Project Case - De Koepel prison Haarlem NL

The Koepelgevangenis in Haarlem is a former penal prison.  The dome was designed and built by justice architect W.C. Metzelaar. His inspiration were the dome prisons in Breda and Arnhem, designed by his father Johan Frederik Metzelaar. Like the other cupola prisons, 'the Dome' in Haarlem is a national monument. 

In early 2022, this monumental building reopened. The Koepel has been given an entirely new purpose; it is the new home for hundreds of students and teachers of the partnership 'Haarlems Instituut voor Hoger Onderwijs' for first HBO and later also WO-programs. The Dome also contains space for Flex Worker and Catering, making it a renovated building that is fully in tune with contemporary life. There is a Film Dome with six theaters, a knowledge and innovation center for SME Cupola XS, the Level One Game Museum and a mini museum about resistance fighter Hannie Schaft. 

In terms of lighting, the additional windows that have been installed play a major role. 'During the day we have enough daylight. At night we use LED light,' says the project director. About 500 to 600 fixtures were installed for this purpose; they are all controlled by LTECH. 

Flicker-free dimming was one of the main requirements for the Haarlem Dome's lighting concept. It had to become an integral part for the various public areas and for creating a friendly and convivial atmosphere. To meet these requirements, the light levels had to be adjustable. LTECH recommended choosing DALI as the control protocol because it is cost-effective, highly accurate and easy to manage and control.

With the LTECH DALI drivers, Koepel Haarlem was able to easily switch between different room purposes and provide a versatile and cohesive lighting plan. 

Our LU-75-500-1750-U1D1 LED drivers with T-PWM dimming technology generate a very pleasant experience by dimming to zero and back to full brightness without any perceptible steps. An exceptionally invisible feature, since dimming to zero is difficult to achieve with LED, which provides a very pleasant ambient experience for different users.