HUMBOLDT FORUM

Aug 17, 2023

HUMBOLDT FORUM

Berlin, Germany
Daylight & Artificial Lighting

Architect: Franco Stella Projektgemeinschaft
Completion year: 2021
Images: Florian Selig

The Humboldt Forum in Berlin is regarded as Germany’s most significant cultural construction project in the coming decades. With the collection of the “Staatliche Museen zu Berlin” (SMB) moving from Berlin-Dahlem, the building’s main part will function as a museum. The lighting design for museums, particularly the daylight illumination in this historical context, has been adapted to meet today’s strict conservation requirements and structural demands. This involved extensive studies on glazing, solar arrangements, and glare protection systems. The art is primarily staged through lighting emitters that ensure minimal energy entry, aligning with modern conservation standards.

LIT Awards 2023: Winner in Interior Architectural Illumination
LIT Awards 2023: Winner in Exterior Architectural Illumination

Evening view of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, illuminated against a blue sky, with the Berlin Cathedral and TV Tower in the background and a snow-dusted circular plaza in the foreground

Interior courtyard of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, with illuminated classical architecture against a deep blue evening sky

Entrance area, featuring modern architectural design with large glass doors, sleek pillars, and illuminated directional signage.

Exhibition hall in the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, featuring a row of classical statues on pedestals, illuminated by recessed ceiling lights

Exhibition space at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, showcasing illuminated archaeological ruins and historical artifacts with modern lighting elements

Exhibition space, featuring angled stone structures and display cases with illuminated artifacts, under a softly lit ceiling

Vast interior hall of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, featuring a grand neoclassical entrance with statues and a glass ceiling allowing natural light to illuminate the space

Grand architectural entrance of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, featuring illuminated vaulted ceilings and classical columns leading to the inner courtyard

Sunrise view of the dome of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, with reflective glass panels on the rooftop and the city skyline in the background

The Humboldt Forum in Berlin is regarded as Germany’s most significant cultural construction project in the coming decades. With the collection of the “Staatliche Museen zu Berlin” (SMB) moving from Berlin-Dahlem, the building’s main part will function as a museum. The lighting design for museums, particularly the daylight illumination in this historical context, has been adapted to meet today’s strict conservation requirements and structural demands. This involved extensive studies on glazing, solar arrangements, and glare protection systems. The art is primarily staged through lighting emitters that ensure minimal energy entry, aligning with modern conservation standards.

LIT Awards 2023: Winner in Interior Architectural Illumination
LIT Awards 2023: Winner in Exterior Architectural Illumination

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HUMBOLDT ACADEMY

Aug 17, 2023

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HUMBOLDT ACADEMY

Berlin, Germany
Artificial Lighting

Architect: Holzer Kobler Architekturen
Completion year: 2021
Images: Florian Selig

The lighting planning for the Humboldt Academy in the Humboldt Forum follows a holistic design approach that defines an independent design language with efficient, dimmable design elements. Basic design premises are the flexibility of the use of space, the dialogue between architectural and human scale and the consideration of on-site elements in the lighting concept. The room is defined by its dynamic configuration options and the interplay of light and material. The lights are provided in dimmable LED quality, with a colour temperature of 3000K and a colour rendering index of 80 for general lighting.

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COVESTRO HEADQUARTERS

Aug 17, 2023

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COVESTRO HEADQUARTERS

Leverkusen, Germany
Artificial Lighting

Client: Covestro
Architect: HENN
Interior Designer: Kinzo
Completion year: 2021
Images: Covestro

The Covestro headquarters form the core of the new corporate campus. The open floor plan enables flexible collaborative work. For this purpose, Kinzo designed colourful and inviting spaces. Lounge areas surround the work areas for over 700 employees. The central air space with a big skylight is the architectural focal point.
The surrounding light lines accentuate the geometric shape of the air space. Downlights illuminate the circulation areas and combine the colourful theme worlds of Kinzo with their own decorative lighting solutions. The entire lighting design was created as a BIM process with visualization and collision checking, quantity and cost determination and the creation of plan sets.

LIT Awards 2023: Honorable Mention

The Covestro headquarters form the core of the new corporate campus. The open floor plan enables flexible collaborative work. For this purpose, Kinzo designed colourful and inviting spaces. Lounge areas surround the work areas for over 700 employees. The central air space with a big skylight is the architectural focal point.
The surrounding light lines accentuate the geometric shape of the air space. Downlights illuminate the circulation areas and combine the colourful theme worlds of Kinzo with their own decorative lighting solutions. The entire lighting design was created as a BIM process with visualization and collision checking, quantity and cost determination and the creation of plan sets.

LIT Awards 2023: Honorable Mention

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DEVON HOUSE

Aug 17, 2023

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DEVON HOUSE

London, United Kingdom
Artificial Lighting

Architect: Workplace Creations; John K Symes
Completion year: 2021
Images: John Boyd

Boston-based Northeastern University aimed to expand its global network, leading to the creation of the New College of the Humanities (NCH @ Northeastern). The brief required flexible learning and workspaces, a new entrance, and a central staircase connecting the ground floor to the first floor.

Light reflects off shiny materials and rope-type feature lighting, paying homage to Devon House’s location in St. Katharine Docks. This setup subtly references water reflections and the ropes used for mooring ships. The bespoke staircase with bleacher seating and step lighting serves as a central visual accent. The team repurposed existing light fixtures and adjusted linear layouts to provide suitable lighting for teaching spaces with flexible setups and foldable glass partitions. They highlighted plantings with small lighting spots. Additionally, seating, breakout spaces, and meeting rooms received extra decorative lights to reflect the vibrant atmosphere of this collaborative hub.

Boston-based Northeastern University aimed to expand its global network, leading to the creation of the New College of the Humanities (NCH @ Northeastern). The brief required flexible learning and workspaces, a new entrance, and a central staircase connecting the ground floor to the first floor.

Light reflects off shiny materials and rope-type feature lighting, paying homage to Devon House’s location in St. Katharine Docks. This setup subtly references water reflections and the ropes used for mooring ships. The bespoke staircase with bleacher seating and step lighting serves as a central visual accent. The team repurposed existing light fixtures and adjusted linear layouts to provide suitable lighting for teaching spaces with flexible setups and foldable glass partitions. They highlighted plantings with small lighting spots. Additionally, seating, breakout spaces, and meeting rooms received extra decorative lights to reflect the vibrant atmosphere of this collaborative hub.

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PERGAMONMUSEUM

Aug 9, 2023

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PERGAMONMUSEUM

Berlin, Germany
Museum Lighting Design: Daylight & Artificial lighting

Architect: Prof. Dr.-Ing. O.M. Ungers
WPM (Kleihues + Kleihues, Prof. Noebel, BAL)
Renderings: SPK / ART+COM
Ongoing

The renovation and extension of the “Pergamonmuseum” (PMU) is the final step in the completion of the Museum Island Berlin as a globally unique ensemble.
As a daylight museum, the PMU has an exceptional position in this context. The renovation occurs cautiously under full retention of the concept of Wiegand; according to strict historic preservation requirements and to high conservation demands in certain areas.
In these areas in particular, the lighting design takes into account the museum’s requirement to flexibly illuminate permanent and temporary exhibitions with adaptable spotlights. The large-scale use of LEDs is being intensively examined in the lighting design for the museum.

The renovation and extension of the “Pergamonmuseum” (PMU) is the final step in the completion of the Museum Island Berlin as a globally unique ensemble.
As a daylight museum, the PMU has an exceptional position in this context. The renovation occurs cautiously under full retention of the concept of Wiegand; according to strict historic preservation requirements and to high conservation demands in certain areas.
Especially in these sections, the flexible illumination of both permanent and temporary exhibitions by adaptable spotlights is of particular importance. The large-scale application of LEDs is currently being carefully examined.

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