Lighting solutions for the Rosenthal Center match the dynamism of Zaha Hadid’s architecture. Instead of traditional floodlighting, energy-efficient fluorescent strips concealed in the exterior parapets outline the building’s stacked volumes. The same lighting family is used in the office interiors, whose ceilings are visually prominent on the nighttime façade. Here, slick linear fluorescents form an accelerated pattern that reinforces the architecture’s sense of movement.
The Center’s rich array of galleries is arranged in a three-dimensional matrix of volumes unique in geometry and scale, with ceiling heights ranging from 7’-6” to 25’-0”. A key challenge was to light these varied spaces, while providing a high degree of adjustability for ever-changing art installations. Track-mounted spotlights are deployed throughout the galleries, recessed into ceiling channels in lower galleries and concealed above metal mesh panels in the tallest spaces. The linear language of tracks and recessed slots accentuate the architectural vocabulary and ceilings while providing spotlighting, wallwashing and general lighting flexibility throughout the building. Facilitating maintenance, the same family of user-friendly luminaries is also used throughout.
Client: The Contemporary Arts Center
Design Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Photos: Roland Halbe
Graphics: OVI
