ADAC

The design is planned for two floors of offices and the ADAC shop. The brief was to continue the organic design language from the interior and create lighting that was suitable for computer workstations and offered staff maximum comfort and yet was energy-efficient.

Good at cornering
The offices in the ADAC building were designed for one to five people and separated from the corridors by glazing, The corridors stand apart clearly with their curved design: areas accented with colours are intended as places for communication. White light makes the sunny yellow meeting points look bright and cheerful.

Easy navigation
General lighting in the corridors is provided by downlights with a neutral white colour temperature of 4000 K; their lenses resemble the Xenon headlights of cars. In order to link typical ADAC subjects, such as driving or map reading, with the architecture, the ceiling lights are connected by lines. This results in an overall impression that reminds one of street maps and traffic lights. The lines follow the architecture and lead along the corridors like waymarks.

Forward march for technology
There was limited room for scope in the ceiling design as a result of the overhead heating and cooling in the offices. Special pendant lights based on LEDs create a separate level, they provide functional light and comply with requirements with regard to heat dissipation and power consumption. The pendant lights project direct and indirect light, one or two are installed in each room. Prisms ensure that, with a length of up to 210 cm, light is spread evenly. Lights are turned on manually. They are switched off automatically using a movement detector. Staff can also choose the individual level of illuminance as they wish and are not restricted to the standard figure of 500 lux. In addition, a sensor regulates the light adjustment for natural light.

Lane changing in colour
Each pendant light is fitted with an RGB unit that is regulated by central controls and its own bus system so that the building exterior is illuminated after dark. Blue light shines indirectly onto the white surfaces of the ceiling, with the result that ADAC's offices and the leased floor appear in a uniform midnight blue. In addition, the shop, which by day is illuminated with a pendant track system on the dynamic coloured ceiling, is integrated in this installation.

Text by Andrea Mende (www.glowmymind.com)

Tobias Link

Project participants: Förster + Förster Architekten, Bad Kreuznach | Bals + Wirth Innenarchitekten, Wiesbaden | Münch und Münch GmbH & Co.KG, München