TridonicAtco's modern power LED's illuminate old literature

The Literaturmuseum der Moderne (Modern Literature Museum) houses valuable exhibits from the 20th and 21st centuries. these sensitive items may only be displayed and lit under strictly defined conditions. LED light from TridonicAtco is used in the display cabinets to ensure that the exhibits are properly presented with minimal reflections and maximum protection.

From the outside the Literaturmuseum der Moderne in Marbach is modest in the extreme. But inside there is an impressive exhibition space of around 1,000 m². Significant works from more than 1,200 authors and academics are presented in six different rooms. These works include manuscripts of Franz Kafka's "Der Proceß", Alfred Döblin's "Berlin Alexanderplatz", Martin Heidegger's "Sein und Zeit", handwritten poems, letters, school diplomas, historic sound recordings, clothing, death masks and private photo albums.

Light for styling
The architecture of the museum is ideal for displaying sensitive and mostly incredibly flat exhibits. The building was designed by the Berlin office of David Chipperfield Architects with Alexander Schwarz and is a playful combination of surface structures, materials, nature and artificial light. This is where high-quality lighting solutions from TridonicAtco come in. Lighting concepts for museums are notoriously complex and demanding: the restrained architectural lighting that gives rooms a three-dimensional aspect and makes then tangible has to be perfectly combined with the dramatic exhibition lighting.

The lighting concept by Mati AG, Adliswil/Switzerland, puts visitors in the right mood for viewing the exhibits right from the start. Daylight gives way to soft artificial light of reducing illuminance. An important reason for this is that the paper and ink of the fragile exhibits will tolerate a maximum of 50 lux otherwise they will bleach or discolour. The room must not exceed 55 % humidity or a constant 18°C.

High requirements
Because colours are difficult to see at low brightness levels the light sources must have excellent colour rendering. Other requirements include long life, low power consumption, functional control, user-friendly controls and the option of adjusting the light quickly and easily.

The diffused room lighting adds an air excitement to the interplay between the architecture and the exhibits. Three-phase power rails from Erco are concealed between the ceiling beams. The special quality of the light and the way it is expertly directly create a unique atmosphere in this permanent exhibition. The Castor floodlights fitted with 42 W compact fluorescent lamps in light colours 830 and 840 produce a soft background light. TM spotlights fitted with 50 W low-voltage halogen lamps highlight the sensitive objects. Optec spotlights with spot reflectors, 35 W metal halide lamps in light colour 830 and electronic control gear put the less sensitive exhibits in the right light.

Light integrated in the exhibition
In the "Nexus", "Stilus" and "Fluxus" exhibition rooms the lighting emphasises the different characteristics of the subject-matter and designs. In the "Nexus" room the German literature archive collection from shortly before 1900 to just after the year 2000 is presented in 30 specially designed glass cabinets. Choosing the right light sources here was a real challenge. It was important to avoid annoying reflections in the 2 metre high cabinets and to consciously use any unavoidable reflections to add to the overall effect. For conservation reasons, the lighting could not exceed 50 lux.

The solution: 4 mm high LED lighting integrated in the structure of the cabinets. Their uniform distribution of light over an angle of 140° meant that the exhibits were not in shadow. The cool light makes the cabinets appear as design elements in the warmer softer light of the room. The lighting designers Cri Bertozzi and Hanspeter Keller opted for LEDs because of the recent advances made in white light quality, colour rendering and definable colour temperatures. Other benefits included low power consumption and the absence of UV and IR radiation. What's more, compared to "classic" optical waveguide systems with generators, the P106 NW powerLED strip modules from TridonicAtco with their colour temperature of 4,200 K and optimum thermal management hardly place any additional load on the climate of the room.

Technical finesse
To ensure exactly the right lighting atmosphere each side of the cabinet can be dimmed separately. The LED K0070 K230 24 V converters and the 3-channel LED C001 PWM dimmers from TridonicAtco were installed outside the cabinets, hidden away from view. This control gear tailored to the powerLED P106 NW strip modules guarantees long life for the COB light emitting diodes - and let the valuable and sensitive exhibits appear in a truly better light.