On Jan. 20, the city of Munich held its biannual “Long Night of Architecture,” where the public is invited to visit architectural offices, tour new buildings, and attend talks and other events related to architecture and design.
In preparation for the event, as well as long-term marketing efforts, local firm Pfarré Lighting Design had been approached by Steidle Architekten to design a temporary lighting installation for its Highrise One office project. The 17-story structure—it’s a 12-story tower that sits on top of five lower levels—was close to completion when Pfarré’s team developed a concept to dramatically transform the tower portion into a sparkling volume that could be seen from all over the city.
Using the building shell as an exterior envelope to house the volume of light, the design employs 48 disco spheres, four per floor at each corner, with each sphere measuring 40 centimeters (15.74 inches) in diameter. The suspended spheres are front lit using a tripod-based theatrical lighting projector with a 19-degree beam spread. The result is a tower filled with effervescent light, as the sphere’s mirrors project a pattern of small circles that mimic the feel of luminous bubbles.
Still images only convey a glimpse of this inventive design. The project is best seen and understood by watching the video.
Jury Comments
Inventive way to use a space that is under construction and unoccupied. • Gorgeous. • Fun.
Details
Project: The Tower of Sparkle, Munich • Client: Reiss & Co. Real Estate, Munich • Architect: Steidle Architekten, Munich • Lighting Designer: Pfarré Lighting Design, Munich • Lighting Team Members: Gerd Pfarré, Dominik Buhl, Georg Veit • Photographer: Andreas Focke • Videographer/Filmmaker: Felix Hentschel • Project Size: 75,000 square feet • Project Cost: €42,000 ($48,563) • Watts per Square Foot: 2.08 • Code Compliance: Not Applicable • Manufacturers: Electronic Theater Controls (ETC)
