IMPRESSIVE LANDMARK

In July 2011, the new National Museum of Liverpool, located in the city centre and on the shore of the Mersey River, opened its doors to the public. WE-EF luminaires are used as multi-purpose lighting tools to illuminate both the facade of this distinctive new building as well as the extensive grounds area.

Situated directly beside the Albert Dock and the Pier Head (both UNESCO world heritage sites) where ferries dock on the Mersey River, the new museum building features dynamic rolling lines and two distinct wings facing north and south. The museum encompasses a total area of 8,000 square metres. The exterior view of the building is characterised by two enormous panorama windows and cladding of Jura natural stone. Just as visitors to the museum can enjoy a view of Liverpool through the panorama windows, the museum also becomes a distinctive landmark on the city’s shoreline.

To ensure the building’s texture (which consists of finely shaded rhombuses) and its expressive form can be seen during the evening, WE-EF implemented an integrated architectural lighting concept. Located on poles, FLC250 and FLC240 projectors – with different light distributions and a variety of lenses and glare shields – are used to illuminate the 110-metre long and 60-metre wide building.

With regard to the building design, the architects from the Danish firm 3XN were not only aiming for an iconographic view, but also a close connection to the city of Liverpool in a historical and contemporary context. To meet this requirement, the museum’s grounds had to be symbolically and physically connected to the Albert Dock. WE-EF PFL240 street and area lighting luminaires were installed along the extension that joins the museum to the Albert Dock public promenade, and provide a well illuminated and safe atmosphere to this urban intersection of history and the present.

Architects: 3XN, Kopenhagen (DK) and AEW, Manchester (GB)
Lighting design: Buro happold Lighting (UK)
Landscape architect: Schønherr, Kopenhagen (DK)