The historical town hall in Winterthur, designed in 1869 by the well-known German architect Gottfried Semper, has a central hall mainly used for concerts since the middle of the 20th century. The new interior and lighting design should give the historical valuable space a strong valorisation. Especially the acoustical quality should be enhanced. While a high quality of design should be kept, the new elements should as well be easily recognizable as elements of our time. Daylight also plays a major role for rehearsals during daytime, when the sun floods the hall with soft light through the upper windows. Above the proscenium – in deliberate contrast to the classical architecture – three inclinable suspended ellipsoids, made of pearl like fiberglass, glow from the inside out, resembling shimmering clouds in the sky. Being able to dim and control different circuits, creates a huge range of lighting moods.
The RGB-LEDs with 140° wide beam are controlled by a DMX control system. Six different light scenes have been preset by the lighting designer. Later on, the number was enlarged. Each scene stands for a sequence of a concert, such as entrance, arrival of the musicians and so on. During the concert only a soft glowing should be perceivable. The luminaires also highly improve the acoustics by distributing the music to the audience. The hall’s skylights are illuminated in a deep blue that symbolize the evening sky. Linear LEDs at the bottom behind textile panels in each window’s interspace create the dark blue colour. The ceilings are softly lit up by fluorescent lamps hidden in the stucco of the upper cornice and under the balconies.
