Zaha Hadid’s dynamic architecture for BMW is strikingly illuminated

ERCO Leuchten supplies precision lighting tools for the BMW Central Building in Leipzig

Lüdenscheid, 25^th of August 2005 - Zaha Hadid Architects competition entry for the BMW Plant in Leipzig, impressed the judges not only through its functional design but also because it constituted a new concept in industrial architecture. The Central Building uses the manufacturing process as its design theme by connecting the bodyshell unit, paint shop and assembly shop; abolishing the traditional segregation of blue-collar and white-collar workers. The different functional areas are layered, breaking with the tradition of strict spatial segregation.
Communication and transparency dominate with two large terraces of office space located close to conveyor systems carrying vehicles in varying stages of completion. Canteens and social rooms, staff assembly halls, quality control bays and entrance halls are all accommodated within the open, flowing spatial continuum.

London-based lighting design company Equation Lighting has been growing since 1984, working successfully with renowned companies and architects all round the world . For BMW, Equation Lighting designed an unpretentious and highly effective artificial lighting concept that contributes to the division of the spatial continuum by incorporating the use of coloured light. The ambient lighting makes use of illuminance levels of 200 to 300 lx with colour temperatures of 3,000 to 3,500 K. Special zones and elements of the building are enhanced by higher illuminance levels (300 to 400 lx), colder light colours (4,000 to 4,200K) and by the use of monochromatic blue - the corporate colour of BMW.

The facades and roof are both designed with a high degree of transparency while the conveyor belt system doubles as a carrier of artificial lighting. Blue fluorescent lamps have been discreetly integrated into the design on top while underneath they have flush-fitting ERCO Lightcast Downlights with metal halide lamps, providing glare-free illumination through their Darklight reflector technology. While the luminaires all have the same apertures the lamps used in the luminaires have been selected to suit the various room heights. The current generation of metal halide lamps combine brilliant light and colour stability with a low maintenance through the service life of approximately 9000 hours.
Spacious thoroughfares are an important concept in the building, as at peak times they have to accommodate a vast moving workforce. ERCO double-focus downlights in the concrete ceilings illuminate all the thoroughfares from very small light apertures providing exceptional visual comfort. The emitted light beams are intentionally visible on the raw concrete surfaces and create a rhythmical, scalloped pattern. The staircase access areas are revealed in sharp contrast to the surrounding zones through the concentrated light from the blue metal halide lamps. ERCO lens wallwashers are used to illuminate the wall surfaces with excellent uniformity. In the upper storey of the building, the core sections have been designed as a voluminous concrete entity detached from the constraints of the building shell. In this area cantilever-mounted ERCO Parscoop washlights illuminate the concrete shell with blue light from metal-halide lamps, creating a dramatic effect, even visible in the day time.

Zaha Hadid and Equation have created a dynamic building, which effectively transforms the corporate philosophy into a communicable experience. Here corporate light really is an integral part of the corporate architecture and ERCO luminaires have achieved the correct balance between precision lighting technology and artistic clarity.

Architects:
Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher, London

Lighting design:
Equation Lighting Design, London

Photographer:
Thomas Mayer, Neuss
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About ERCO
ERCO Leuchten GmbH, Lüdenscheid, is one of the leading companies in the luminaire industry. The family business founded in 1934 now operates with over 60 subsidiaries, branches and agencies all around the world. Working together with internationally renowned designers, lighting engineers and architects, ERCO develops hardware and software for all areas of architectural lighting: luminaires and lighting systems for indoor and outdoor areas, as well as lighting control and software for scenographic lighting applications. In keeping with the corporate philosophy of "Light not luminaires," lighting equipment is not offered simply as furnishing for rooms, but rather luminaries are offered as instruments of lighting design. Many demanding architectural projects are illuminated using ERCO equipment, including the Berlin Reichstag, the Louvre in Paris and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. In 2007 ERCO's ca. 1100 strong worldwide workforce produced sales of 163 million euros.


Press Contact:
ERCO Leuchten GmbH
Martin Krautter
Public Relations

Brockhauser Weg 80-82
58507 Lüdenscheid
Germany

Tel.: +49 2351 551 345
Fax: +49 2351 551 340

m.krautter@erco.com
http://www.erco.com

		Image 1 1993 x 3000 pixel 1078.38 kb The BMW Central Building links together the various parts of the works, which are housed in comparatively conventional factory units and is simultaneously the office building for the control and administration of the plant in Leipzig.
		Image 2 1993 x 3000 pixel 1115.56 kb Daylight dominates the interior, thanks to a copiously glazed roof. To avoid any shadows being cast by the transport bridges, their undersides are fitted with Lightcast Downlights for metal halide lamps.
		Image 3 1993 x 3000 pixel 979.42 kb -
		Image 4 1993 x 3000 pixel 1075.55 kb Conveyor systems routed openly through the room transport the vehicles in various stages of completion this way and that throughout the building, giving the workers continuous contact with the product.
		Image 5 1993 x 3000 pixel 1278.58 kb The raw, bare concrete surfaces of the building shell and main corpus are host to scenic lighting effects in the corporate colour blue. These surfaces become an eye-catching orientation point in the spatial continuum.
		Image 6 1993 x 3000 pixel 689.48 kb -
		Image 7 1993 x 3000 pixel 827.48 kb The thoroughfares are very generously proportioned since the entire workforce has to traverse them at the start and finish of the shifts. Light is also used here to add structure to the bare concrete surfaces: double-focus downlights illuminate these thoroughfares with precisely scalloped beams providing high visual comfort.
		Image 8 1993 x 3000 pixel 1010.23 kb -