Breathing freely in Bad Sassendorf
Renovated Börde-Therme spa park with state-of-the-art
emergency and safety lighting
emergency and safety lighting
Salt production and salt extraction have a centuries-old history in the Soester Börde on the Westphalian Hellweg. The Westphalian Salt Route runs from Unna to Salzkotten and is also a popular cycle route. There are many cultural and industrial testaments to the history of salt processing to explore along this route.
And Bad Sassendorf, a community in the centre of the Soester Börde, is no exception. There is evidence of salt extraction in this region as early as the 12th century. In 1836, 2500–4000 tonnes of salt were extracted here. Although salt production ceased in 1952, the “white gold” continues to form the basis of today’s spa treatments.
Records from 1817 document the use of Bad Sassendorf’s brine for bathing and healing purposes. In 1852, wooden bathtubs were set up in the grounds of the saltworks. On 10 May 1906, the municipality of Sassendorf was awarded the prefix of “Bad”, denoting its recognition as a spa town. The official state recognition of Bad Sassendorf as a mud and brine spa followed in 1975. In the same year, the foundation stone was laid for the leisure centre, which formed the basis for today’s spa park, Börde-Therme Bad Sassendorf. In 2017, renovation and expansion work started on Börde-Therme. It was officially inaugurated on 12 August 2020.
Project overview
| Subject: | Börde-Therme Bad Sassendorf |
| Client: | Thermalbad Bad Sassendorf GmbH |
| Project completion period: | 2017–2020 |
| Number of construction phases: | Thermal bath basement, swimming area, panorama sauna, kelo-wood sauna, graduation-tower sauna, relaxation building |
| Designer: | Passgang Architekten BDA |
| Execution: | Kuss Gesamtelektrik GmbH, Soest |
| INOTEC sales representative: | Lutz Dahlhoff |
| INOTEC products: | 4 x CLS Fusion – 12 Ah, INOTEC CPS 64 44 circuits |
Standard-compliant equipment in the wellness centre
In the bathing area, there are several indoor and outdoor brine pools with an average salt content of around 3.0–3.4 percent. The sauna area has been extended with an outdoor log sauna, a new relaxation building, and a sauna and relax room in the new graduation tower in the adjoining spa park. The area also has a flotation pool that is fed from the natural brine and has a brine content of about 13 per cent.
All the areas require emergency and safety lighting. In Germany, the KOK guideline of 2013 requires an illuminance of 15 lux on the water surface for swimming pools with a water depth of 1.35 m or more. Similarly, regulation 107-001 governing pool operation issued by Germany’s statutory accident insurance scheme (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung, DGUV), requires safety lighting in the event of general lighting failure and potential accident hazards.
Cooperation and products: all perfectly coordinated
Consequently, the emergency and safety lighting was also updated with state-of-the-art equipment as part of the modernisation. The installation work was carried out by the electrical installation company Kuss, from Soest, and they found the ideal partner for this project in INOTEC Sicherheitstechnik. Because of the salty air, products were needed that are suitable for these harsh environmental conditions.
In swimming pool areas, stainless steel products are often used because of the environmental requirements. However, these surfaces require proper care, as otherwise their appearance can be impaired by condensation on their surfaces. Even with high-alloy stainless steels, this can lead to discolouration. That is why these products, including luminaires made of stainless steel, must be cleaned regularly. The surface of the luminaires can be protected by a special coating, which is optionally available for INOTEC stainless steel luminaires. Luminaires made of other materials, such as aluminium or polycarbonate, are also suitable for these areas.
INOTEC products in the indoor areas
Around the indoor pools of the Börde-Therme, SNP 2130-type chlorine- and saltwater-resistant plastic luminaires were used to mark the escape and rescue routes. To achieve the high illuminance of 15 lux on the water surface, ten SNP 8500-25-type LED emergency luminaires were installed: these are specially designed for the increased lighting requirements. At 3400 lumens, the 25W LED module provides sufficient luminous flux. A central battery system installed in the basement powers the emergency and safety luminaires in the main building.
In other areas, such as the bistro, the relaxation area or the covered outdoor area, unobtrusive SN 9400-type recessed ceiling luminaires were used to illuminate the emergency escape routes. The use of different secondary optics means this luminaire series always offers the optimal solution for standard-compliant illumination with the lowest possible power consumption. The user can choose between symmetrical and asymmetrical illumination, and a low or high installation height. In addition, this series is also available for surface ceiling mounting.
The individual sauna buildings, and the area of the graduation house that is part of the sauna area, are each fitted with a small, decentralised CLS FUSION emergency lighting system. With an output of up to 48 Ah, this is ideal for powering emergency and safety luminaires in buildings with a fire compartment.
Safe and attractive solution for the outdoor areas
In outdoor areas, SN 6204-series wall luminaires are used to illuminate emergency escape routes. Their slate-grey colour (RAL 7015) adds a harmonious accent to the stonework of natural stone slate.
Although the complex officially opened in August 2020, modernisation measures are still underway in the basement area of the brine and thermal baths. To meet the demanding requirements of this area, robust SN 2100 IP65 safety luminaires are used here. The luminaire’s lateral cable entries ensure easy installation with surface-mounted cabling.
Emergency and safety lighting monitored centrally
In order to centrally monitor the function of the emergency and safety lighting, all systems and their connected luminaires are monitored via the INOWeb Control software. All the status messages of the emergency lighting systems are logged in the logbook and can be called up at any time. Defined status information can be sent automatically to the people in charge with the built-in email notification function.
In this way, Börde-Therme in Bad Sassendorf offers its guests not only recreation, relaxation and health benefits but also a high level of safety that is equally worthy of a five-star quality seal.
Bad Sassendorf graduation tower
The centrepiece in Bad Sassendorf’s spa park is the new graduation tower, built in 2019. With its unique architecture and salty air, it invites you to breathe freely. As the saltwater evaporates, small salt particles enter the air. This enriched air creates the ideal conditions for salt inhalation therapy, with its many medical benefits. Part of the graduation tower is integrated into the sauna area of Börde-Therme.
Blackthorn brushwood is incorporated into the beam construction that forms the supporting element – in fact, these structures are sometimes referred to as thorn houses. The blackthorn increases the surface area as the natural brine trickles down. This promotes water evaporation and increases the salt saturation.
- Length 73m, height 10m, width 8m
- 15,600 blackthorn bundles
- Footprint 1290 m2
