The building’s northeast and southwest sides are defined by 24 horizontal ribs of granite, two per floor. By day these ribs serve to give definition to an otherwise virtually transparent building: with the onset of night, however, the architects’ clean lines were disrupted by the sporadic mosaic of light and shadow spilling from the offices inside. A creative lighting solution was required to restore the architects’ intended design. The architects turned to Martin Denmark to see what they could offer. Lighting consultant Peer Østergaard from Martin Danmark drew up a plan that called for 34 Exterior 600s. Østergaard’s design was to light the two sides of the building. By carefully highlighting the granite ribs the sleek geometry of the design could be regained. Working closely with the architects and Nykredit, a programme was devised that could allow the Exteriors to colour fade and accentuate the ribs with the company’s own corporate blue. Østergaard likes to draw parallels with the world of film. "The point of lighting a film set is to make it look as natural as possible. Film sets are always illuminated but you rarely see it as such. It’s only when the lights are missing that you notice the difference . . . By using light we only aim to bring out the inherent qualities of the building, not to mask it with artificial light."
One challenge was how to recess the 34 Exterior 600s. The presence of 34 Exterior 600s was deemed to be disruptive both aesthetically and physically, impeding access in a public thoroughfare. The solution was to bury the Exteriors in purpose-built wells that were designed to withstand the flooding that comes with the annual rise in the water table. The first challenge was that the metal grid covering the wells had to be both robust enough to bear the weight of a truck but fine enough to let the passage of light unimpeded. Secondly, the fixtures had to be easily accessible and removable for easy service. For this, a customized bracket was devised that allows the fixture to be quickly and easily detached. And there were safety considerations, even the bare-footed pedestrian had to be protected. Regulations stipulated that the temperature of the metal grid, just 10 cm away from the lens, could not exceed 60°C.
