Keflavik Airport

A new dynamic lighting installation at Iceland's main international airport is the closest you'll get to seeing the Northern Lights without going outside.

Lighting design practice Nulty used colour-changing luminaires from Lumenpulse to bring the outside inside at Keflavik Airport, recreating the dancing colours of the Aurora Borealis on the terminal ceiling. Waves of coloured light sweep from one end of the terminal to the other, mimicking the rhythm and movement of the real aurora.

The Nulty team chose to use Lumenpulse fittings that could provide the vivid colours and precise control required for such an ambitious installation, as well as high-quality general lighting without glare. The fittings also had to be discreet enough to fit into the ceiling structure without being obtrusive. Most importantly, Lumenpulse was ready to provided the level of quality and service that met all the needs of the airport's owner, Isavia Icelandic Airports.

The soffit behind the terminal's spaceframe ceiling structure has been washed with light from Lumenpulse's Lumencove RGBW linear fittings, whose optics and spacing are finely tuned to make sure the ceiling is illuminated homogeneously, with no dark spots.

The nodes of the spaceframe structure are fitted with Lumenpulse's Lumendome luminaires, which create pinpoints of light, giving the appearance of a starry sky.

Lumencove fittings positioned above the concrete bulkhead create the impression of a "horizon" framing the installation. These fittings change in colour temperature from a warm 2200K to a more neutral 3000K through the day.

Reflecting the fact that the airport mimics a living, moving environment, the lighting controls have also been set to alter their movement and intensity to match sporting events being shown inside the terminal and to the weather outside. Deep saturated colours and intense movements occur when the airport is at its busiest, while subtler tones and more tranquil movements can be seen when it is quieter.

The new lighting comes as part of a major overhaul of the airport to accommodate an expected rise in passenger numbers from 6.25 million to 14 million by 2040. The expansion programme also includes new general lighting around the terminal, discreetly concealed in the structural framework.

Nulty's creative director, Dan Blaker, explains: "The lighting is deliberately dramatic but it is also functional, using shielded, high-level LED sources to provide general lighting to the public space beneath. Zones of light are created to help break up the space identified by purpose. For example, security always requires higher levels of illumination during hours of operation."

The result is a unique scheme that turns Keflavik Airport into a destination in itself, with an interior reflecting the ethereal beauty of the natural environment that is so unique to Iceland.

EQUIPMENT INSTALLED
17 x Lumenbeam Large Pendant, 3000K, Flood 60°
8 x Lumenbeam XLarge Pendant HO, 3000K, Narrow Flood 20° & Flood 60°
5 x Lumenbeam XLarge Pendant HO, 3000K, Narrow Flood 20° & Flood 60°
16 x Lumenbeam XLarge HO, 3000K, Narrow Flood 20°
10 X Lumenbeam XLarge HO, 3000K, Narrow Flood 20°
400 x Lumendome Medium, 4000K
4x Lumencove 2.0 HO, 3', Dynamic White
699 x Lumencove 2.0, 3', Color-Changing
1x Lumencove 2.0 HO, 4', Dynamic White
54 x Lumencove 2.0 HO, 8', Dynamic White
1 x Lumencove 2.0 HO, 8', Dynamic White
33 x Lumencove 2.0 HO, 8', Dynamic White
1 x DMX / RDM Controller