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Citizens' hall in the NRW Parliament |
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Press Releases |
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The renovation of the Citizens' hall ('Bürgerhalle') in the
North Rhine-Westphalian Parliament (Landtag)
New lighting concept ensures the friendly reception of 18 million citizens |
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New lighting concept ensures the friendly reception of 18 million citizens
These days the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia can look back on
its sixty year past. Much younger, though, is the building of the Landtag, namely
from 1988. It is the first parliament building in the history of the Federal Republic
of Germany to be constructed completely new. With this building, it was the first time
that a German parliament designed its future domicile itself, thus realising its
parliamentary self-image as architecture. The "political" builders showed courage back then
by awarding the first prize to the design drawn up by the Düsseldorf-based architecture
firm Eller Moser Walter + Partner.What had been asked for was a building that was not
monumental - an open, inviting building for 18 million citizens. With a width of 105 m, a
length of 195 m and a height of 21 m, rather compact and relatively modest, the building's
most impressive features are its filigree mode of construction and extravagant form. Starting
with the circular seating arrangement in the central assembly room, the circle became the key
layout feature - right angles were consistently avoided. This design concept becomes obvious to
visitors at first glance, particularly if they enter the building via the foyer, the so-called
'Bürgerhalle', the comprehensive renovation of which was completed on time for the sixty year
anniversary celebrations in October. Due to the necessary update of the existing sprinkler system,
the main focus during renovation was on the design of the ceiling, including lighting.
The existing solution
The lighting solution in place since 1988 was determined by round ceiling-mounted downlights,
both optically and with regard to illumination. Fitted with one 150 W high pressure discharge
lamp each, they ensured the required basic illumination. Back then an average illuminance of 1,000 lux
was required to provide sufficient lighting for the coverage and interviews of the camera teams and
teams of journalists that were present almost daily. The intensity of light, which was required was
exclusively achieved through the number of luminaires used, - the invariably resulted in a chaotic looking
ceiling. This negative effect was enhanced through the use of ceiling-mounted luminaires with quite a high
housing. Another disadvantage was the fact that the individual ceiling panels that were separated and
structured by the arrangement of the prominent joists looked quite dark. This effect could only be offset
through an elaborate and maintenance-intensive neon lighting, as is still commonly used in illuminated
advertising today. Every single ceiling panel was therefore framed by a surrounding neon tube, to achieve
an effect that clear up the ceiling.
The task
The objective of the renovation was the generation of a lighting solution, which retained the original
character of the foyer, while reinterpreting it both technically and optically. The lintols, which are
all oriented toward the central point in the assembly room, were intended to continue to demonstrate the
architectural statics and structure the ceiling. The ceiling segments thus created were to become both
calmer and lighter at the same time. In addition, a more flexible lighting system was requested that easily
allowed for the new goal, namely the increasingly multi-functional use of the foyer. Of course economy also
played a major role in the new design.
The new solution
In order not to modify the character of the ceiling too much, the planning team once again decided in favour
of using round downlights; this time, however, for the recessed variant. To meet all other requirements as well,
a decision was made for the WILA day/night downlight from the E Connect series. This compact luminaire has the
distinct advantage that it combines two sources of light within the same casing, thus meeting the basic visual
requirements of man. It is, after all, a fact that man, who primarily perceives objects visually, wants to have
different lighting moods at different times of the day. This boosts man's wellbeing and all interrelated activities
noticeably. And it is precisely this fact that played a decisive role in this innovation by WILA.The lighting technology
used in the foyer of the Landtag building consists of one downlight with two HIT-CRI high pressure discharge lamps each
of 35 W and 70 W. The high-gloss mirror reflector is made of corrosion-resistant and durable ultra-pure aluminium (Al 99.98)
and is protected by an internal single-layer of safety glass. The unique cross-wise arrangement of the illuminants results
in optimum light distribution, even when changing over from one lamp to the other. During the day the more powerful lamp is
ideal, whereas the 35 W illuminant is better suited to the evening, creating a more comfortable atmosphere. This effect can
be augmented by selecting a warm lighting colour (e.g. WDL 3000 K). As the feeder lines of the sprinkler system were s
upposed to be concealed, for purely optical reasons, the ceiling panels in the 'Bürgerhalle' were suspended. This resulted
in an extremely economical option to recreate a ceiling lighting similar to the previous solution, simply by installing T5
luminaires above the ceiling panels. All luminaires can be dimmed, thus extending the new lighting system's scope of design,
which is harmoniously and discreetly incorporated into the existing architecture.
Smart light
With the new lighting system of the 'Bürgerhalle' in the North Rhine-Westphalian
Landtag, WILA once again proves its longstanding competence in respect of intelligent
and creative lighting. As a technology leader with strong innovative competence in
high-quality, aesthetic and economical compact luminaires, the Iserlohn-based company
will be celebrating its 150th anniversary next year.
| Building owner: |
Landtag NRW, Düsseldorf |
| Electrical Engineer: |
BLB NRW, NL Düsseldorf |
| Architect: |
Eller + Eller, Düsseldorf |
| Lighting Engineer: |
Enke. Die Lichtberater, Düsseldorf |
| Installation: |
HOCHTIEF FM, Düsseldorf |
| Downlights: |
WILA Lichttechnik GmbH, Iserlohn |
| Batten Fittings: |
XAL GmbH, München |
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Further product information and photos: |
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WILA Lichttechnik GmbH
Christian Hemesath
Vödeweg 9-11
D-58638 Iserlohn
Tel.: 02371 / 823-0
Fax: 02371 / 823-245
E-Mail: wila@wila.com
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