Axlen enables a haven for dog daycare with low-maintenance LED lighting

Project Overview: Every Dog Has Its Day Care^TM, Inc (www.everydog.com) recently opened a new state-of-the-art 50,000 sq ft facility in West Oakland, CA. The challenge for owner Lauren Westreich was to find a lighting manufacturer that could support her core values of providing a safe and healthy environment for every dog in her care and being thoughtful of the planet. At the same time, she wanted the lighting to complement the unique showcase setting they had designed.

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Back in 1997 when Lauren Westreich opened a daycare and boarding facility for dogs, it was a novel and perhaps unusual concept. Nearly twenty years later, Every Dog Has Its Day Care has developed into the Bay Area's pre-eminent facility, caring for well over a hundred dogs on a daily basis yet adhering to the company's original mission of treating each "guest" as though they were their own. With the experience nearly 20 years in the business brings, Lauren knew exactly what she wanted when it came to developing her new premises and creating a haven for dogs.

Top of her list was the safety of the dogs in her care, so from a lighting fixture perspective she ruled out fluorescent tubes. She was not prepared to deal with the required regular service visits, which can become quite problematic with so many dogs on site, nor risk the potential of a toxic hazard spill from a broken fluorescent tube. As Lauren described, "We knew that we wanted to move to LED lighting in the new facility. First, we absolutely care about the planet and second, we wanted to reduce the hassle and costs of maintenance. It's quite an ordeal to schedule any kind of on-site service visit and ensure that our dogs are not harmed or disturbed".

Once they had made the decision to choose LED fixtures, Lauren and her design team were left with a number of good options. With the high open framework ceilings, they were seeking lighting sources that added a modern touch to the industrial surroundings and also enhanced the spacious feel. From a practical and "green" perspective, they also wanted a cost-effective, high efficacy fixture that offered straight forward dimming options while providing plenty of light where needed. After a thorough review of the competing designs, it was clear that e-SolisTM edge lit LED panels from Axlen best fit their criteria.

They selected the 2' x 2' 32W versions with a neutral white correlated color temperature (CCT), which provided a good balance to the natural ambient lighting levels from the outdoor exercise areas. In order to take full advantage of the ultra slim profile of the panels and preserve the open space feel, they opted for a suspended application and have been delighted with the results.

Lauren's attention to detail can be seen throughout the facility, she commented that, "With the Axlen LED panels, not only have we significantly reduced our lighting energy usage but we've also eliminated the inconvenience and stress of frequent service visits. Further, the suspended installation gives the light panels a magical appearance as though they are floating in air, supporting what we set out to achieve - a true "Disneyland" for dogs".