Prize(s) Winners in Heritage Lighting Design / Religious & Spiritual Site Lighting Design
Lighting Design/Product Company Ingenieure Bamberger GmbH & Co. KG
Lead Designers Dipl.-Ing. Walter Bamberger
Other Designer's names Monika Kadlubek, Andreas Fürsich
Client Freistaat Bayern
Photo Credits Christian Klenk
Other Credits Stephan Liebl
Completion Date 20.10.2024
Project Location Domplatz 10, 85072 Eichtätt
Entry DescriptionWith its natural lighting and Gothic interior, Eichstätt Cathedral impressively conveys how this style of architecture can best be understood as “constructed light.”
Light is a building concept!
The cathedral’s Gothic architecture plays a fundamental role in the lighting concept we developed for it. Natural incident light can be viewed as a gauge for the use of artificial light. We can use it to extrapolate the intentions of the original architect, and it also serves as a guiding principle to which today’s lighting design is geared.
Our solution was to develop pendant luminaires, which were installed in the bays between the nave and aisles. Illumination is provided by lamps mounted on the pendant light fixtures. The pendant fixtures are the sole source of functional and architectural lighting in the space.
The VISUAL AXES OF THE NAVE REMAIN UNOBSTRUCTED - ALLOWING AN UNINTERRUPTED VIEW OF THE VAULTING.
The historical space can be experienced in its full dimension and radiance with minimal disturbance. The lighting remains respectfully unobtrusive in relation to the historical architecture.
This in-depth engagement with the history of the cathedral, as well as its presentday uses, has led to a lighting design that, in combination with the installed lighting control system, can be adapted for church services, devotions, or concerts through lighting scenes.
Sustainability ApproachThe luminaires are made from durable materials and are designed so that all components – both of the fixture and the light source – can be easily disassembled. This ensures a long service life and straightforward repairs. The entire luminaire is fully recyclable. Even defective LEDs can be replaced, making the product particularly sustainable.
With the DALI lighting control system, each luminaire can be individually addressed and programmed. Thanks to the pre-programmed lighting scenes for services, devotions, or concerts, the system is never operated at full capacity.
We also consider the integration into the building structure as an aspect of sustainability. No additional holes were drilled into the vaulted ceiling for the installation. The existing ventilation openings were used for the pendant luminaires and downlights. Result: No additional holes in the historic room shell.
