Impressive Proscenium Stage for Reykjavik's New Concert Hall
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Impressive proscenium stage for Reykjavik‘s new WE-EF LEUCHTEN GmbH & Co. KG concert hall Toepinger Strasse 19 D-29646 Bispingen WE-EF zoom and gobo projectors create theatrical-like lighting Germany conditions at the forecourt of the Harpa concert hall and confe- Tel. +49 5194 909-0 rence centre in Reykjavik. [email protected] www.we-ef.com The Harpa concert hall and conference centre was opened in May 2011. Covering approximately 28,000 square metres, the complex is home to a concert hall with 1,800 seats, two conference rooms, a hotel, re- staurants and various event rooms. With its sculptural building form and spectacular glass facade, the 43-metre high building situated in the old harbour of Iceland‘s capital is drawing considerable attention. Every night, the large Harpa forecourt is illuminated by an eye-catching light that sets the mood for visitors while on their way to the building. Artist Ólafur Elíasson and the architects from Henning Larsen firm of Copenhagen designed honeycomb-like glass elements for the facade that present enormously powerful effects in terms of design. As a re- sult of the dichroic coating on the glass elements (yellow, orange and green) and their special configuration, the outer shell of the concert hall changes colour depending on the exposure to light or the angle of vision. While the glass elements discreetly display their actual colours, that changes when looking directly through the glass - the respective complementary colours appear in the reflection, lending a glistening and dazzling look to the Harpa‘s outer shell. During the night hours, the glass lets through specific wavelengths of the concert hall‘s interior lighting while reflecting other wavelengths, giving the building a very lively exterior look. Designing exterior lighting for such an expressive backdrop is not an easy task. The lighting planners at Verkis, a Reykjavik engineering firm, have added effective exterior lighting to this imposing building. Under the leadership of chief lighting designer Gudjon L. Sigurdsson (PLDA), they have combined the effects of stage-setting with functional lighting provided by WE-EF projectors, to create a festive light atmosphere and good visual conditions for the forecourt of the concert hall. The project called for 24 WE-EF FLC240 projectors equipped with 150 W HIT lamps mounted on 12-metre poles in groups of six and inclined by 7 degrees in the direction of the building. However, only two of the luminaires are fitted with source shields to ensure that the coloured-light play of the glass facade is not disturbed. The remaining 22 luminaires are fitted with lenses and gobos. 1 They create clearly defined light patterns on the paved forecourt - either WE-EF LEUCHTEN as sharp-edged bright light circles (FLC240 BL ZP zoom projector), or GmbH & Co. KG Toepinger Strasse 19 with motif projections that are reminiscent of the shadow play of bare D-29646 Bispingen treetops and branches (FLC240 BL GP gobo projector). While the islands Germany of light from the zoom projectors primarily accent quiet zones, the mo- Tel. +49 5194 909-0 tifs of the gobos create organic and visual contrasts in the forecourt. [email protected] www.we-ef.com The exterior lighting therefore establishes a link with the interior of the Harpa concert hall and conference centre in a subtle and yet distinctive manner - and manages to bring a small piece of theatre to the outside, thanks to its striking effects. Builder: Austurnhofn TR – East Harbour Project Ltd. Occupant: Harpa/Portus Group, Reykjavik/IS Architect: Henning Larsen Architects HLA, Copenhagen/DK and Batteriid Architects, Hafnarfjordur/IS Artistic planning of building front: Studio Olafur Eliasson, Berlin/D, Copenhagen and Henning Larsen Architects HLA, Copenhagen Planning of building front: ArtEngineering GmbH, Rambøll, Mannvit Engineers, Hnit Verkis Consulting Engineers, Reykjavik Glass supplier: Schollglas Sachsen GmbH, Nossen-OT Heynitz/D Outside light planning: Hnit Verkis Consulting Engineers, Reykjavik Outside luminaires: WE-EF LEUCHTEN, Bispingen/D February 2012 / Additional information: WE-EF LEUCHTEN Andrea Rayhrer GmbH & Co. KG Kommunikation Robert Diedrich Alexanderstraße 126 Toepinger Straße 19 D-70180 Stuttgart D-29646 Bispingen Tel. +49 711/62007838 Tel. +49 5194/909-146 Fax +49 711/62007839 Fax +49 5194/909299 Mobil +49 163/5001978 [email protected] [email protected] 2 Harpa, Reykjavik / Photos: Rafn Sigurbjörnsson, Vogar, Iceland WE-EF LEUCHTEN GmbH & Co. KG Toepinger Strasse 19 D-29646 Bispingen Germany Tel. +49 5194 909-0 [email protected] www.we-ef.com FLC240_EZ_P_REYKJAVIK_CONCERT_HALL_3061 FLC240_EZ_P_REYKJAVIK_CONCERT_HALL_3669 FLC240_EZ_P_REYKJAVIK_CONCERT_HALL_3888 FLC240_EZ_P_REYKJAVIK_CONCERT_HALL_3891 FLC240_EZ_P_REYKJAVIK_CONCERT_HALL_3091 FLC240_EZ_P_REYKJAVIK_CONCERT_HALL_3815 February 2012 / Weitere Informationen / Additional information: WE-EF LEUCHTEN Andrea Rayhrer Robert Diedrich Kommunikation Tel. +49 5194/909-146 Tel. +49 711/62007838 [email protected] [email protected] 3.