The German Airline Lufthansa joins two operational Centers OCC (Operation Control Center) and HCC (Hub Control Center) at the Frankfurt Airport. In this new facility all global air traffic is controlled: Aircrafts, Crew, Passenger flows, meals, etc. The new and modern operation control centre is operated in shifts 24/7 with more than 200 working places in a space of approximate 2500 square meters. The general architectural concept establishes six different areas according to the operating hours and work assignments. These 6 areas are visually recognizable by a ceiling frame which was developed in collaboration with architects and lighting designers. Along the frames, a row of lighting fields surrounds the mentioned areas establishing an effective, interesting and intelligent illumination in the room.

The lighting fields consist in micro-prismatic plates that simulate a skylight effect which provide an impression of daylight in the room. The high technology of the ceiling fields have the possibility of changing the colour temperature during the day in accordance to the exterior daylight situation, in other words, the colour temperature changes from cold white (6000K) in the early morning to warm white (3000K) in the late afternoon. Because of this, the lighting design has the ability of adjust the lighting characteristics and have a positive effect on the well-being and working activity of the employees.

The ligh output and colour temperature of the luminaires are configurated so they automatically adjust the lighting levels inside the room, for example if the day is clear and sunny the lighting levels are set higher in the room and when is cloudy then the lighting levels are set low so the human eye adjusts to both lighting conditions interior and exterior. In the evening or during night shifts, the lighting level and colour temperature is adjusted so the alteration of the circadian rhythm is minimized. In the case of crisis attention or emergencies, the lighting situation is set to higher levels together with colour temperature to help the employees with the higher attention, memory and awareness.

To complement the illumination of the lighting fields, ceiling recessed downlights also with colour temperature control allow and supplement the general illumination of the office areas. The downlights enhance the lighting of the room and help archiving the uniformity and lighting levels on working surface as in accordance to the norms. The high technology of the downlights (UGR<19) minimize the glare in the room so that the human eye is not disturbed by blending or brilliance. In addition, all working places count with a backlight to reduce the contrast between bright computer screens and dark backgrounds. This project has been nominated for the German Lighting Design awards 2016 under the category of Office and Administration Buildings.

Client: DLH Deutsche Lufthansa AG
Project Manager: BMP Baumanagement GmbH
Lighting Designer: Licht01 Lighting Design
Architects: Pielok Marquardt Architekten
Electrical planner: TP Elektroplan
Photos: Thomas Koculak