Suvarnabhumi brightens image

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Suvarnabhumi brightens image 
Bangkok Post: 13 Dec 2010
Suvarnabhumi Airport brightens image

Poor lighting at Suvarnabhumi Airport's passenger terminal will soon be a thing of the past as Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) is taking steps to deal with the frequent complaint.

All areas where people pass through will have double the current level of illumination.

It will be the second major lighting improvement following a minor adjustment that partly addressed the problems that earned Suvarnabhumi the nickname "the colossal dark den".

Developed in a collaboration with Chulalongkorn University, the state-controlled airport operator's lighting upgrade will cost 129 million baht.

In addition to increasing brightness to about 180 lux (equal to 1 lumen per square metre; 0.0929 foot candle), better arrangement and more energy-efficient bulbs will reduce power consumption.

Somchai Sawasdeepon, an AoT senior executive vice-president, believes the project, which is expected to be running in the first quarter of next year, will result in a 24% a year drop in power consumption for lighting.

This in turn would help the airport cut its monthly power bill to around 28 million baht from 30 million currently.

There will be more direct lighting with powerful bulbs illuminating the floors and less indirect lighting that reflects on ceilings, a frequent feature of the current layout.

The previous exercise undertaken shortly after the airport's opening in September 2006 involved turning many lightbulbs downward to the floors rather than upward to show a reflecting lighting pattern, a form popular in the western world and originally specified by Murphy/Jahn Architects, who designed the airport.

Tests conducted at several areas inside the terminal showed satisfactory results.

"There is greater illumination but not to the extent that it may irritate the eyes as in certain shopping malls," said Mr Somchai.

Though some people feel the current lighting is sufficient, most of the complaints came from Thais who prefer downward lighting to the reflecting variety, he explained.

Road lights on access roads to the terminal will also be equipped with dimmers to cut electricity consumption in the twilight period.

AoT expects the project to break even in four years and seven months based on power bill savings. The lighting improvement is being dubbed part of AoT's effort to make Suvarnabhumi one of the world's top 10 airports.

The airport has undergone significant improvements since its opening: revised signage, reduced waiting time in security lanes, additional toilets, new luggage trolleys, padding for steel seats, and the launch of the Airport Rail Link in August.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/aviation/211044/suvarnabhumi-airport-brightens-image