Client: Hasso Plattner Foundation, Potsdam
Architect: heinlewischer Partnerschaft freier Architekten mbB, Berlin
Lighting Design: Ulrike Brandi Licht
Completion: 2022

The once light-filled café of an outdoor swimming pool, with its floor-to-ceiling glass walls, now serves as a museum for video art, which requires darkness in the exhibition spaces. For the façade, we designed “shadow boxes” that fulfill three functions: they protect against glare (while also serving as a projection surface), block out light, and replace the curtain. Together with the architects, we designed various versions, tested them through calculations and elaborate mock-ups, and ultimately implemented the best solution. Our “Shadow Boxes” fulfill technical requirements such as light protection, ease of use, and sustainability, while also addressing aesthetic considerations such as transparency from the inside and outside, historic preservation, and visual comfort within the museum.

“Shadow Boxes”

Multiple layers of glare protection regulate the amount of light entering the space according to the sun’s position and the orientation of the facade. To prevent moiré effects, the fabric is woven sufficiently tightly and features an irregular texture created by threads and stripes of varying thicknesses.