Capricorn Bridge

Public spaces

Düsseldorf, Germany

Products

Dirigo_FL1

Application

Outdoor

Location

Düsseldorf, Germany

Design

Supergelb Architekten

Lighting Design

Jack Be Nimble

Photo

HGEsch Photography

Year

2020

Capricorn Bridge

A bridge of light lights up the city

A complex architectural form that breaks the mould within Düsseldorf's Medienhafen, a lively district characterised by great cultural ferment thanks to recent interventions by famous architects and the development of activities linked to the world of creativity and design. The work, Capricorn Bridge, is a polymorphic glass and tubular steel bridge designed by the architecture firm SuperGelb to connect the two buildings, Capricornhaus and Float Office, that make up the HQ of Uniper, an energy company founded in January 2016 following its spin-off from E.ON. Capricorn Bridge presents itself as a completely independent element from an architectural point of view, which is completely different from the two buildings in front of it that it connects, designed respectively by the architectural firm Gatermann+Schossig (Capricornhaus) and Renzo Piano Architects (Float Office). The result is an element of great scenic impact that gives the district an additional touch of modernity.

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Author's reflections

Creating homogeneous lighting that on the one hand avoids glare and on the other hand highlights the architectural work composed of glass and steel elements. This was the aim of the lighting design project realised by the Berlin-based lighting design studio Jack Be Nimble for the Capricorn Bridge. A challenge, considering the complex shape of the bridge, a good 37 metres long and placed at a height of 4 metres above the road surface, with a central pylon, where the different construction lines intersect and where all the weight is borne; with a load-bearing structure made up of steel tubes on which the trapezoidal and triangular glass elements rest, which enclose the entire construction; and finally with an internal metal walkway, on which to walk suspended, enveloped by the sensation of being at one with the external environment.

Dirigo from the I-LèD collection is the linear element protagonist of the project, chosen by the lighting design studio Jack Be Nimble in charge of the lighting project.

The system embodies a new concept of light and is the ideal solution for lighting pathways and walkways. Inside the bridge, where it was not possible to fix any fixture neither on the ceilings nor on the walls as the structure is made of steel and glass, Dirigo proved to be the best performing solution able to light the path homogeneously, without the risk of annoying glare and emphasising at the same time the complex architectural shape of the construction. Dirigo was fitted with a custom version, with special lengths and angles for the junction points, on both sides of the floor along the entire walkway. In this way, light is reflected from the floor directly into the entire space, and the resulting dramatic effect, visible especially at night, is surprisingly magical.