Alter Wall

The architectural ensemble at Alter Wall 2-32 is composed of five buildings directly next to Hamburg's City Hall. The historically listed block was renovated to house shops, restaurants and high-end office space, including a large interior courtyard. Central importance has been given to the new Bucerius Passage, an arcade with bridge that now serves as a new and important passageway in Hamburg's city center.
We designed special lighting fixtures for this arcade: a pendant luminaire of a hyperboloid construction that is distinguished by interlaced metal bars from which light rings hang. Hidden in these rings are fixed light points that illuminate the floors and ceilings of the passageway and colonnade. The dimensions of the lighting fixtures vary widely depending on their position in order to match the given spatial dimensions.
These large-format light objects create a light motif visible from afar that harks back to the grand historical Alster arcades and gives this special place a festive atmosphere in the evenings.

Related projects

    • Volkswagen Headquarters Germany

      Project

      The multistorey administrative building completed in 1959 underwent thorough refurbishment to meet contemporary expectations of a corporate headquarters. The building received two new entrances with flying roofs that noticeably complement the older building.
      The office lighting design has linear lighting fixtures integrated into the ceiling. The arrangement of luminaires underscores the lightness and refinement of the building in its nocturnal effect. At our suggestion, the luminaires are placed in a channel custom designed by us to include all of the building automation: sprinklers, loudspeakers, ventilation outlets, etc. The space in which to position all of these elements was very constricted, making their placement in the channel a particular challenge that had to be closely coordinated with the architects and building technicians. As a result, the ceiling is now extremely clear in its structure and remains free of any other fixtures or installations.

      Building type
      Of­fice, Mon­u­ment, In­dus­try
      Location
      Europe, Germany, Wolfsburg
      Project time frame
      2013 — 2018
    • E-Werk

      Project

      The former electric power substation now listed for historical preservation has become a popular venue in Berlin Mitte since 2005. The closed character of the industrial structure was transformed into a light, modern office building opening out into the city. Kardorff Ingenieure designed the entire interior and
      exterior lighting.

      Building type
      Of­fice, Mon­u­ment
      Location
      Europe, Germany, Berlin
      Project time frame
      2005
    • German Health Ministry

      Project

      For the Federal Ministry of Health we designed wall lights made of massive glass blocks. Some of the glass blocks are backed with dichroic color filters and change the perceived color of light depending on the angle of vision. We used blue tones towards the window facade and orange and yellow filters towards the inner back wall.

      Building type
      Mon­u­ment, Cul­ture, Of­fice, Lu­mi­naire
      Location
      Europe, Germany, Berlin
      Project time frame
      2019 — 2023
    • Louis Vuitton Vienna

      Project

      Graben in Vienna is the city's most prominent street. At its head is the building in which Louis Vuitton opened its store in 2023. In close coordination with the Federal Monument Conservator of the Republic of Austria, we succeeded in obtaining approval for the first façade lighting on the Graben. This makes the building a set gem in the façade sequence and additionally strengthens it with its unique façade color within the Graben façades. We developed mounting elements as extruded aluminum profiles that fix the LED lights, the cable routing and the pigeon protection. LMVH entrusted us with the complete development of the façade lighting in all service phases, including project supervision.
      The last picture shows our visualization.

      Building type
      Of­fice, Ur­ban Space, Re­tail, Mon­u­ment
      Location
      Europe, Austria, Vienna
      Project time frame
      2023