FEATURED PROJECT
Modest Highlights

Rudolfplatz has always been a strategically important location for traffic: The Hahnentorburg, one of the originally twelve gates turrets guarding the Medieval city walls, once served as the west entrance into Cologne. It was here that on returning from the coronation in Aachen the new Kaiser entered Cologne. Hardly surprising then that the new urban project on the corner of Habsburgerring and Aachener Strasse had to respond sensitively to its surroundings. Two new buildings have been erected here: the "Wallarkaden" by London’s Caruso St. John Architects and the "Haus am Rudolfplatz", designed by Max Dudler, both completed in 2022.

Dudler fulfilled the architectural brief by combining seeming opposites for the commercial building. First, he opted for an animated ground plan and frontage: he made use of washed brick for the columns and ashlar elements for the lintels, such that the building also reflects the materiality of the heritage-listed city gate. The symmetry of the windows created an uncluttered overall appearance. A total of 133 stainless shells with blind frames have been inserted into the window soffits of the eight-story building, and LED luminaires by ADO Lights highlight the façade’s texture. The flush-mounted glass covering prevents strong soiling and creates a sense of visual uniformity.

This customized illumination concept was developed by ADO Lights (a brand of TTC Timmler Technology GmbH manufacturers, based in North Rhine Westphalia) in close cooperation with the lighting planners at ag Licht to create tasteful highlights that serve to underscore the architectural language. The foremost priority for the project in an urban context was not only efficiency but to avoid any dazzle: In response to an explicit request, ADO Lights succeeded in reducing the HL-AL-05’s reflected beam angle from originally ten to only seven degrees by placing a printed passepartout on the laminated safety glass cover. As a result, the light does not disturb the eye either inside or outside the building and emphatically seeks to limit any light pollution. All the LED lamps installed can be dimmed which further boosts the great efficiency of the solution. The concept adds value from both an ecological and a business point of view and was awarded the GSBC certification in Gold. The specially designed lighting concept is rounded out by ADO Lights floor lamps in the outdoor areas and inside next to the elevator portals as well as pendant luminaires in the offices. The idea brings out the best of Max Dudler’s conceptual architecture and unobtrusively highlights the building in its urban setting.