Light Sculpture and Welcome Signage for Thermalbad Wiesenbad

Architectural city-marketing and orientation elements for the spa town

For the well-known Saxon spa town of Thermalbad Wiesenbad, we developed a cohesive and distinctive welcome and wayfinding system that combines orientation, recognizability, and a strong culture of hospitality within the public realm. The objective is a clear, high-quality address to all arriving visitors, as well as a positive and friendly farewell for those departing.

At all town entrances, welcome signs approximately three meters in height are planned. Designed in a contemporary, reduced formal language, they mark the transitions into and out of the town. Clear typography, high-quality materials, and an individual mode of address create trust, provide orientation, and leave a positive first impression.

The system is complemented by a four-meter-high artistic-architectural light sculpture serving as a central landmark within the roundabout. It translates the signet of the thermal baths into a contemporary three-dimensional form, uniting regional heritage, the power of the thermal springs, and the spa tradition into a clearly legible symbol. Its perforated metal structure and integrated lighting ensure a strong presence by day and a powerful long-range visibility at night. As a visual guiding element, the sculpture structures space, directs sightlines, and supports intuitive orientation at a key traffic node.

Together, the sculpture and the welcome signs form a coherent city-marketing and orientation system. They translate the identity of the spa town into a contemporary design language, strengthen its presence within the urban space, and shape the image of Thermalbad Wiesenbad — clear, welcoming, and memorably enduring.

Jesse Owens Information Sculpture

Place of Remembrance at Olympic Stadium Berlin

Ruairí O’Brien developed the concept for a place of remembrance in front of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, dedicated to the American track and field athlete James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens. At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Owens won four gold medals in the 100 metres, long jump, 200 metres and 4 × 100 metres relay, becoming the most successful athlete of the Games. His triumph powerfully disproved the racist ideology of National Socialism.

The memorial sculpture combines architecture, light, history and movement to create a spatial experience. A transparent structure in front of the stadium takes the 100-metre track as its narrative line. Reflective and optical elements direct sunlight during the day and, at night, create a precise drawing in light that makes Owens’ run, his speed and the moment of victory tangible.

The result is a place between remembrance, perception and physical experience. Visitors do not simply look at a sculpture; they move along a story. Light, reflection, scale and rhythm make speed and time visible — inviting visitors to see, think, read, learn, ask and enjoy.