Architecture shapes a room's atmosphere. Munich's Oberpollinger department store is no exception. The lighting designers (Licht Kunst Licht AG) had to first understand the effect of the room and the intention of the architects. Which materials and surfaces are used and, of course, which products are available for purchase. Fantastic product presentation, in combination with ideal lighting, delivers a sustainable shopping experience. The lighting concept should emphasise the room's atmosphere while ensuring visitors' comfort and shopping pleasure.
Uniting the competing requirements from very different areas in a holistic concept proved a significant challenge for the lighting design on the second floor. High-quality brands want to set their products apart from the competition, and customers expect an appealing and stimulating shopping experience. The lighting solutions must be state-of-the-art and appropriate for the given space.
Department stores often adjust their layouts, meaning that luminaires are re-ordered at short notice and short delivery times are required. The luminaire fixtures typically remain discreetly in the background. Therefore, standard luminaires with stock housing colours are generally used. Oberpollinger is different. 110 years ago, the press described the department store as a gleaming building through which the 'breath of the big, wide world' passes. It is, therefore, no surprise that the architects and clients wanted to include gold tones as a fundamental part of the material concept.
The XAL luminaires fit very well into the overall design concept. XAL was chosen, however, for its flexibility, the straightforward implementation of a custom solution with the round profiles, and the bespoke lacquer gold tone.
The selection of the right gold tone received considerable attention during the cooperation. Both the profiles themselves and the gold tone were partially adapted to the concept of the clothes rails. After a lot of trial-and-error, the bespoke lacquer tone for the custom-made round profiles and BO 55 spotlights met the requirements of the architects and clients. The high-quality result is a mixture of hard and soft gold tones with an elegant structure, which is still unavailable on the market. Internally, the colour is known as "Oberpollinger Gold".
The renovation was entirely carried out during ongoing operations. This meant that the schedule was extremely tight during the planning and construction phase. A lighting concept had to be developed and implemented very rapidly. Since it is an existing building, the feasibility had to be repeatedly validated and adapted where necessary. All processes were perfectly coordinated to ensure the appropriate high design quality for this exclusive retail experience.
The project execution, in particular, was extremely critical during the construction phase and had to be coordinated in advance with a luminaire manufacturer. The very tight delivery times and windows at the construction site while maintaining a consistently high product quality pose a tremendous logistical challenge. XAL was able to meet all these requirements. The sales staffs' straightforward help and the reliable support of the executing companies during the construction phase, meant the lighting designers' vision could finally be realised.
Isabel Sternkopf, Lighting Designerin at Licht Kunst Licht AG
Founded in 1991 by Andreas Schulz in Bonn and Berlin, their work includes office and administrative buildings, museums and cultural buildings, representative buildings, government projects, traffic structures, shopping centres, and private construction projects. Licht Kunst Licht has worked on over 800 projects at home and abroad. The projects' scope range from individual villas to construction projects with an investment volume of over three billion euros. Artificial light and daylight planning are equally important.
