SPIE to light up the exhibition spaces in Berlin’s Pergamon Museum

Berlin, 05 May 2022 – 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 awarded a new contract by the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning. The teams will install the majority of the highly complex general and safety lighting systems in the public areas in the first building section of Berlin’s Pergamon Museum. These include the exhibition spaces, corridors, stairwells and entrance area in what is one of Germany’s biggest and most famous museums.

Good lighting makes all the difference

The Pergamon Museum on Berlin’s Museum Island is currently undergoing extensive, phased renovation. A team from the CityNetworks & Grids operational division of SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa is installing high-quality lighting not only in the museum’s exhibition spaces, but also in the corridors, stairwells and entrance area. The project involves the delivery and installation of busbars and lighting systems – including safety lighting – from a variety of manufacturers. 

The upgraded lighting system will help to cut the museum’s energy budget by around 20%. The multi-technical service provider is installing a total of around 2,800 energy-saving LEDs, including in the exhibition spaces of the main tour (Pergamon room, Mshatta room, Telephos room, Ancient Cultures room). The lights are integrated in almost 4,600 meters of continuous-row luminaires, which the team headed by Markus Rüdiger, project manager at SPIE Deutschland &  Zentraleuropa, will attach to suspended mounting rails above daylight-simulating ceilings. 

The team will also be installing around 2,300 meters of busbars to accommodate another ~200 ceiling-mounted and recessed LEDs and the connection to the cabling systems. “During installation, we’re paying very close attention to the intensity and optimal alignment of the light in accordance with the lighting designers’ specifications. In the exhibition spaces, it will be especially challenging to ensure that the exhibits are showcased in the right light,” says Markus Rüdiger.

Due to the monument conservation status and to ensure that the exhibits remaining inside the museum during renovation work are properly protected, the project comes with special demands – the fire protection requirements, for example, are extremely stringent.

A trusting partnership stretching back two decades

In this partnership stretching back more than 20 years, SPIE has implemented numerous projects in conjunction with the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning. “By installing the lighting systems in the public areas, we are delighted to have the opportunity to work on yet another project as part of the extensive renovation of the Pergamon Museum,” says Matthias Richter, head of the Energy Facility Implementation unit in the CityNetworks & Grids operational division of SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa. In the Pergamon Museum, the multi-technical service provider is already responsible for renovating and repairing a significant proportion of the technical installations and infrastructure from a single source – including the delivery and installation of the entire high-voltage facilities, the smoke extraction systems and the entire IT network.