A new square in the "Am Tacheles" urban quarter
Project
Aaron-Bernstein-Platz
Berlin, Germany
In Berlin Mitte, a new city quarter called "Am Tacheles" was created over a six-year construction period, and with it Aaron-Bernstein-Platz. Surrounded by a new building with modern office, retail and residential space, the square opens up to its neighbors, Berliners and visitors to the city.
On a walk through Mitte, it is now possible to cross the new square from Friedrichstrasse to Oranienburger Strasse. As an inviting pedestrian zone with almost 50 newly planted trees, the square will become a green lung in the center of Berlin. The square is named after the German-Jewish writer Aaron Bernstein. With his name, the district is paying tribute to the multifaceted Jewish past of the residential area, in the south of which, on Johannisstrasse, was the former reform synagogue of the Jewish community.
With the opening of Aaron-Bernstein-Platz, almost all public urban spaces in the new quarter are now accessible and can be experienced, including the building of the former Kunsthaus Tacheles, built in 1907/08. Formerly the largest arcade department store in the city, it was partially destroyed during the Second World War and later used by artists between 1990 and 2012 as an international cultural project with studios, a pub and a cinema. Following its renovation, which preserved the historic façade, the Stockholm Fotomuseum Fotografiska moved in when the new "Am Tacheles" district opened.
Aaron Bernstein Square is illuminated by around 30 Lif light columns in six different versions with a warm white color temperature of 2700 Kelvin. Lif is a modular system luminaire that enables numerous individual solutions and at the same time impresses with its minimalist design. The luminaires have twin-spot modules and top elements, and some also have an emergency lighting function. Integrated into the top elements of the light columns, the proven Selux Tritec Ambiance optic creates an airy and bright atmosphere as general lighting. With its higher proportion of vertical light and soft transitions, Tritec Ambiance is particularly suitable for inner-city spaces and lends its surroundings a timeless glow thanks to its brilliant effects.
object Aaron-Bernstein-Platz
client Hochtief AG
lighting designer Bartenbach lighting design
architect Klein landscape architecture
photographer Claus Boeckh
product Lif
Background
More flexible than any other luminaire, Lif adapts itself to the widest variety of urban lighting tasks. Depending on the configuration, it can be used to light up squares or pathways, as façade or accent lighting or even all these at once.