LUCE estratti LUCE 322_Peterson_Licht Kust Licht | Page 7

1 | Museum of the Bavarian Kings,
Hohenschwangau, 2011
2 | LWL - Museum für Kunst
und Kultur, Münster, 2014
3 | Städelsches Kunstinstitut
und Städtische Galerie,
Frankfurt am Main, 2012
4 | State Parliament of Baden-
Württemberg, Stuttgart, 2016
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to “delete” the envelope was a concern in this
project. Whether you succeed at such a task
largely depends on the interplay of surface
colours, reflection index, dimming levels and
the exclusion of daylight. In the end, the one
criterion difficult to predict was the adaptation
of the human eye in a specific spatial setting.
We are grateful when the dialogues and
discussions with the architects result in synergetic
effects for the design outcome. The main
contribution of the illumination to the space
is that it really reveals the used materials,
colours, and – above all – the exhibits. And this
is something we are very happy with. Light is
only perceived through the revealed surfaces
while the fittings remain visually withdrawn.
The studio designs, produces and realizes
many custom sources. Are they more responsive
to your needs than production ones?
In accordance to our philosophy, we use lighting
design and its means to materialize the spatial
qualities of architecture. We believe that lighting
design is not chiefly lighting fixture design.
Hence, we try to realize our projects with the
fewest possible elements and to keep lighting
fixtures out of sight wherever possible. However,
if a space or site requires a specific response in
terms of lighting we do develop custom fixtures.
The main question is always what the
architecture needs. Some of the projects we have
worked on over the years required luminaires
that form design elements on their own.
Some projects, like the LWL Museum or the
Städelsches Kunstintitut, directly interact with the
city. Who is behind this idea: architects or L. K. L?
These two ambitious museum projects establish
an interaction of people with the cultural space.
Interlinked with Munster’s city centre through
an ‘architecture of courtyards’, the LWL Museum
offers optimal conditions for serving as a public
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LUCE 322 / LIGHTING DESIGNERS
cultural venue imbedded in an urban context.
New visions of an interconnection between
the museum and its neighbourhood arise from
within by six-meter-high windows. Regardless
of the perspective – whether from the interior
or exterior – openness and clarity undeniably
prevail in this building. The lighting concept was
to underline these qualities. For the Städel
Museum it is a different story. Given the lack
of available space for the new construction,
Schneider Schumacher architects built an
underground space and provided the city with
an appealing park space. The architects designed
a spacious, column-free underground gallery
with skylights between 1.5 and 2.7 meters
in diameter integrated into its roof structure.
While these overhead apertures provide
natural light for the exhibition during the day,
at night they turn into luminous islands
in the park lawn above. Today, Frankfurt’s
inhabitants and visitors alike use the park
with its extraordinary landscape design.
Andreas Schulz said “We are fully committed
with architecture and architect’s design
intentions. […] Nor do we in any way want
to impose our signature.” It is a hard target
to reach out, how do you manage to do it?
This goal is not that hard to reach. Most of our
projects required a strategic planning and very
precise specifications of the lighting components.
Since we drive our projects from the very
beginning of developing an idea all the way
through completion, we can influence the
project, even in those stages where good ideas
are torpedoed by necessities of costs and ease.
Museums are a good example, as we as lighting
designers can influence the lighting atmosphere
and related spatial quality. Above all, we try to
win the trust of our clients at a very early stage
of the project. Side by side with our project
partners we are a really strong team.
In all German Government buildings,
transparency is very important and your
lighting design underlines it. What is your
approach in these projects?
Look at our project “State Parliament Building
in Stuttgart” as an example. With such
a consistently transparent building envelope,
the interior lighting defines the exterior
perception of the building. Hence, its spatial
composition is easy to read, even in the
evening hours: the bronze cladding and tinted
windows transform the two upper floors into
a powerful cube, which seems to float above
the ground floor glazing below. The illuminated
walls at both the ground floor staircases
and the perimeter wall of the assembly hall’s
upper floors emphasize the glowing effect
of the building.
Again, visitors are invited to experience the
governmental building through light and
transparency. Another example is the Federal
Chancellery in Berlin, which forms one part
of the so-called “Federal Ribbon” – a set
of governmental buildings organized into
a long strip connecting the west with the east
of the city across the Spree River bend.
The concept of Germany’s Federal Chancellery
originated with the vision of Berlin’s new
government quarter masterplan. Architects
Charlotte Frank and Axel Schultes envisioned
transforming the rarely visited Spreebogen
into a culturally iconic destination, pouring
its historic and spatial dimensions into
the mould of a new architectural allegory.
The ensemble of projects has been
transformational to both Berlin and Germany.
Their symbolism regarding location
and transparency has created a landmark
representing unity, openness, and festivity,
all of which are solemnly appreciated
and enthusiastically enjoyed by politicians,
local Berliners, and tourists alike. In planning