Postbyen, Copenhagen (DNK)

In the center of Copenhagen, Postbyen is a new city district that combines urban lifestyle, sustainability and architectural quality. Together with the architects and lighting designers of the project, the South Tyrolean luminaire manufacturer ewo realized a sophisticated lighting system in terms of craftsmanship and technology. The project-specific "Parklight" luminaire combines functional and atmospheric lighting requirements in an unusual design, setting new standards for lighting in public spaces.

In the heart of Copenhagen, the new Postbyen district was developed on the site of the former postal center "Postgrunden". Its planning began in 2015 with the vision of creating the most attractive central neighborhood in Denmark. Urban lifestyle, sustainability, architecture and urban quality were combined in the open and inviting district, which blends seamlessly into the existing urban structure around the central station. With a mix of residential, office, hotel and retail uses, Postbyen forms a diverse and sustainable urban living space in the heart of Copenhagen. An important planning aspect was to create atmospheric open spaces with plenty of greenery in the car-free district, the quality of which should also be maintained in the evening and at night. To ensure this, the Danish lighting design office "fortheloveoflight" developed a differentiated lighting concept for the district.

The South Tyrolean lighting manufacturer ewo worked closely with the architects and lighting designers to develop special luminaires that combine various functional and atmospheric lighting requirements in an unusual design. The technically and technologically sophisticated luminaires underline the unique character of the new district and symbolize ewo's claim to use light to increase people's well-being in outdoor spaces.

For the implementation of their lighting concept, the planners were looking for a partner who would be able to turn their vision for the project into real products. The decisive factors in choosing ewo were the company's extensive experience in optics development and its high level of design and manufacturing expertise in the implementation of customized luminaire developments. On the basis of several lighting samples on site, prototypes were used to approach the final design, which was then produced in small series for the project.

"Postbyen was a real dream project for us," enthuses CEO Hannes Wohlgemuth. "The 'Parklight' luminaire forms a perfect symbiosis of contemporary design and high functionality. We were able to bring all of the expertise that ewo stands for as a brand to the project: a project-specific solution that combines state-of-the-art lighting technician, sophisticated metalwork and intelligent control to create a contemporary and durable product. There is hardly a better example of our ewoIndividual approach."

The founder of the Danish lighting design office "fortheloveoflight" Nicolaj Birkelund describes his design as follows: "We dreamed of a 'Parklight' that combines three very different functions: General illumination, lantern light and additional sculptural light. This allows us to use different levels of light at different times." The concept represents a completely new approach to street lighting that ensures orientation and safety while creating an atmospheric and inviting light. "Imagine a luminaire as a light performance. This is the vision behind Parklight: the harmoniously designed luminaire transforms the space—and takes on the role of a performer in the dark hours. It becomes a sculptural element that embraces the night with its multi-layered light and control, modeling the surroundings and creating space for people. A luminaire that reflects the past with its materiality and the present with its vision."

In addition to the differentiated lighting functions, the design of the luminaire was also intended to give the district an independent identity in terms of design. To this end, a design was developed using durable materials with robust, characterful finishes such as hot-dip galvanized steel and hand-blown glass. The natural material imperfections give the luminaires an authentic character that matches the location. The solution, developed in workshops together with the lighting designers "fortheloveoflight" and Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter, is a completely project-specific lighting system consisting of a pole and pole-mounted luminaire. The cylindrical, grooved luminaire body consists of a metal basket hand-forged by ewo and stable, hand-blown glass from Denmark that meets all the necessary safety standards. Embedded in this are the lighting technician systems for the various lighting applications. A downlight unit provides general illumination for the traffic zones. An additional, circumferential LED strip emits a warm-toned light into the glass cylinder, creating the desired lantern effect. Above the downlight unit, two swivel-mounted projectors are integrated into the body to provide targeted accent lighting for treetops, for example. The necessary control gear and DALI control electronics are also housed in the hot-dip galvanized pole. With daylight-dependent dimming and the ability to call up various lighting scenes, they ensure integration into the district's Smart City system.

In close cooperation between the client, architects and lighting designers, ewo has realized an unusual lighting solution for a remarkable new district in Copenhagen. The aspirations of all those involved in the Postbyen project were fully in line with ewo's vision of "empowering wellbeing outdoors".

Special features of the "Parklight" luminaire

• Multi-part lighting technician: direct, efficient pathway lighting in combination with an LED strip for lantern lighting and swivel-mounted projectors
• ewo precision optics for pathway lighting: 32 LEDs (2700 K, CRI 80) with rotationally symmetrical AH02 lenses for homogeneous light distribution on the ground
• Lantern lighting: LED strips with 2500 K for warm-toned mood lighting
• Projectors for directional accent light: P80 projectors, each with 4 LEDs (2700 K, CRI 80) with rotationally symmetrical lenses with 10° (AG01), 26° (AG02) or 50° (AG03)
• Control: Special LED control gear with stepless dimming curve from 100° -0 °
• Mouth-blown lantern glass: Manufactured in Denmark with protective coating