Retrofitting The Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, Poland
Introduction
The Galicia Jewish Museum was looking for ways to offer its visitors even deeper and more unique cultural experiences. After evaluating several options, the Museum’s directors decided it was time to modernize the obsolete lighting system. The outdated lighting setup had become a growing problem, often preventing organizers from holding certain exhibitions, such as those including paper models and exhibits.
The directors felt they needed full control over the lighting system and turned to Zumtobel, aware of the highest quality of their lighting. After exploring the Museum’s needs, Zumtobel proposed a track system using the Supersystem II lighting modules and bmLINKs - a qualified Bluetooth mesh solution developed in cooperation with Silvair, a leader in qualified Bluetooth mesh technologies for lighting. The intuitive and easy-to-use solution minimized the amount of hardware and control cabling, while delivering a system that is both easy to install and flexible enough to recommission as needs and requirements change.
Collaborators
The innovative and unique Museum, located in Poland in Krakow’s Jewish district called Kazimierz, is a Polish registered charity. Its mission is to commemorate Holocaust victims, promote the Jewish culture of Polish Galicia, and present Jewish history from different angles and new perspectives. The institution aims to challenge the stereotypes and misconceptions associated with the Jewish past in Poland, while educating both Poles and Jews about their own histories.
We are passionate about designing and producing the highest quality of light. Our work is driven by the knowledge that the right light can create the right environment for people to thrive when tailored to their individual needs. Guided by a unique design approach, we continuously push our boundaries in search for perfection through unique and timeless design. As we develop the next generation of lighting, we build on our family heritage to refine the aesthetics of light and shape the lighting of tomorrow. With a special blend of passion, grace and avant-garde ideas, we turn light into an experience and remain committed to the goal of improving the quality of life through light. Zumtobel is a brand of the Zumtobel Group AG with its headquarters in Dornbirn, Vorarlberg (Austria).
Silvair’s goal is to set the highest standards in the lighting industry and push the market forward by developing innovative technologies. As a major contributor to the development of Bluetooth mesh—a new communication standard for the Internet of Things (IoT)—the company delivers robust software solutions to its clients. Silvair’s advanced technology for wireless lighting control and commercial building automation help organizations across diversified markets build wireless lighting applications that are easy to use and future-proof. Silvair currently operates out of offices in Poland and the US.
Products
The first stage of this two-phase project saw Zumtobel install a multifunctional low voltage track system with 34 Supersystem II spotlights controlled via qualified Bluetooth mesh bmLINKs and a LITECOM controller. The system was used to light the Museum’s temporary exhibition hall.
Zumtobel bmLINK is a wireless solution for DALI systems. It consists of senders (transmitters) and receivers, and can be connected to a central DALI controller such as Zumtobel’s LITECOM, or used standalone. The receivers provide numerous advantages, including no need for control cabling, minimal installation effort, and excellent compatibility with new or existing systems.
At the Galicia Jewish Museum, each track is controlled by one bmLINK receiver and one bmLINK sender. Both are connected to the LITECOM controller that controls the whole installation via DALI.
Zumtobel installed 34 Supersystem II spotlights controlled via qualified Bluetooth mesh bmLINKs and a LITECOM controller
Commissioning
The system was ready for commissioning as soon as the electrical contractor had installed and powered up all DALI tracks and the Zumtobel LITECOM central controller.
Before installation started, the installer had first set up a new project in the bmLINK Platform by uploading the layout with the lighting design, and created zones for each track. Once everything was installed and powered, he used the bmLINK Tool, a mobile app, to add all bmLINK devices to relevant zones. This was followed by the automatic process of assigning DALI addresses initiated by the installer through the LITECOM app. Each address added to a single DALI group represented both a single track and a pair of bmLINK sender/receiver devices.
The final stage was to set up a number of scenes that would allow the Museum to modify the lighting settings for each exhibition. This gives the Museum curators the flexibility to control the lighting and recall specific scenes based on their needs.
The bmLINK browser app was used to upload the floor plans and carry out the planning stage
Results
The commissioning process itself was seamless and went very smoothly. In less than an hour, the installer had prepared the installation plan, commissioned the lights and bmLINKs, and set up the LITECOM system.
The chosen system will meet any challenges the Museum will face in the next few years, especially those related to the temporary exhibition hall. The spotlights can be moved between tracks with no need for the system to be recommissioned. In addition, the Silvair-based devices are future proof and can be updated over-the-air to add new functionality such as beacons, asset tracking and emergency lighting testing, or even monitoring of energy consumption and system faults.
Ultimately, the Galicia Jewish Museum now has a modern wireless lighting control solution that allows quick and effortless modification of settings and arrangement. Most importantly, their staff can perform any modifications on their own when the need arises, without needing to bring in system installers or engineers - something that is always important for cash-squeezed cultural institutions. The Museum is preparing for the second stage of the project, which will see the retrofit of the permanent exhibition space.
The museum will use the LITECOM system for everyday lighting control needs
