. So when we received the request from Kor Smit of Alfa College for the lighting on the Boumaboulevard, the choice for TRILUX was quickly made. After all, this project was anything but standard."

No suspended ceiling, but sloping walls. No room with the same dimensions and existing luminaires that only shone downwards. Martin: "We normally find suspended ceilings in schools, mostly fitted with square LED panels. A lighting refurbishment can then be done quickly. In contrast, the lighting plan of the Alfa College on Bouma-boulevard was anything but standard."

Thanks to the latest E-line Pro, Martin was still able to offer the flexibility that was needed. "Each space required its own approach and its own lighting calculation. Together with Wim, I visited the premises, revised a competitor's original lighting plan and worked towards one objective: light that is technically correct, aesthetically convincing and saves energy." The result? An updated lighting plan for the entire school, from classrooms to general areas.

One school, two renovation weeks, hundreds of fixtures

Alfa College was enthusiastic and gave the green light for a complete conversion to LED. "A big job," states Wim. Moreover, its implementation had to be realized in two short periods: the May and autumn holidays.

He continued: "On Friday afternoon in both weeks we had to be ready, full stop. In this tight labour market, that was still an exciting factor, but working with a partner allowed us to form a big team. Moreover, TRILUX took care of all the preparations so that our guys could install the luminaires plug and play. That went really well.".

Martin says: "Providing three or four floors with so many luminaires in one week is really a challenge." Fortunately, the E-line Pro is quick to place and install. Logistics, on the other hand, required more creativity. "There was hardly any storage space in the school, so we delivered in two partial deliveries directly from the factory to the site. We also depend on external partners, which just must go smoothly. Fortunately, it went smoothly," Martin looks back with satisfaction.

Light that's right: technically and aesthetically

A separate lighting calculation was made for each room. A rock-solid must, due to the different shapes of the spaces. Martin: "We set up a number of tasting rooms in the early stages. Then we discovered that customised fittings were needed to make the light lines fit nicely with the sloping walls. We do such a test run more often, precisely to avoid such surprises."

The chosen luminaire, the E-line Pro, is unique because of its direct-indirect light distribution. 80% of the light shines downwards, the remaining 20% upwards. This results in a soft, diffuse light image and prevents dark areas from the luminaire towards the ceiling. "This way, we achieve much better uniformity and can light the classrooms in full compliance with the standard (EN 12464-1)."

Wim is also enthusiastic about the result: "The light level has turned out surprisingly well. Even prettier than I expected. The luminaires emit pleasant light, ensuring pleasant comfort. The teachers and students at Alfa College clearly experience more comfort, which is what we do it for." In common areas (with a suspended ceiling), the Arimo Fit LED LED panel luminaire was additionally installed. In other places, previously installed TRILUX lighting solutions remained, such as spot tubes and narrow black light lines in the IT department.

Smart lighting control

The improvements in technology did not stop with the luminaires themselves. Helvar's already existing light management system also received a major upgrade. Wim: "We have integrated new DALI-2 sensors in the light lines, making the lighting installation future-proof again. Helvar then programmed the lighting management fully to Alfa College's requirements. In that, Martin and I have obviously thought along. For example, by halving the coverage of sensors. We used to hang far too many, now we work with an efficient number in the right places. For example, the lights no longer automatically switch on in the morning, but only when someone walks into a room or classroom. This is energy-efficient and maintenance-proof."

Martin explains: "Teachers always retain control in this. They can temporarily disable both sensors and luminaires in case, for example, they use the projector and still move around the classroom themselves. In addition, light management takes incident daylight into account. In bright sunlight, the light level is automatically adjusted, keeping the intensity pleasant and also saving energy in this way."

Thanks to the lighting management system, the lighting and room layout of the Alfa College can be arranged very flexibly. One can easily move partitions, which has been taken into account when designing the lighting system. "The new light lines can even be dismantled and fixed at a different point if required, should the layout of a room change permanently," Martin says.

Something goes wrong everywhere

A project of this magnitude without bumps? There is no such thing. Wim explains openly: "Of course, things go wrong everywhere from time to time, and that's OK. In this case, we had a challenge with the wire suspensions. We were short of points because we decided on the spot to fix the fixture on four points instead of three. Martin shifted gears at lightning speed and provided additional material. He always resolves it nicely. With TRILUX, you know you'll get it right. When I walk through the school now, I see only happy faces. For them, little seems to have changed, yet it feels completely different. That's what we wanted."

And Martin? Who is especially proud. To the lighting designers at TRILUX and to Wim's team. "When working out a lighting plan, you not only pay attention to good uniformity and fine light quality, but of course also to the atmosphere and experience in a room. It is sometimes a quest to bring that together, especially when each local differs from the rest. Our lighting designers succeeded very well. The E-line Pro comes into its own perfectly here, but was also new to them. Wim's team realised everything quickly, neatly and well within schedule. Obvious teamwork, making Alfa College ready for the future."

Editors

Ann-Christin Blum

Online-Marketing
TRILUX

Customized light lines for the trapezoidal Alfa College