Let there be no doubt about it - Germany is a football nation! After three years of planning and construction the new German Football Museum, DFB, was opened in October 2015. The museum is designed by HPP Architects. The football phenomenon and the fascination around it, is impressively staged in the 7000 square metre venue.
All aspects of football are presented to the audience in a sequential multimedia experience. The luminaires from Glamox is part of this multimedia world. The entrance of the building with its LED facade makes visitors curious about the exhibition inside. Pulsing light guides visitors into the lobby where it changes into a fascinating ball-shaped sculpture. On the outside specially adapted O81 LED spotlights create interesting light effects. Guido Kürten from HPP Architects refers to the accent lighting on the metallic white facade as “Glow”. It reflects the conscious use of light, especially in the evening and at night.
Multipurpose venue
When the visitors reach the basement of the museum, the journey takes them directly into the 700 m2, multipurpose venue with a cafe, a little football pitch and alternating special exhibitions. On one side of the arena the generous windows let in a large amount of daylight. On the opposite side a special version of our pendent LED luminaire Reed, illuminates the walk-in gallery as a light strip installation. Reed has a remarkably slim and elegant aluminium body with attractive details. It illuminates the museum with 40 percent indirect light and 60 percent direct light. A discrete bracket allows for continuous mounting in flexible angles. The line of light run parallel with the impressing black inner wall, creating a simple, well arranged design. The luminaire is easy to install and clean, with a dust protection cover in clear acrylic as a standard. The discrete distribution of luminaires contributes to the diversity of the multipurpose arena which is used for different types of events like press conferences, TV recordings, gala nights and other large celebrations.
Backstage lighting
The restrooms are located in a circular module with green walls. Here Glamox D70s illuminate every urinal properly so that it’s impossible to miss the target. The spotlights come with the latest LED light sources. Efficient heat management ensures long product life time.
To work in the home of German football history is a dream come true for many of the museum’s staff members. The luminaires also contributes to correct lighting backstage. In the ceiling of the meeting room, five Modul S luminaires supply suitable lighting. The exiting combination of different sizes raises the ceiling optically. The robust aluminium luminaire body makes a powerful statement in the room. Modul S provides excellent light output, and creates an impression of light coming straight through the ceiling.
From idea to design
After the FIFA World Cup 2016 in Germany, the German Football Association decided to use the profit from the championship to finance a national football museum. Among 14 cities who applied for hosting the museum, the DFB board chose to proceed with Köln, Oberhausen, Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund – an area in Nordrhein-Westfalen, the most densely populated county in Germany.
In the European architectural competition for the German Football Museum, the design by architects Hentrich Petschnigg & Partner was chosen together with two other participants. The City of Dortmund was commissioned by the DFB Foundation for the German Football Museum to host the 2-stage competition with 25 participants. As a place for the history of German football, the new building was to be built in the center of Dortmund, opposite the main railway station and celebrate the joy of football. The museum's cardinal idea is based on the motto "We are soccer", to be the central place for paying tribute to German football. At the same time, the museum is part of the “art and culture mile” in the northern entrée to the city center of Dortmund.