Volkswagen Group Forum — perfectly staged — DRIVE

Berlin, Germany

Since May 2015, the former Automotive Forum Unter den Linden in Berlin has reimagined itself. It now brings together all twelve group brands (Volkswagen, Audi, Ducati, Seat, Škoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge, Scania, Porsche and MAN) along with the Volkswagen Financial Services AG all under one roof covering a total of 4,000 square meters with the name “DRIVE Volkswagen Group Forum”.

Since May 2015, the former Automotive Forum Unter den Linden in Berlin has reimagined itself. It now brings together all twelve group brands (Volkswagen, Audi, Ducati, Seat, Škoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge, Scania, Porsche and MAN) along with the Volkswagen Financial Services AG all under one roof covering a total of 4,000 square meters with the name “DRIVE Volkswagen Group Forum”.

The project required the right lighting intensity and colour to show off its exhibits! The high demands were met using innovative DALI and DMX addressable LED lighting fixtures along with a reliable and flexible lighting control system.

The highlight products of all the brands are on permanent display in an exhibition area on the ground floor, with the exhibitions changing every three months concentrating on a specific theme around one brand. In addition to the “DRIVEN by” presentation series, the DRIVE Volkswagen Group Forum uses the latest trends and themes from the world of art, culture, politics and society in order to create a lively display for Berliners and visitors to the capital city.

EVENTS SUCH AS EXHIBITIONS, READINGS, DISCUSSIONS AND CONCERTS TAKE PLACE ALL YEAR

The project for the Paderborn-based forwarding and The DRIVE exhibition invites visitors to appreciate “50 years of Volkswagen Motor Sports” where they can experience eight dynamically staged vehicles via interactive modules. On the upper floor the multifunctional meeting and conference rooms are equipped with the latest technology.

The Stuttgart-based company Macom was commissioned to plan the audio visual solutions working alongside Amptown System Company (ASC) who also supplied media equipment, the installation of lighting, sound, video, projection and control technology for the exhibition areas and the conference rooms. ASC were also responsible for the integration of the appropriate lighting and media control technology. A KNX system was specified for the control system; however, due to the extreme number of DALI consumers that had to be controlled individually, the client chose Helvar’s Imagine router system allowing a seamless connection to the existing media controls.

INTELLIGENT LIGHTING CONTROL WITH HELVAR COMPETENCE

The Helvar lighting control system is used in various exhibition areas, including the conference centre, catering room and shop. One important requirement of the project was to centrally control the several thousand luminaires and actuators, which normally go far beyond the limits of the DALI system. The Helvar Imagine routers used in this setup have two DALI lines each for all 64 DALI subscribers, and up to 100 of these routers can be networked; 41 Imagine routers are currently in use at DRIVE. Another advantage of the routers is the IP-based integration media control via the open HelvarNet protocol.

Thanks to the Helvar Designer Software suite, scene programming and group assignment were easy to accomplish. Employees can easily call up the corresponding scenes via the touchpanels enabling them to change the scenes for different lighting situations.

In addition to the light scenes for normal operation, the majority of the controls are automated in the background, such as daylight control and motion sensors. The latter are used in areas that should only be illuminated when there are visitors or employees. DIGIDIM PIR Motion Detectors have been installed for this task. These offer a detection range of 7 m with a mounting height of 2.80 m. In unused areas, the light is dimmed to a predetermined standby value.

EASY AND COMFORTABLE OPERATION FOR DIFFERENT USERS

The conference centre is used for a variety of purposes. Whether it’s for meetings, conferences or training sessions, there are appropriate rooms equipped with the latest media and presentation technology. Media, building services and lighting controls must be easy to use for a wide variety of users. That’s why there’s intuitive operation using touch panels with unique labels for the individual functions. In the background, all the components are networked via the central media control. The interface uses the IP-based HelvarNet protocol. For example, with the “Presentation” function, the light is dimmed by a predefined factor, the blinds are closed, and the projector and screen move into position. All DALI functions as well as the IP interface have been programmed using Helvar Designer Suite software.

“Helvar was chosen due to the immense number of DALI consumers that needed to be individually controlled, as well as for its comfortable programming and connection to the media control system. The clear system structure and the easy-to-understand software tool enormously simplify the integration and programming. The professional Helvar support was another plus,” said Christian Schroeder, Key Account Manager of Amptown System Company GmbH. “We have already had very positive experiences with the Helvar system in other installations, which is why we chose the Finnish lighting specialist.”

“We are proud that ASC is using Helvar Solutions and our service. Especially in a prestigious project such as DRIVE, where maximum reliability and networking with other systems are important, we are able to show off our qualities to the full,” adds Christian Wein, Managing Director of Helvar GmbH.

TEXT Sigi Riedelbauch, Public Touch, PICTURES Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft

Berlin, Germany