Image 1 (Stairway ascending with shell limestone walls): "Unter den Linden U-Bahn station stairway with timeless shell limestone wall cladding referencing historic Friedrichstrasse facades, WE-EF DOC240 LED recessed ceiling luminaires in grid pattern with custom round acrylic glass covers featuring sanitized underside for soft uniform light emission and clearly defined rim softly illuminating exposed concrete ceiling, designed by Ingrid Hentschel and Prof. Axel Oestreich at intersection of U5 and U6 lines in prestigious Berlin transport infrastructure

Underground Station "Unter den Linden", Berlin

A timeless design, effectively illuminated

The new Berlin U5 underground line is a prestigious project for the German capital, featuring: lighting technology from WE-EF in the stations. The 410 LED recessed ceiling luminaires, modified according to the designers' ideas, shape the look of the station "Unter den Linden".

Dramatic vertical view through Unter den Linden U-Bahn station showing spacious prestigious architecture with wide opening connecting three levels from U5 platform 14 meters below to U6 crossing near surface, shell limestone walls creating timelessly elegant character, comprehensive WE-EF lighting system including 410 DOC240 recessed ceiling luminaires with custom acrylic covers bolted and wire-cable-secured against vibration, DAC240 surface-mounted luminaires on maintenance lifts, yellow U6 train visible at upper level, designed by Ingrid Hentschel and Prof. Axel Oestreich emphasizing principle that users make station lively

The two Berlin boulevards Friedrichsstraße and Unter den Linden intersect above the new underground station, while the lines U6 und U5 cross through the station itself. In keeping with this central location, the architecture of the underground station has a spacious and prestigious design; the shell limestone wall cladding has a timelessly elegant look and references the historic façades of the local area where the same material dominates. From the 14-metre-deep platform of the U5, passengers look up through a wide opening along escalators over three levels. There, the existing U6 underground line crosses the new route directly below the surface.

Atmospheric recessed luminaires

Unter den Linden station escalator corridor showing three-level vertical circulation from 14-meter-deep U5 platform to surface where U6 line crosses above, WE-EF DAC240 LED surface-mounted luminaires with integrated electronic control gear mounted on lift systems for maintenance access above escalators, identical appearance and 3000K warm white lighting technology creating uniform calm restful atmosphere designed by High Light Berlin lighting planner Thomas Spreen

Unter den Linden U-Bahn platform level showing shell limestone wall cladding with digital information displays, 410 WE-EF LED recessed ceiling luminaires providing uniform soft 3000K warm white illumination meeting strict transport infrastructure standards, project-specific DOC240 luminaires with modified mounting elements optimized for installation cavities created years earlier during cut-and-cover construction, completed 2020 for BVG Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe completing prestigious U5 line extension

The plans of the architects, Ingrid Hentschel and Prof. Axel Oestreich, provided for round recessed ceiling luminaires arranged in a grid pattern at the platform exits and the levels above. Together with the lighting design office, High Light, they designed a round acrylic glass cover as a characteristic detail for these luminaires. It has a sanitised underside for particularly soft and uniform light emission. The rim is clearly defined, the light emitted there softly illuminates the ceiling around the luminaire. As the cut-and-cover method was used to construct the station, cavities as neutral installation housings for the luminaires were created in the exposed concrete ceilings of the building shell – several years before the technical finishing. WE-EF convinced the planners with a coherent technical concept for these luminaires. The project-specific solution is based on DOC240 LED recessed ceiling luminaires, which make optimal use of the available installation space with suitable basic dimensions and modified mounting elements. Wide-beam LED optics uniformly illuminate the acrylic covers, which in turn are firmly bolted to protect them from vibration and secured by an additional wire cable.

Tailor-made mounting solutions

The panel luminaires above the escalator posed special challenges. The planners had planned for lift systems to be used from the outset, because ladders or work platforms cannot be used for inspections or regular safety checks. There, too, WE-EF provided a tailor-made solution: DAC240 LED surface-mounted luminaires with integrated electronic control gear – also fitted with acrylic covers – were mounted on luminaire lifts in the installation housings. The identical appearance and lighting technology of both luminaire types gives the lighting a uniform look in a 3000 K warm white. The timeless character of the space and the materials is complemented by uniform, soft lighting that meets the strict standards for transport infrastructure and yet also seems restful and calm – because "it is the users that make a station lively", explained the station's architect, Prof. Oestreich.

Unter den Linden U-Bahn station entrance stairway featuring shell limestone wall cladding that echoes historic Friedrichstrasse building facades, WE-EF DOC240 LED recessed ceiling luminaires arranged in grid pattern providing soft glare-free illumination through custom-designed round acrylic covers with sanitized underside, project-specific solution by architects Ingrid Hentschel and Prof. Axel Oestreich creating restful calm atmosphere at central intersection of Berlin's U5 and U6 underground line

Credits

Principal: BVG Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, represented by the Projektrealisierungs-GmbH U5 Architects: Ingrid Hentschel – Prof. Axel Oestreich, Berlin Construction management: ignU5 - Ingenieurgemeinschaft Neubau U5 Structural engineering: SSF Ingenieure (shell); IB Krentel (finishing) Light planning: High Light Berlin, Thomas Spreen Completion: 2020 Photos: Frieder Blickle for WE-EF

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