Germany: SPIE lights up the Humboldt Forum

Berlin, 2 August 2021 – SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa, the German subsidiary of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has been commissioned by the Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (BBR), the German federal office for building and regional planning, to provide the electricity and lighting during construction of the new Humboldt Forum and to install lighting in all public areas. Works are expected to be completed this summer.

After the Berlin Palace was severely damaged in World War II and then blown up in 1950, work began in 2013 on the partial reconstruction of the Baroque facades and the construction of the Humboldt Forum, which opened on 20 July 2021. It offers a varied program of cultural and scientific interest with exhibitions, workshops, digital projects, artistic interventions and performances over an area of 40,000 square meters. SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa will be responsible for the installation, provision, maintenance, repair and removal of the entire power supply management and site lighting system throughout the construction period. The multi-technical service provider is also supplying and installing all lighting in the public areas of the Humboldt Forum, paying particular attention to colour preferences and the positioning of the lighting.

Secure and flexible site electricity

The power supply management system installed for the contract by the team led by project manager Rudolf Kollmer from the CityNetworks & Grids operational division of SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa comprises a transformer station and around 450 distribution boards, including main building distribution boards, group and site power distribution boards as well as around 100 kilometres of lines and cabling. There are 1,800 construction lights and 800 safety lights too, which are designed to operate even during a power failure. The ten-strong SPIE team also provides the emergency power system and a 365/24/7 emergency hotline so that they can perform rapid troubleshooting. Rudolf Kollmer explains the challenges: “We have reconfigured the power supply management system a number of times depending on the progress of each project and taking into account the requirements of the companies involved in the construction work. For events like the construction site open day, we quickly put in place the necessary safeguards to ensure the safety of visitors in the building and on the site.”

Working hand in hand to ensure the right lighting

The multi-technical service provider also acts flexibly and at short notice when taking delivery of and installing the around 8,000 lights – most of them equipped with energy-saving LED technology – from around 20 different manufacturers. “We have adapted the installations in line with the construction schedule,” says Rudolf Kollmer, who is responsible for a separate project team with up to 12 employees who are responsible for installing the lighting in the Humboldt Forum. Before placing an order, the client and lighting designer receive samples of all the lighting for public areas like the exhibition and event spaces, corridors, stairwells, entrance areas, sanitary rooms and facades. The SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa team then installs the lighting, usually at a height of around four meters or more. “We often have to install custom designs for safety lighting, luminous ceilings, strip lighting, recessed downlights and pendants. Positioning the lighting correctly and setting the light intensity in the exhibition areas in line with the user’s specifications can be very challenging. Here we work hand in hand with our client and the lighting designers. We pay particular attention to occupational safety during work preparation and execution,” says Matthias Richter, head of the Energy Plant Construction in the CityNetworks & Grids operational division at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa.

SPIE enjoys a long and trusting relationship with the BBR stretching back more than 20 years. “We are delighted that this new take on an old Berlin landmark will soon be shining in a whole new light,” says Matthias Richter.