Markt Erlbach – Redesign of the Main Street

MAST LIGHTS FOR MARKT ERLBACH

Every joint project between the Munich office bauchplan ).( and Bergmeister Leuchten has resulted in the development of a custom lighting solution. The latest completed collaboration involved Markt Erlbach, a community of nearly 5,700 residents on the Hochplateau of Frankenhöhe. After ten years of planning and implementation, the main street and market square in Markt Erlbach have become a showcase for an equitable traffic space with a focus on quality of stay.

New multifunctional street furniture has been elegantly designed to provide barrier-free access to private entrances. The historic natural stone pavement has been recycled, trimmed, and leveled to integrate it with granite stones in a barrier-free city floor. A color pattern design aids orientation and features codes indicating various functionalities of the public space.

Michael Franke, site manager at bauchplan ).(, explains the role of Bergmeister lights: “Lighting is a significant topic for us because it can greatly shape the atmosphere.” The goal was to create a slim fixture, he says, while ensuring it connected to the new street design without competing with the historic urban landscape. Off-the-shelf products were not an option, allowing the functional needs of the community to be addressed.

The result is a mast light with a long arm set at a blunt angle of about 120°. The masts are spaced differently and are staggered left and right in a relaxed arrangement. To keep the pedestrian area clear and minimize the visibility of the masts, they have been positioned where possible in recesses of buildings or mounted as arm lights on facades. The fixture’s “Pearl Beige” color complements the seating areas of the polygonal street furniture.

The highlight: In the market square area, the lights create an extraordinary interplay with the road surface, which is embedded with glitter stones. In the glow of the lights, these small stones begin to sparkle in the darkness.