Light and Breezy
Cologne Fair with a new Southern entrance

When at the start of June at least 60.000 mostly young people conquer the Cologne exhibition site for the Protestant church congress, many of them will run directly from the train up the stairs to the new Southern entrance. On the way they might experience a small miracle. Above them the mounted the 6.5 metres long and almost 1.80 metres wide ceiling lights, provide the proper lighting on their way. In the external area these lamps act as additional multi-functional light objects. Due to their open construction they let the daylight pass through. They also profit from the side panels acting as an extra deflecting surface. Thus, also diagonal sunlight is reflected off a surface of 15 square metres and the effectivity of the light is increased without using any electricity. Thereby a free view remains to the sky due to the non-reflecting EPS-tensioning technology. That’s a delight for the visitors to the Church congress as well as for the responsible light designer, Torsten Braun from Limburg. He mastered the challenge brilliantly and together with architects and a team of the firm Zumtobel he created an illuminating masterpiece. So the welcoming brilliance of the new entrance is perfectly backed up without limiting the functionality.

However, the whole strength of the concept and the possibilities of the materials used can only really be appreciated at dusk. Then the light from the built-in fluorescent lamps automatically illuminates the fabric tensioned from the sides so perfectly, that the roof aperture changes into an ideally fitted lamp. That is especially due to a seamless tensioned lighted surface which doesn’t even have to be loosened in case of service. If required the illuminants are changed without a problem by loosening the lower profile. That saves time and achieves safety in everyday business. The congress participants also benefit when they leave an evening event at the exhibition site and enjoy the view of the Cathedral and the Rhine without interruption.

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