Lighting management

Under the motto "We are football", the German Football Association (DFB) has created a museum that offers its visitors an innovative, multimedial and contextually sophisticated experience. A lighting solution from Zumtobel, the LUXMATE LITENET lighting management system, is a key player that will meet the scenographic and emotional expectations.

The 2016 European Championship currently has a firm grip on Europe and the German national team are well on the way to writing another chapter of football history. Since October 2015, the German Football Museum in Dortmund has been the home of unforgettable footballing moments in Germany. The exhibition is spread over 3,300 m² and impresses with a modern concept that offers visitors a high-quality experience with interactive and multimedial content. With an exciting sequence of rooms and variety of materialisation, the diverse dramaturgy naturally demands the right lighting concept that on the one hand highlights certain elements, e.g. to accentuate the national team's gleaming trophies, and on the other hand guides people specifically through the rooms. Moreover, light also plays an important emotional role, not just when informing different generations and inspiring reflection, but to surprise, touch and inspire them and, last but not least, to entertain them.

With this in mind, Zumtobel convinced the contractors, architects and planners with their competence in the area of lighting control and was awarded the contract for a large part of the museum's interior lighting. The key lighting solution is the flexible lighting management system LUXMATE LITENET, which enables the luminaires' luminous intensity and colour temperature to be independently defined and adjusted – the right lighting scenario can be configured for the respective area of application. Moreover, it provides integration with the emergency escape lighting using the emergency lighting system ONLITE, which is used throughout the entire building. General lighting is taken care of thanks to the TECTON continuous-row luminaire, PANOS downlights and Cardan E1 gimbal-mounted luminaire modules, conciliating efficient lighting with great light quality and ideal colour rendering. In staircases and passages, the aesthetic Sottile light line, a project luminaire based on the SLOTLIGHT infinity slim, emphasises subtle accents and ensures and an excellent atmosphere in the room in which visitors feel at ease.

Zumtobel. The Light.

Upgrading the company’s building

Conveyor and processing systems for the print media industry are manufactured, cabled and tested in Ferag AG’s machine shop. The lighting in the machine shop was timeworn until just a few months ago. Insufficient light, frequent lamp failures and awkward maintenance often disrupted work and incurred considerable costs.

The chief argument in favour of lighting refurbishment was the need for optimum lighting conditions. The procurement and maintenance costs as well as the energy consumption of the old luminaires were also no longer acceptable. The new solution was consistent with the company’s basic principles of using resources carefully and being committed to sustainability.

The various task areas in the machine shop and a desire to integrate daylight provided the starting point for lighting design work. There are CNC machines with displays in the front part of the shop, and mechanical plant components are assembled elsewhere. The TECTON continuous-row system uses various optics to cater for the needs of the various visual tasks. A DIMLITE lighting control unit compensates for changing amounts of daylight over the course of the day. Look Out sensors facing the glazed frontage measure incoming natural light. If daylight fails to provide the predefined brightness, luminaires are dimmed up to an appropriate level. This improves lighting comfort and minimises energy consumption: lighting refurbishment will pay for itself within about two years.

Zumtobel. The Light.

Technology is meant to help, not hinder

What do you get when the client comes from a scientific, technical background, the interior designer likes to be provocative and the hotel operator is an experienced old hand? A hotel like the Belvoir. The hotel echoes the shape of a nearby glacier and offers magnificent views across Lake Zurich.

That is the yardstick by which the lighting control system is also judged. The client and the future hotel operator both assumed different roles several times during the planning phase: the role of guest in order to test user-friendliness, or the role of operator with the primary concern being low maintenance costs, energy savings and simple maintenance.

ZBOX is is a self-contained system that controls one hotel room and responds flexibly to requested changes. CIRCLE multifunction switches make it clear to guests immediately how to operate the system. Guests can set ready-made lighting scenes at the press of a button. The horizontal shutters are controlled by a central daylight measuring head but can nevertheless be raised or lowered manually. Automatically closed blinds prevent the build-up of heat when a room is unoccupied. Inserting a key card automatically opens the blinds and activates the "welcome" lighting scene. A morning, midday and evening scene is programmed for the restaurant; their brightness is easily adjusted by touching the iPod-like CIRIA user interface. The lighting control systems, emergency lighting system and emergency luminaires have been provided by a single supplier. The fewer interfaces there are, the easier and quicker it is to put a system into service.

Zumtobel. The Light.

Appetising efficiency

The restaurant in Kassel was extensively renovated in order to give the slogan "Nordsee. The alternative" added impetus. In the course of interior refurbishment, the lighting too was completely modernised.

The entire restaurant was converted to LED, and colour temperature in the dining area are inspired by the model that is provided by nature. The lighting control system was commissioned by Zumtobel Service, who also familiarised staff with the innovative lighting concept and showed them how to operate it.

From a lighting viewpoint, morning starts by simply turning a central key-operated switch. The right light and high illuminance levels for restaurant prep work are immediately available. For diners, the day gets off to a start with warm colour temperatures reminiscent of the rising sun. At midday the restaurant is bathed in gleaming, cool light. In the evening, the EMOTION lighting control system paints a marine sunset scene: reddish hues invite diners to savour their evening meal at leisure. Recessed LED luminaires and LED light coves provide refreshing accent lighting regardless of the time of day. In kitchen areas, brightness levels rather than the light colour of the general lighting are changed to suit the best lighting situation for any particular task. The LUXMATE EMOTION lighting control system thus combines the benefits of LEDs, which include, among other advantages, low heat emission and therefore reduced expenditure on food refrigeration, with excellent hospitality. Operating convenience can also be taken for granted when using EMOTION. When the restaurant closes in the evening, turning the key-operated switch illuminates the restaurant in a red light which matches the firm’s corporate design.

Zumtobel. The Light.

The future starts now