MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Lighting design for the Natural History Museum Berlin – "Living the Future - Demographic Opportunity"

For the large traveling exhibition at the Natural History Museum in Berlin, a lighting design was developed that is consistently derived from the architecture of the exhibition modules. The exhibition design was created by the internationally renowned Stuttgart-based studio Atelier Brückner.

The goal was to achieve a consistent, calm light quality in changing locations, independent of the exhibition space, while maintaining maximum design restraint. The modular exhibition boxes were designed so that their basic lighting is entirely embodied within the architecture of the modules. The lamps are invisibly integrated behind translucent surfaces and produce a homogenous, shadow-free, neutral white basic light that remains permanently usable – even without additional external lighting.

The lighting system is thus not only a design feature, but also functionally independent. For targeted accentuation, warm, soft spotlights were also illuminated from the ceiling into the modules. These lend the exhibition emotional depth and a subtle emphasis on details – without visual disruption or technical over-staging.

Light appears not as technology, but as atmosphere. The developed system is modular, energy-efficient, and low-maintenance. The integrated lighting makes the modules immediately ready for use in any location – without additional lighting planning or modifications.

The illuminated cubes form a visual guide structure that provides intuitive orientation for visitors. Photographs, text graphics, audiovisual media, and interactive exhibits are embedded in the lighting architecture – equally visible, understandable, and balanced.

This lighting design stands for clarity, calm and architectural discipline – and shows how light can become an exhibition.

Description of services: lighting planning, conception, installation

Exhibition design: Atelier Brückner

Client: Atelier Brückner

Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Exhibition area: 300 m²

Photos: Michael Jungblut