When the Metronom Theater opened on the edge of Centro Oberhausen in 1999, a promising future as a musical venue seemed assured. Following numerous productions, the doors closed with the onset of the pandemic. Four years later, the vacant building was set to be revived under new management. Semmel Concerts engaged the lighting design firm Andres + Partner, which installed a contemporary and sophisticated lighting system in the 1,700-seat theater within a tight three-month timeline. The venue is now perceived as precise, bright, and atmospherically compelling.

The existing architectural elements—the dark blue shimmering carpet in the foyer, the curved stairways, and the imposing columns with capitals that evoke abstracted tree crowns—remained central features, yet underwent fundamental transformation through the new lighting scheme. Curved, continuous vault bands follow the large-scale rounded forms, marking transitions and establishing a clear hierarchy between movement, gathering, and wayfinding. Particularly striking is the expansive wall of wooden slats of varying lengths at the main entrance; its relief truly comes into its own through targeted illumination. The bar and lounge areas take on atmospheric qualities. Custom-developed Circle light rings crafted from brushed aluminum, specially designed for this project, hover above round tables and draw together the warm interior design materials at key gathering points. The color and surface texture of the fixtures impressed so greatly during the selection phase that this hue was carried through to select bronze elements throughout the project. In other seating areas, multiple overlapping circular luminaires converge into a ceiling landscape. 1.3 kilometers of LED strips form the backbone of the lighting scheme, threading through the building like fine lines. Depending on the ceiling configuration, downlights are arranged either round or square and in varying intensities to create gentle transitions between different zones. Integrated spotlights provide targeted accents, employing the same LED chips as the downlights to maintain visual consistency. For precise control of lighting scenes, custom plug-and-play boxes were developed and integrated into the existing DMX-controlled stage infrastructure.

www.andres-lichtplanung.de

Photography:
Mark Wohlrab/Bega
www.mark-wohlrab.de
Stapelbroek GmbH
www.stapelbroek.com

(Published in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 01|26)