NEWS Link


10.03.2025

GJU university partnership

We recently had a visit from the German Jordanian University (GJU), with whom we have a valuable partnership. We have been closely linked for ten years now as part of a business cooperation.

Students from the Jordanian university regularly complete an internship in our office. This continuous cultural exchange not only enriches the students with valuable practical experience, but also us as a company. Mutual inspiration and intercultural dialog are of great importance to us.

The GJU project office has published two nice articles about the visit to our office, in which both our office and the internship program are presented.

Karlsruhe post

Design of new Christmas lighting for Karlsruhe city centre

Christmas lighting concept for Karlsruhe city centre

The lighting concept for Karlsruhe combines the baroque city centre structure with modern lighting design. Colours, geometric shapes and interactive elements create a unique atmosphere that emphasises the fan layout and at the same time creates a dynamic, sustainable lighting experience.

Baroque fan layout as inspiration

The concept uses the characteristic axes and radial streets to create visual depth and emphasise the symmetry of the city.

Dynamic colour and temperature gradient

  • Warm and cool colour tones alternate along the main axes, creating a subtle composition of light.
  • A gentle transition between gold, red, blue and green reinforces the spatial orientation.

Street identity and ornamentation

  • Each street is given its own lighting characteristics to provide orientation and enhance the cityscape.
  • Light installations with fine ornamental structures pick up on historical elements.

Central vertical axis – Via Triumphalis

  • The castle axis forms the visual centre with elegant, golden lighting.
  • Light projections enhance the vertical effect and create a festive depth.
  • The historical main axis is emphasised by arcs of light, symmetrical projections and a harmonious colour scheme.
  • Warm gold and white tones convey a classic, festive atmosphere and emphasise the historical significance.

Horizontal axis: Kaiserstraße (thermodynamic gradient)

  • A dynamic colour gradient from red (Europa-Platz) to gold (Marktplatz) to blue/green (Berliner Platz) visually guides visitors through the city.
  • The colour temperatures create a flowing movement and highlight the central shopping street.

Radial streets (different identities) – radiating streets

  • Each radial street is given its own colour and light identity that reflects its surroundings.
  • Discreet points of light and interactive installations enliven the side streets and promote a pleasant atmosphere.

Conceptual integration with platonic bodies

  • The five Platonic solids serve as the design basis for the lighting installations:
    • Tetrahedron (Europa-Platz): Moving points of light in warm red tones.
    • Cube (market square): Modular arcs of light in golden nuances.
    • Octahedron (Lammstraße): Interactive columns of light in green.
    • Dodecahedron (Schlossplatz): Projections of star patterns.
    • Icosahedron (Berliner Platz): Light waves in blue and turquoise.

Freestanding constructions

  • Self-supporting lighting columns with geometric elements emphasise the cityscape.
  • Flexible modules enable seasonal adjustments and efficient utilisation.

Interactive and ground-level installations

  • Motion-dependent light sources create a playful experience for visitors.
  • Projections and floor lights enhance the immersive effect of the concept.

Elevated but independent installations

  • Light installations on roofs and façades provide additional spatial depth.
  • Discreet fixtures prevent interference with the existing architecture.

Digital and projection-based solutions

  • Projections on building surfaces and walkways create changeable light landscapes.
  • Digital control enables flexible customisation and energy-efficient operation.

Modular festive furniture

  • Integrated seating with lighting accents promotes quality of stay.
  • Multifunctional elements such as benches and pavilions offer comfort and aesthetics.

Material and safety aspects

Safety concepts ensure smooth operation in heavily frequented areas.

Robust, weather-resistant materials ensure long-term use.

Sustainable LED technology reduces energy consumption and light pollution.

Design guidelines for Lehnin Monastery

23.08.2024

Design guidelines for Lehnin Monastery

Kloster Lehnin is a municipality in Brandenburg, about an hour from Berlin city centre. The district of Lehnin owes its origins to the former Cistercian monastery, the oldest monastery in the Mark Brandenburg, which was founded in 1180 and secularised during the Reformation in 1542. Since 1911, it has been home to the Luise-Henrietten-Stift, a Protestant deaconess house.

Our task is to draw up a design guideline for the town planning office to guide the future development of the neighbouring buildings, houses and businesses in the small town of Lehnin in harmony with the listed monastery ensemble. The aim is to preserve the architectural heritage and at the same time enable the use of contemporary technologies, such as the integration of photovoltaics. A key issue is the sensitive positioning and installation of solar modules in the historic roofscape and the preservation of Lehnin’s special street character, including the protection and adaptation of the vegetation in the townscape with regard to climatic changes.

We carry out the necessary on-site surveys and inspections and liaise with specialist authorities. In addition, we support the municipality in the implementation of the process, assist with public and official participation, prepare draft texts for announcements and meeting documents and analyse the comments. The project period runs from April 2024 to December 2024.

Transformation 1.535° ERZ

Transformation 1.535° ERZ

Lighting design for the new Kunstguss Lauchhammer experience centre

We are pleased to announce that we have been selected to join the team of experts working on the ambitious “Transformation 1.535°” project in Lauchhammer, Brandenburg, Germany. This extensive project spans two sites: “ERZ” (ORE) with art casting museum, art foundry and Friedenskirche in Lauchhammer-Ost (13.8 ha) and “KOHLE” (COAL) with bio-towers, activated sludge basin and relic park in Lauchhammer-West (32.2 ha).

Our contribution to the planning and development team is the creation and implementation of the lighting concepts for the public space, the landscaping, the art casting museum, the new “Education and Experience Centre for Art Casting and Industrial Culture” and the famous listed bio-towers (see picture).

The “Transformation 1.535°” project is one of the most ambitious cultural and tourism initiatives in Germany, if not in Europe. Its aim is to transform the remnants of East Germany’s coal industry history into a vibrant centre for art, education and tourism.

An important part of this project is the expansion of the Lauchhammer Art Casting Museum into an “Education and Experience Centre for Art Casting and Industrial Culture”. This centre will honour the region’s rich industrial heritage while promoting modern educational and cultural experiences.

The Biotowers, a unique and impressive example of East German industrial culture, are at the centre of this transformation.

These structures, which once bore witness to the region’s industrial prowess, will be brought back to life through exhibitions, information programmes and innovative lighting concepts so that they can be preserved and appreciated for future generations.

We are delighted to be able to contribute to this epoch-making project and to contribute to its sustainable and holistic success with our expertise in the communicative and aesthetic power of architectural lighting design.stay tuned for more updates on this exciting journey!

Transformation 1.535° COAL

20.08.2024

Transformation 1.535° COAL

Lighting design for the new Kunstguss Lauchhammer experience centre

We are pleased to announce that we have been selected to join the team of experts working on the ambitious “Transformation 1.535°” project in Lauchhammer, Brandenburg, Germany. This extensive project spans two sites: “ERZ” (ORE) with art casting museum, art foundry and Friedenskirche in Lauchhammer-Ost (13.8 ha) and “KOHLE” (COAL) with bio-towers, activated sludge basin and relic park in Lauchhammer-West (32.2 ha).

Our contribution to the planning and development team is the creation and implementation of the lighting concepts for the public space, the landscaping, the art casting museum, the new “Education and Experience Centre for Art Casting and Industrial Culture” and the famous listed bio-towers (see picture).

The “Transformation 1.535°” project is one of the most ambitious cultural and tourism initiatives in Germany, if not in Europe. Its aim is to transform the remnants of East Germany’s coal industry history into a vibrant centre for art, education and tourism.

An important part of this project is the expansion of the Lauchhammer Art Casting Museum into an “Education and Experience Centre for Art Casting and Industrial Culture”. This centre will honour the region’s rich industrial heritage while promoting modern educational and cultural experiences.

The Biotowers, a unique and impressive example of East German industrial culture, are at the centre of this transformation.

These structures, which once bore witness to the region’s industrial prowess, will be brought back to life through exhibitions, information programmes and innovative lighting concepts so that they can be preserved and appreciated for future generations.

We are delighted to be able to contribute to this epoch-making project and to contribute to its sustainable and holistic success with our expertise in the communicative and aesthetic power of architectural lighting design.stay tuned for more updates on this exciting journey!

read more here

Tharandt

Tharandt

The House of Sustainability is an architectural study as the result of a multi-stage participatory planning process for the future use/development of a central area in the center of the forestry town of Tharandt. In the past, the German House (host cities, cultural hall, cinema) was located on this area. With the demolition of the former Deutsches Haus hotel and inn in 2014, a central inner-city fallow or empty area was created. The design presented here (tree house / house of sustainability) is the result of a feasibility study on the district development of the central inner-city location in the forestry town of Tharandt from 2014. The House of Sustainability design for Tharandt reflects the genius loci of the forestry town of Tharandt, brings together modern hi-tech and original nature and creates a symbiosis of city and natural landscape in dialogue with the traditional architecture of the surrounding area (church, castle, town hall). The glass facade creates transparency and draws attention into the interior. There is a large space there for trees and plants that need special protection in our climatic conditions or their own climate. In this way, the building also creates a link to the forest botanical garden, which can be expanded with the tree house/house of sustainability to include plants and plants from other latitudes on earth.

Re-Thinking Bismarck

Artistic-dicactic concept Re-Thinking Bismarck Reflections on Light and Shadow of History

The artistic-dicactic concept is an expression of an immersive culture of remembrance that stimulates a productive, critical discourse on various levels about the effect of the colonial-nationalist-ethnically charged Bismarck monument. The spatial light/shadow sculpture intertwines historical past with sensory present, marks relational interdependencies, and engages visitor:s in an immediate, low-threshold way through interaction with solar geometry.
Light and Shadow – Reflection, Change, Time. The object forms an overarching physical and artistic-philosophical roof for the mediation work taking place on site and the examination of Bismarck’s work, the historical context and the history of reception to date.
The urban planning dimensioning takes up the significance of the theme and the scale of the area as well as the location (monument object and park area) in order to create visibility and contextual connection. The object creates a long-distance and close-up effect and breaks with conventional expectations. The design language and surprising positioning trigger attention through irritation, thus questioning the massive presence and emotional impact of the monument.
The light/shadow object forms a roof and creates a microclimatic, sensually and cognitively stimulating space for diverse individual and communal, for analog, media and digital interventions, reflections and activities.
When viewed up close, the object forms an immersive time-space-light-human mesh that offers multi-layered levels of immersion and, through interaction with solar geometry, constantly tells of new things and allows new discoveries to be made.
A simple and large element whose roof, surface, pane blocks the incidence of sunlight and creates a walkable, playable space. This microclimatic space is darkened, colder than the surroundings; those who look up cannot see the sun. This break between outside and inside creates an immediate, low-threshold physical accessibility, sharpens instincts and senses, stimulates receptivity on a haptic and cognitive level. The interaction of shadow and light can be felt by everyone. It opens up spaces of sensation and understanding on a physical and metaphorical level, making the web of topography, history, absence, universality and sensory presence tangible.
A convex mirror in the light-blocking pane collects sunlight from the reflected environment and causes light rays or pools of light to travel across the floor or the dwell space for visitors:inside. Through these light movements caused by the mirror, certain historical moments can be made present.
The convex mirror creates connection/relationship between monument, object and visitor and makes the visitor part of the intervention – puts him in relation to monument, person, history, present, makes conscious these interdependencies and thus creates spaces for individual re-contextualizations.

The “distorted” image of the convex mirror of the Bismarck monument and its immediate surroundings opens up universal possibilities for reflection in the observation of persons and historical events.

AMD / Xilinx, Meeting rooms / Conference and communication areas

AMD / Xilinx Location Dresden

Meeting rooms / Conference and communication areas

Completion of the new premises of the Dresden branch of AMD according to the concept for light and colour by Ruairí O’Brien.
Location: Annenhöfe Dresden, Germany (2022)
Client: TLG REAL ESTATE AG
Architect: O M Architekten GmbH BDA
Services: Interior design / colour concept / lighting design
Client: Xilinx Dresden GmbH / Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)
Photos: Baldauf&Baldauf

Design Guide

Bauschulenstrasse design guide

Lively center Baumschulenstrasse-Köpenicker Landstrasse

The Integrated Urban Development Concept (ISEK) forms the basis for the development of the Baumschulenstrasse – Köpenicker Landstrasse area as part of the Living Centers and Quarters (LZQ) funding program. The aim is both to strengthen the district center around Baumschulenstrasse and to improve local supplies throughout the entire funding area. An attractive design of the public space and the existing buildings is a central component of an attractive commercial street, as is an appropriate external representation of the commercial businesses located in the ground floor zones. This design guide was developed to support local businesses and property owners in improving the appearance of their respective businesses and working towards a coordinated overall impression.

Dresden long-distance bus station

Dresden long-distance bus station

Mobility Hub: Terminal Long-distance Bus Station, Bicycle Parking Garage, Air Taxi

The Mobility Hub presented here has an innovative, modular and flexible overall concept that enables the tendered functions of bus station and bicycle parking garage and also provides an attractive space for different uses, such as offices, hotels, StartUp Centres, studios, shops, etc. The design is based on a simple construction principle.

The ingeniously simple construction principle allows for sectional and phased construction as well as flexible future development. Which offers the potential to adapt structurally to future changes without demolition.

The main structure of the building functions as a bridge over the bus station area to achieve an area as free of supports as possible, which can also be used differently in the future.

Two high-rise blocks will be built on the sides of the “bridge” (total height 50 m). These high-rise towers / Thinking Towers complement the semi-circle of high-rise buildings in the immediate vicinity on the northern side of the station, at the entrance to Prager Straße, and offer plenty of space for a wide variety of uses.

The concept succeeds in positioning a striking, versatile and forward-looking architecture at an enormously important location in terms of urban development, which is potentially capable of adapting structurally to changing requirements in the future and enables new uses when mobility, technology or market conditions change.