Eleven years in the planning, five years in the making – a combination of brand new construction and renovation of the existing building dating from 1908 has transformed the » LWL-Museum of Art and Culture in Muenster into one of the biggest art museums in Germany. In many ways, the architecture can be seen to reflect the 1,000 years of art on display. Old and new are merged into a single architectural unit to showcase works from the Middle Ages to modern times, ensuring a unique visitor experience. "Art needs daylight," explains Museum Director Hermann Arnhold. This principle applies not only to the new construction, but also to the historic parts of the building, where a spacious atrium is surrounded on two levels by an arcade. It was therefore necessary to design a new lighting solution for these officially protected arcades as part of the refurbishment.

Looking at how the arcades are currently used helped identify the key requirements. Flexibility and adaptability are extremely important factors for both temporary exhibitions and the correct presentation of a wide range of sculptures and objects. The integration of the lighting solution into the existing structures also played a major role, with visual disturbance caused by additional elements to be kept to an absolute minimum in the historical rooms. In addition, as the architecture offers visitors fine views across the central courtyard, it was necessary to find a suitable holistic lighting solution for both levels of the arcade.

After several test installations and close cooperation with the local listed buildings authority, lighting designer » Licht Kunst Licht AG from Bonn opted for » SUPERSYSTEM from Zumtobel. Given the combination of minimalist form, versatility and excellent lighting quality for sensitive artworks, this understated lighting system offered the perfect solution. When suspended centrally in line with the top of the columns, SUPERSYSTEM is the unifying light element that runs through the historic arcades.

SUPERSYSTEM performs several functions. It provides uniform indirect illumination of the vaulted areas for diffuse general lighting, carefully avoiding the transverse arches and only highlighting the vaults. In addition, fixed LED mini-spots enable direct lighting when required. The beam angle can be adapted for specific exhibitions by changing the lenses in the adjustable SUPERSYSTEM heads. Thanks to the flexibility of the light system, spotlights used elsewhere in the museum can also be mounted on the track to accentuate particular exhibits. The DALI lighting controls system works in combination with a portable control panel, making it easy for staff to independently regulate the direct and indirect lighting and individually adjust every group of LED mini-spots.

Zumtobel. The light.

» The Jury is made up of a panel of art experts and enthusiasts who judged a varied selection of works. Most pieces have been specially created for the » Amsterdam Light Festival and have never previously been exhibited. The city will be awash with light sculptures, projections and installations by contemporary local and international artists. The boat route, “Water Colors”, will take visitors past artworks along the Amstel and the city’s famous network of canals. The walking route, “Illuminade”, winds through the city center. Light will play a central role throughoutthe city during the festival, as museums and institutions organize light-related activities and treat visitors to some of the latest innovations in the world of light art.

The theme for the festival, ‘A Bright City’, challenges artists to create a tribute to modern Amsterdam. The resulting artworks will present a unique take on contemporary urban life in the Dutch capital. The Austrian lighting solutions partner Zumtobel is acting as a key partner for the realization of central artworks at the Amsterdam Light Festival by providing advice and lighting solutions developed specifically for the event. As well as sponsoring the whole festival, Zumtobel is also helping to realize two major installations: INTREPID, The Paper Boat by Katja Galyuk/City+Light and Re(bi)cycle Dome by Vasili Popov.

“By partnering with the Amsterdam Light Festival, we are fostering our strong engagement with light and art,” says Stefan von Terzi, Marketing Director at Zumtobel. “We are looking forward to taking part in one of the largest light festivals in Europe, supporting artists and designers both with our lighting solutions and our experience.”

Zumtobel to open LightLab in Amsterdam
On 16. January 2015, Zumtobel will officially open a brand new creative design center in the city of Amsterdam. The opening will be accompanied by the first ever exhibition of their renowned Masterpieces Collection, containing unique light sculptures by Zahad Hadid, Olafur Eliasson and Daniel Libeskind. The Masterpieces Collection will be then on show to the public at the well-known Amsterdam Center for Architecture (ARCAM) until the middle of March 2015.

About Amsterdam Light Festival
Amsterdam Light Festival is the winter light festival for everyone, regardless of age. The historic city center of Amsterdam is the atmospheric backdrop of the light and water festival lasting more than 50 winter days. The festival shows light sculptures and projections of contemporary (international) artists in public space. Amsterdam Light Festival brings light during the darkest period of the year and illuminates the audience with colorful artworks.

» http://www.amsterdamlightfestival.com/

Photo Credits: © Janus van den Eijnden

Zumtobel. The Light.

The » global user study on lighting quality perceived in offices conducted by Zumtobel and » Fraunhofer IAO has shown that office users' preferences with regard to colour temperature differ very much. The range of colour temperatures perceived as ideal is usually between 3000 K and 6000 K, with a clearly marked majority preference for 4000 K and 5000 K scenarios. The study also shows that office users rate their situation at work significantly higher where it is possible for them to adjust the lighting to their needs. However, 57.4 per cent of those surveyed, i.e. more than half of them, have no influence – or only to a limited extent – on lighting control and therefore cannot optimise the lighting situation accordingly. A factor that has a major impact on people's sense of well-being and consequently their satisfaction at the workplace. As continuously colour temperature-adjustable LED luminaires cater for these individual user needs the most effectively, Zumtobel has added tunableWhite technology to its range of luminaires.

LIGHT FIELD evolution tunableWhite
Zumtobel meets users' various requirements by providing a lighting solution that combines innovative LED technology with sophisticated design quality. Thanks to tunableWhite technology, users can adjust the colour temperature of the » LIGHT FIELDS evolution LED luminaire range continuously between 3000 K and 6000 K. The LED luminaire range uses a consistent design language. From recessed and surface-mounted through to free-standing or pendant luminaires: each luminaire incorporates a specifically developed brilliant optic. For the user this means that LIGHT FIELDS evolution featuring tunableWhite technology not only adjusts colour temperature to meet individual requirements but also provides perfect lighting quality at the workstation.

MILDES LICHT V tunableWhite
The » MILDES LICHT V recessed luminaire provides offices with light that is similar to daylight. The versatile recessed LED luminaire ensures gentle, glare-free light distribution without any distracting hard shadows, allowing for balanced illumination of task areas, walls and the ceiling. This creates an open, bright room atmosphere. MELLOW LIGHT V tunableWhite provides additional flexibility and customisation: the luminaire can be integrated into a lighting management system such as LITECOM in next to no time, and can be continuously adjusted in the range between 3000 K and 6000 K.

ONDARIA tunableWhite
With its opal, uniform luminous panel and circular design, » ONDARIA creates a pleasant atmosphere and ensures excellent lighting quality in prestigious areas such as lobbies and foyers or in common areas. In order to adjust the lighting situation to the individual needs of users, all three design sizes (940 mm, 640 mm and 440 mm) are now available with built-in tunableWhite technology. This means that ONDARIA's colour temperature can be continuously adjusted in the range between 3000 K and 6000 K.

Zumtobel. The Light.

With » MIREL evolution, Zumtobel is steering louvre luminaires towards modern times. By giving the luminaire a distinct appearance, Zumtobel has mastered the challenge of integrating energy-efficient LED technology into a tried-and-tested stylistic idiom: the lenses and the light source of MIREL evolution are visible to the user and are thus becoming a key design feature of the otherwise minimalist luminaire. Thanks to the particular shape of the lens, a directional beam pattern and a brilliant appearance are achieved without any annoying glare. Light distribution is effected via the lenses at a rate of 95 per cent; only 5 per cent of the luminous flux are reflected by the “louvre”. This results in more precise direction of light and higher luminous efficiency, which is also indicated by a luminaire efficiency factor of 112 lm/W. The luminaire's luminous flux levels and module sizes, however, have not changed as compared to the classic recessed luminaire. Conventional luminaires can be replaced on a one-to-one basis, which is a convincing argument in favour of using MIREL evolution in refurbishment projects.

The stylistic idiom of MIREL evolution featuring an opal optic has been reduced even further, so that the luminaire now appears as a flat, level luminous panel. For the version fitted with an opal cover, a 3Dprotect® reflector is used, which not only ensures perfect direction of light but also protects the sensitive LED modules during installation. Due to the interplay of innovative LED technology and direction of light in MIREL evolution fitted with an opal cover, a luminaire efficiency factor of up to 123 lm/W is possible.

With its clear, unobtrusive and universally applicable design, the luminaire developed by STUDIO AMBROZUS is able to exploit its full potential in terms of lighting quality and energy efficiency. With a colour rendering index of Ra > 80, the louvre luminaire is particularly suitable for the various visual tasks to be performed in offices. MIREL evolution is available as a recessed, lay-in and surface-mounted luminaire in a square or linear version.

Zumtobel. The light.

In 2005, a new way of using the property from the seventies had to be found. It was generally agreed that not just another office complex would be built on this site, right in the heart of Zurich-West, a district that had meanwhile blossomed out into a cultural hotspot boasting the industrial charm of days gone by. Hence, based on a feasibility study, it was determined that the 24,435 m² Toni-Areal was to be transformed into the new central location of the » Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and the » Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) In the subsequently launched architectural competition, the project design submitted by the EM2N architects' studio came out first, and the building application filed in autumn 2007 laid the foundation for the ambitious renovation and new building project involving an investment volume of CHF 350 million.

Right on time for the start of the autumn term in September 2014, approx. 5000 students, lecturers and staff members could move to the new premises. In addition, not only 100 new flats including an accessible roof garden and a car park accommodating 240 cars, but also rooms for exhibitions, events and spaces for commercial use were created. A contemporary infrastructure was developed that not only allows interaction of various disciplines at one location, but also ensures the university's high educational and service quality as well as its international competitiveness.

The design of the campus building picks up the former industrial building's architecture, creating a heterogeneous space where different interests are reconciled, also in terms of lighting. The lighting concept toys with this heterogeneity. Its aim is not to produce uniform brightness, but to have the luminaires arranged so as to divide the space into zones and create a dialogue between light and dark. Also, the lighting solution is as capable of transformation as is the Toni-Areal site itself. On the one hand, ideal lighting conditions for learning and communication are produced; on the other hand, the creative ambience is enhanced and students are provided with the right light for their exhibition areas.

The key role in implementing this lighting solution is played by a modular luminaire system that meets the high demands in terms of flexibility and customisability: TECTON, which is able to fulfil complex functions and a variety of lighting tasks thanks to its versatility, compatibility and expandability within one system. The continuous-row lighting system is based on trunking incorporating an 11-pole current conducting section. All functions such as power supply, lighting control and connection to the emergency lighting system are integrated into this multi-functional trunking unit. In order to illuminate 1400 lecture rooms, seminar and training rooms, more than 33 kilometres of TECTON trunking were installed.

At peak times, more than 600 electricians were working on the construction site, installing more than 5500 TECTON continuous-row luminaires, among others. As required, a variety of optics and louvres were used, which can also easily be replaced or added if the requirements placed on the lighting solution should change.

Zumtobel. The Light.

In spring 2014, » Leica Camera AG moved to its new ultramodern manufacturing and administrative headquarters in Wetzlar, the town where the company was founded. Designed by Frankfurt-based architects » Gruber + Kleine-Kraneburg, the Leitz Park accommodates not only the Leica Camera AG complex, but also two other corporate buildings and a detached coffeehouse. Many areas of the new headquarters are publicly accessible, allowing visitors and customers insights into the history of Leica Camera AG and its products. Works by Leica photographers are presented here as well. In addition to the administrative headquarters, the complex also accommodates a museum, an art gallery, a Leica flagship store, a restaurant and manufacturing areas that are visible from outside. The individual building units are connected to each other on the ground floor, which is structurally emphasised by a surrounding glass façade that is curved in some places. At night, it keeps the building units together like a luminous ribbon reminiscent of a photographic film reel. With its clear stylistic idiom and unobtrusive design, the lighting solution implemented by Zumtobel in close coordination with the lighting designers from » hpi Himmen and » Lichtvision supports the self-confident yet discreet architectural structure of the Leitz Park, creating in every area an atmosphere in line with the user requirements of both visitors and staff.

The project involved the most varied specifications: first of all, the lighting solution was supposed to completely blend into the interior design, subtly enhancing the respective room's character. Besides, the requirements of various users had to be met. For instance, a perfect office environment was to be created for the staff working in the administrative complex. The areas open to the public required an inviting atmosphere to welcome visitors. In particular the art gallery made high demands on the luminaires' flexibility, since the exhibits on display in the temporary exhibitions shown here are constantly changing. An additional requirement specified by Leica was that it should be possible to control and dim all built-in luminaires via an EIB/KNX system integrated in the building management system.

For the headquarters' data centre, Zumtobel used CLARIS II pendant luminaires, which are characterised by reduced minimalism, linear design and a geometrical design language. Combined with innovative louvre technology, they provide for perfect lighting. In addition, the precise design of the groove of the indirect reflector ensures homogeneous illumination of the ceiling.

In secondary areas and corridors of the Leica building complex, » LINARIA surface-mounted luminaires facilitate spatial orientation. The clear lines of the batten luminaires provide gentle and uniform illumination, creating a room ambience that is perceived as very pleasant. Only three centimetres in height, the smallest of the DALI-compatible batten luminaires boasts an extremely complex design.

Two models of the » PANOS infinity LED luminaire range round off the lighting solution for the new Leica headquarters: they were installed as downlights in corridors and as wallwashers in customer areas and themed areas as well as in the coffeehouse. The mostly uniform colour temperature forms a visual bracket. While Zumtobel used downlights featuring a colour temperature of 3000 K for general lighting, the wallwashers required a colour temperature of 4000 K due to incident daylight. High functionality and flexibility was the decisive criterion for selecting the LED luminaires of the PANOS infinity range: “The Panos luminaires could not fail to impress us thanks to their quality, on the one hand: their high colour rendering, uniform light distribution and advanced LED technology allowed us to consistently meet the diverse requirements of the project. At the same time, the restrained stylistic idiom of the luminaire design enhances the building's architectural structures,” explains Isabel Sternkopf from Lichtvision. In addition, the wallwashers allow high-precision direction of light: the light is directed precisely where it is required by the exhibit or the application. The high energy efficiency of an LED solution, too, speaks for itself: by using LED luminaires, at least 40 percent of energy can be saved, as compared to a conventional luminaire system.

Zumtobel. The Light.

It is a truly Hollywood-style setting, and not just since the shooting of the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace”. Situated in the immediate vicinity of the lake, Casino Bregenz opens up above the stairs to the summer terrace facing the Festival Square in the heart of Bregenz. Guests and passers-by are fascinated by the redesigned façade, which surrounds both the existing glazed front and the annex with metal sheeting.

From inside, guests enjoy an unhampered view of the lake, while the attention of passers-by is drawn towards the flowing, slightly irregularly arranged metal elements. When night falls, the façade is transformed into a shining interplay of colours, thanks to the CAPIX evolution LED media façade luminaire. As the individual CAPIX elements are linked by only one data line and one supply line, the 6500 single CAPIX pixels cling to the curved façade of the extended casino like a second skin. In total, the casino was fitted with 1140 meters of CAPIX. Since each CAPIX pixel incorporates three RGB LEDs, the lighting effect produced by CAPIX evolution is bright and brilliant even when viewed from long distances. In addition to generating colours and other effects, the control system of CAPIX evolution also allows running a sequence of moving pictures.

If required, the sequence of façade illumination can also be changed on short notice. At the same time, the new LED façade lighting also complies with the strict requirements regarding nature and bird protection applicable in Bregenz and features excellent energy efficiency. Within the scope of refurbishment, the interior was redesigned and extended as well, so that now the lounge is illuminated by brilliantly sparkling » DIAMO LED downlights that create a stylish ambience.
Together with the Festival House and the Floating Stage, the redesigned Casino Bregenz now forms a harmonious overall ensemble. The façade blends perfectly into the scenery and adds additional splendour to the cultural mile that has developed over the past years, ranging from the KUB Kunsthaus to the Landestheater and vorarlberg museum through to the Festival Square. For Casinos Austria, the media façade opens up new ways of presentation. Thus, not only guests but also passers-by can experience Casino Bregenz as an exciting work of lighting art at night.

Zumtobel. The light.