Detail english 2015-11-12

628 2015 ¥ 6 ∂
Lights and Lighting
Bespoke system illuminates the whole ceiling
Key design elements
Hunter Douglas has designed and installed
a custom-made 2,500 sq.m ceiling for the
ground floor of The Netherlands’ largest
multi-functional building. Designed by architects
OMA, and named after the former flagship
of the Holland American Line, De Rotterdam
is based on the concept of a ‘vertical
city’, its three interconnected mixed-use
towers accommodating different functions,
including a hotel, offices, apartments, shops
and restaurants.
The specially designed ceiling, which had to
meet tough acoustic requirements, comprises
two layers: a panel ceiling with a high
Light Reflectance Value and an open-cell
grid ceiling beneath. In between are luminaires
with fluorescent tubes, which allow
light to bounce off the reflective surface and
spread into the interior of the building.
The ceiling stretches from the outside to the
inside of the building, with only a glass facade
to separate the two. Whilst they look
identical, the exterior section of the ceiling
had to withstand wind velocities of up to
150 km/hr due to the building’s location on
the banks of the River Meuse, as well as
providing corrosion resistance. The company
developed a special storm-proof construction
to support the whole system and,
rather than using steel grids for the exterior,
applied aluminium grids with a corrosionresistant
coating.
Project architect Kees van Casteren said:
“The whole building is defined by the uniform
appearance of the facades. The same
uniformity was desired for the ground floor
ceiling: we wanted it to look the same outdoors
as it did indoors. It was not a system
readily available on the market. Hunter
Douglas took up the challenge to create a
ceiling that matched our ideas.”
To ensure compliance with high interior
acoustic requirements, Hunter Douglas
specified perforated panels with an acoustic
fabric that absorbs sound and minimises
reverberation. As a result, the ceiling’s aW
value is 0.85. The ceilings, grids and other
components have existed separately for
some time; however, by combining the
unique properties of each one, a new ceiling
system has been created that reflects both
the interior and exterior requirements of the
building’s future occupants and users.
¥ Hunter Douglas
United Kingdom
+44 (0)1604 766251
www.hunterdouglas.co.uk
Folio, from Italian lighting brand Plexiform, is
a lightweight rectangular or square LED fitting
with 16 points of light, in a slim, minimal
design. Made of 2.5 mm steel sheet with an
epoxy powder coating in matt black, white
or grey or in a chrome finish, it is available in
ceiling and suspension versions, with DALI
or dimmable electronic ballast and special
colours on request.
Dinamica, seen below, is characterised by
a rectangular, light-emitting structure, created
not only to illuminate but also to emphasise
the architecture of a space. This
LED device comes in ceiling, recessed and
suspended versions. With the recessed version,
the frameless light becomes an architectural
element in its own right.
The suspended version is designed to give
maximum visual comfort due to the anti-reflective
lens. Suspension can be single or
double (bodies joined horizontally or vertically,
in double- or mono-emission versions)
and a continuous row can be configured
with linear or angular joints.
¥ Plexiform srl
Italy
+39 (0)2 663 00 740
www.plexiform.it