Incorporating lighting seamlessly into the architecture, capturing textures, shadows, and intentions, this project ultimately conveys Melilla’s 20th-century modernism from a unique perspective.
The Montero y Moreno architecture studio, starting from the project phase, teamed up with the DCI Lighting Design studio to integrate the new monument lighting into the building’s rehabilitation. This building is a key part of Melilla’s Artistic Historical Ensemble, designated as a Cultural heritage site. Metal Halide projectors, which were quite sizable and visible, previously marked the verticality of its pillars.
The new project gets rid of these projectors, integrating lighting directly into the architecture. All lighting will maintain a color temperature of 2700K, featuring two types of luminaires: linear with a 10º aperture (this fixture prevents light pollution on the facade and the upper hemisphere, equipped with glare protector crafted on-site to conceal light sources, ensuring that the focus is on the light caressing the building’s skin, not the light source). Additionally, for the main entrance lighting, asymmetrical light fixtures are employed to emphasize the desired object, controlling intrusive light on other elements and the upper hemisphere.
The end result is a fresh nocturnal image of this space which invites us to admire its Modernist architecture from a different angle than what daylight can offer, while eliminating the direct glare from the previous lighting project. This allows the city’s heritage to be appreciated both during the day and through the enchanting display of artificial light at night.
