RTL Audio Center

This is where all the threads come together.

Europe’s most modern broadcast and production studios have come online with the opening of the RTL Audio Center Berlin located in the prestigious FÜRST am Ku’damm development.

The sprawling space is characterised by a variety of different uses including recording studios, broadcasting facilities, various office spaces with conference and meeting rooms, break-outs and communicative hub zones. This cluster of functions encourages employees and visitors to exchange ideas, flexibly iterating between collaboration and concentration with emotive backdrops inspired by audio and Berlin topics.

Our remit as lighting designers was therefore to provide an individual lighting solution for each space while establishing recurring design elements that combine to produce a holistic design.

Workspace areas use free-standing luminaires to create an optimal and user-centric lighting approach. The indirect lighting component switches on via presence detectors while the direct component is controlled individually by each user on the desk.

Functional lighting requirements are met with a modular system of reduced ceiling luminaires and integrated wall solutions. Layered on top is a carefully assembled range of decorative lighting, using restored industrial lights, modern meeting room solutions and handmade neon lettering to summon the charm of Berlin in unique ways in each different space.

A jagged linear fixture suspended from the ceiling is used as a recurring element in the entrance and hallway areas to intuitively guide users through the premises. The geometry is reminiscent of radio waves and was customised to fit the complex geometry and challenges of a congested ceiling real estate. An additional defining detail can be found in the pendant microphone luminaires above the reception desk which immediately convey the theme of the space.

The combination of unique lighting details and coherent system elements produces a visually stunning environment without sacrificing functionality. Visitors and employees can creatively interact, creating the content of the future in Europe’s most modern audio production centre.